
David Goodman on Solitary Agents, Spy Fiction and Writing Through Rejection
From Quick Book Reviews with Philippa Hall by Philippa Hall
June 1, 2026 · 45 min · Episode 463
About this episode
Philippa Hall interviews David Goodman about his spy thriller 'Solitary Agents' and the challenges of writing and publishing.
In this episode of Quick Book Reviews , Philippa chats to David Goodman about his latest spy thriller Solitary Agents , the follow-up to his brilliant debut A Reluctant Spy . David talks about writing spy fiction for readers who may not usually read spy novels, creating the hugely compelling character of Jamie Tulloch , and the long road to publication after earlier books did not sell. He also discusses awards, resilience, TV adaptation developments, and his upcoming science fiction novel Shards of Starlight , written as David W. Goodman . Philippa also reviews: The Good Listener by Holly Watt Such a Nice Girl by Andrea Mara The Thick of It BBC audiobook In This Episode David Goodman on Solitary Agents Why spy fiction is having a major moment Writing accessible spy thrillers Jamie Tulloch and the world of MI5 and MI6 The challenge of writing a second book Rejection, persistence and finding your writing community TV adaptation news for A Reluctant Spy Writing science fiction as David W. Goodman Dream and nightmare writing locations Philippa’s spoiler-free book reviews About Solitary Agents Solitary Agents follows Jamie Tulloch after the events of A Reluctant Spy . Having tried to…
People in this episode
Host: Philippa Hall
Guest: David Goodman
Topics covered
- spy fiction
- writing process
- resilience in writing
- character development
- book reviews
- TV adaptations
Keywords
- spy thriller
- David Goodman
- A Reluctant Spy
- writing rejection
- character Jamie Tulloch
- TV adaptation
- science fiction
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: MI5, MI6
Books & works: Solitary Agents, A Reluctant Spy, The Good Listener, Such a Nice Girl, The Thick of It, Shards of Starlight
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