Smarty Pants From The American Scholar

Our guest this week is New York Times best-selling novelist Matthew Quirk, who went from being a reporter at The Atlantic to writing thrillers about government fixers and special agents. His latest book is Hour of the Assassin, about an ex-Secret Service agent who tests the security protecting public officials for weaknesses that might allow killers to break through. That is, until his latest assignment ends in … a setup! Quirk’s previous books have dealt with every manner of agent, from the FBI and special ops to con men and consultants. He joins us to talk about his approach to writing thrillers, how he avoids getting scooped by the news, and what fiction of all kinds has to offer us in dark times.Go beyond the episode:Matthew Quirk’s Hour of the AssassinRead Quirk’s essay for Vox on how the Trump era keeps spoiling his booksWe love John le Carré too: read senior editor Bruce Falconer’s review of the master’s memoir, The Pigeon TunnelFor an escape of a different kind, check out our editors’ favorite Br