Spy Story (novel) Spy Story (novel) Spy Story is a 1974 spy novel by Len Deighton, which features minor characters from his earlier novels "The IPCRESS File", "Funeral in Berlin", "Horse Under Water", and "Billion Dollar Brain". In common with several of his other early novels, the chapter headings have a "feature". In "Spy Story" these take the form of excerpts from the fictional Studies Centre's rules. As in the earlier "Unnamed hero" novels, we never learn the protagonist's real name, only that he is living under the name Pat Armstrong. Armstrong works for the Studies Centre in London, where various tactical wargame
James Meek (author) James Meek (author) James Meek (born 1962) is a British novelist and journalist, author of "The People's Act of Love". He was born in London, England, and grew up in Dundee, Scotland. Meek attended school at Grove Academy in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, and studied at Edinburgh University. His first short stories were published in the New Edinburgh Review and he collaborated with Duncan McLean on a play, "Faculty of Rats", which starred Angus Macfadyen. After a few years in England Meek returned to Edinburgh in 1988, where he worked for The Scotsman. The following year, his first novel, "McFarlane Boils