Paul Burke Joins Spybrary
CWA Gold Dagger judge, former Spymasters podcast anchor and author of Spies on Screen joins Spybrary, the online home of spy fiction and espionage history, as founder Shane Whaley steps up its espionage history coverage. Photo Credit ©PaulReich
Spybrary, the online home for spy fiction and espionage history since 2017, today announced that critic, broadcaster and author Paul Burke has joined as Head of Fiction. Paul will lead Spybrary's coverage of spy novels and TV/Films.
Paul brings one of the deepest contact books in crime and thriller publishing. Since 2021 he has interviewed more than 400 authors as a podcast host for Crime Time FM, many of the top names in spy fiction among them. Most recently he anchored the Spymasters podcast.
“Joining Spybrary feels like finding my spiritual home. I look forward to working with Shane and one of the most dynamic and dedicated communities of espionage aficionados in the world.”
Paul Burke
He is a judge for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger, the most prestigious prize in British crime fiction. In 2025, he created the Aspects of Crime magazine and website and edited its short story collection, Watching the Detectives. He writes for Crime Fiction Lover and the European Literature Network, and has written for Monocle.
Paul's first book, Spies on Screen, published by Oldcastle Books, marks a return to his first reading passion: Cold War spy fiction. It is the first of two books on espionage fiction both on the screen and the page.
What changes at Spybrary
Paul's arrival lets Spybrary cover both sides of the genre in depth. Paul leads spy fiction coverage, from reviews to author interviews. Founder Shane Whaley becomes Head of Espionage History, focusing on the real intelligence history behind the novels.
Since launching in 2017, Spybrary has grown into a worldwide community of spy fans. The Spybrary Spy Podcast has passed 300 episodes and one million downloads, its free online Spybrary community is 5,000+ strong, and The Spybrary Dead Drop newsletter reaches more than 11,000 subscribers every two weeks. Radio Times has described Spybrary as “espionage as entertainment”.
Shane Whaley, Founder and Head of Espionage History, Spybrary:
“I am a long time admirer of Paul. Not only is he an excellent podcast host, he has read, reviewed and interviewed his way through the whole genre. Thriller readers trust his judgement. Spy fiction deserves a champion of his calibre. We are experiencing a golden era in spy fiction both on the page and on screen. With Paul leading our fiction coverage, we can highlight and feature even more spy authors.'
Paul Burke, Head of Fiction, Spybrary:
“Cold War spy fiction was my first reading passion, and I'm returning to spy fiction now with real excitement. Joining Spybrary feels like finding my spiritual home. I look forward to working with Shane and one of the most dynamic and dedicated communities of espionage aficionados in the world.”
About Spybrary
Spybrary is the online home for spy fiction and espionage history. Founded in 2017 by Shane Whaley, it began as a podcast after Shane looked for a spy fiction community and found none.
Today it includes the Spybrary Spy Podcast (300+ episodes, 1M+ downloads), The Dead Drop weekly newsletter (11,000+ subscribers), an online community, in-person meetups known as trefs, and an online espionage magazine at spybrary.com. Guests have included Sir Gary Oldman, bestselling thriller writers, former intelligence officers and historians. Spybrary has been featured by BBC News, the Express and Radio Times.
About Paul Burke
Paul Burke is Spybrary's Head of Fiction. He is a CWA Gold Dagger judge, a podcast host for Crime Time FM with 400+ author interviews since 2021, and a former anchor of the Spymasters podcast. He created the Aspects of Crime magazine and edited the collection Watching the Detectives. His first book is Spies on Screen (Oldcastle Books). He lives in the Rhondda, South Wales.
Media contact shane (at)spybrary.com
Please note that any purchases made with an Amazon link earn Spybrary a small commission, which helps us pay our reviewers. Thank you for supporting Spybrary.
