David Wolstencroft

David Wollstencroft is best known for having created the successful BBC television series, Spooks. It is perhaps less well known that he had also previously been Alexander Armstrong’s original comedy act partner.

Before creating Spooks, he wrote two espionage novels, the first of which was Good News, Bad News. I am a huge fan of spy novels, and I think it is fair toi say that, whatever he might subsequently have achieved, this book is not a marvellous addition to the oeuvre.

To be fair, it show more does take a fresh perspective on the field, and features an amusing and engaging plotting device, although I feel I can’t say much more without straying into unwelcome potential spoiler territory. Unfortunately, I don’t think that the twist he uses is sufficient to sustain a novel of this length. show less

A bout of insomnia meant this raid on the older TBR pile got finished a couple days early. I enjoyed this debut novel by the writer of the BBC series MI5 (Spooks in the UK). A twisty contemporary spy thriller shows this author's promise. Well-drawn characters, non-stop action, and deep insights into the world of spy-craft make this a most satisfying read.

Funnily enough I finished this book just after I had watched the third and final episode of a legal thriller written by the same author, but whereas that was clever, well written and fast paced; this is boring, dull and tediously slow. I was lured into this book by the author's CV but to quote a hero "I Won't Get Fooled Again", nuff said!

Yes. This is a book written by one of the creators of Spooks. Yes. It is also a spy book, which I seem to have developed a strange liking for over the last few weeks. And yes. This one is added to the list of the enjoyed.

Contact Zero tells the story of four probationary M16 officers, out on their first assignment. Things go terribly wrong, and they end up disowned by their country and their service. All alone in different parts of the world, with lots of people trying to kill them. The only show more hope that have is a possibly mythical 'group' known as Contact Zero - run by spies, for the spies.

I'm not going to say anything more about the plot, because there are wonderful twists and turns the whole way through. The whole thing revolves around trust - the trust they have for each other, for the people they meet, and for their superiors back in England. There's some great moments of suspense in the book, but there's also a real strength to the characters - they're interesting and compelling and you want to know more about them.

This is Wolstencroft's second book and I'm now hunting madly for the first one. It's a nice inclusion in the spy genre (and Spooks writers will see possible crossovers), and one I thoroughly enjoyed. show less