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It's part of a writer's profession, as it's part of a spy's profession, to prey on the community to which he's attached, to take away information - often in secret - and to translate that into intelligence for his masters, whether it's his readership or his spy masters. And I think that both professions are perhaps rather lonely.

I think, primarily, we love spy thrillers, and I think, instinctively, we love the tension that those thrillers can bring.

The contemporary crime novel is, at its best, a novel of character. That's where the suspense comes from.

In a mystery, the sleuth must be believably involved and emotionally invested in solving the crime.

It's a thrilling world, and people really like stories about secrets, which is the essence of a spy drama.

In ordinary detective novels you never see the consequences of what happens in a story in the next book. That you do in mine.

The detective genre is not easy because you've got to get to a conclusion that is unexpected.

Most people like to read about intrigue and spies. I hope to provide a metaphor for the average reader's daily life. Most of us live in a slightly conspiratorial relationship with our employer and perhaps with our marriage.

No matter how hard we strive for objectivity, writers are biased toward tension - those moments in which character is forged and revealed.