Lies, Spies and Suspense: Inside Traitors with Robert B. McCaw

A propulsive, high-stakes thriller—Robert McCaw delivers a gripping tale of espionage, betrayal, and deception amid the race to expose Russian moles at the highest levels of the US government. Tense, timely, and full of international intrigue, Traitors will keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommended. David McCloskey, former CIA analyst and author of The Persian Author Robert B McCaw joins us to discuss Traitors, a geopolitical thriller shaped by his background in law, Washington and international affairs. He reveals how real-world stories involving Russia, Ukraine, Finland, nuclear weapons and ballistic submarines helped inspire the novel—and how his legal experience taught him to think about lies, interrogation and the search for truth. Support Spybrary every month with a small donation  and help us keep the lights on at the Spybrary Safehouse McCaw also explains why he believes a thriller writer has to "play fair" with the reader: the clues should be there, the twists should feel earned, and even the most dramatic developments need to feel possible. Along the way, we explore his unusual path to publication—from spending nearly 20 years on his first novel and self-publishing it, to a chance encounter on a Mediterranean cruise that led to a literary agent and, eventually, Traitors being published by W. W. Norton.