Henry Hemming is the author of five previous works of Non Fiction, including most recently Churchill's Iceman, published in the US as The Ingenious Mr. Pyke, where it became a New York Times bestseller. Earlier works include Misadventure in the Middle East and In Search of the English Eccentric. He has written for the Economist, The Sunday Times, FT Magazine and the Washington Post, among many others. He lives in London with his two children.
Fascinating biography ... Hemming has done a superb job -- Ben Macintyre * The Times, 'Book of the Week' * Excellent biography… The author has done a terrific job of unscrambling Knight’s muddled life * The Sunday Times * Jaw-droppingly revelatory biography. ***** * Mail on Sunday * ‘Compelling new biography… Hemming has done a wonderful espionage job of his own, scouring obscure files to bring long-hidden agents and their exploits to light. It is also a gripping portrait of an era, now long gone, when the establishment could accommodate such extravagant oddness. * Daily Telegraph * Henry Hemming has found a peach of a subject... Full of new material, fresh interpretations and uncompromising integrity... He has managed the great feat of producing a rattling good read that is also a major piece of revisionist history -- Richard Davenport-Hines * Wall Street Journal * Hemming has written a very readable, thoughtful and comprehensive account -- Alan Judd * Literary Review * I raced through Henry Hemming's book, constantly having to remind myself that it wasn't a work of fiction. It really has everything you'd want from a great espionage story: incredible agents risking their lives; the highest possible stakes, with the safety of the world hanging in the balance; and at its heart a complicated, mercurial spy master in Maxwell Knight spinning an ever more intricate web. -- Matt Charman, Oscar-nominated screenwriter of 'Bridge of Spies' A major new biography * Mail on Sunday * Engaging and suspenseful * Financial Times * Lively contribution to a maverick literature * The Observer * Crammed with cracking stories and founded on sound research, Henry Hemming’s biography of Maxwell Knight – ‘M’ – stands comparison with the bestselling books of Ben Macintyre. -- Adam Sisman (Author of John Le Carré) Absolute proof that assiduous digging in the archives can produce scoops. This is intelligence research at its best, especially in the identification of hitherto anonymous agents. Definitely a great contribution to the literature. -- Nigel West (Author of MI5) A fascinating portrait of a complex man. Espionage writing at its best. -- Charles Cumming (Author of A Divided Spy) A cracking read, which both informs and entertains in equal measure. -- Robin Handbury-Tenison * Country Life * Henry Hemming's excellent new life of Maxwell Knight [...] the most convincing, balanced and intricate biography of this extraordinary figure. -- Alex Bughart * The Spectator * ‘A terrific life of the brilliant and eccentric spymaster’ * The Sunday Times * A jaw-droppingly revelatory biography * EVENT magazine, Mail on Sunday * The odd chap is brought to life * The Times * This is a terrific book, well researched and superbly written * The Guardian * a fascinating biography * Keith Simpson MP’s Summer Reading List *