Adam LeBor and Alex Gerlis join Jenni Frazer to discuss thriller-writing and their latest books.

At their best, thrillers can pull off the impressive feat of providing escape while at the same time giving us food for thought on the world around us.

That’s the case with the books here: former BBC journalist Alex Gerlis’ Agent in the Shadows ventures to wartime France as the Wolf Pack spies go undercover to find a traitor; and in Dohany Street author Adam LeBor, also the FT’s thriller reviewer, takes us to Budapest as Detective Balthazar Kovacs investigates the disappearance of a young Israeli historian. They join award-winning journalist Jenni Frazer.

Buy a copy of Dohany Street by Adam LeBor and Agent in the Shadow Alex Gerlis.

This event will last approximately 1 hour, without an interval. 

About the speakers:

A BBC journalist for nearly thirty years, Alex Gerlis was born in Lincolnshire and now lives in west London.  He is author of nine Second World War espionage thrillers.  His latest book, Agent in the Shadows, which is part of the Wolf Pack Spy series which also includes Agent in Peril and Agent in Berlin, was published in 2023.

Adam LeBor is the thriller critic of the Financial Times and a veteran former foreign correspondent who lived in Budapest for many years. He is the author of seven novels and eight non-fiction books, including Hitler’s Secret Bankers, which was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and City of Oranges which was shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize. He is an editorial trainer and writing coach for numerous publications and organisations and also writes for the Critic and The Times. He lives in London with his family.

Jenni Frazer has had an award-winning career in journalism for more than 30 years, during which she has performed nearly every kind of role, from news reporter to foreign bureau chief, from editing and commissioning, to running a team of reporters. She has interviewed many celebrities and been a frequent media commentator on UK radio and TV.