Alan Judd has written sixteen novels and two biographies. He has also collaborated, with David Crane, on a National Portrait Gallery account of the First World War poets.

His first novel, A Breed of Heroes, won the Royal Society of Literature award and led to his being chosen as one of the Twenty Best of Young British Novelists. His novella, The Devil’s Own Work, won the Guardian fiction prize and his biography, Ford Madox Ford, the Heinemann award. The Quest for C, his authorised biography of the founder of MI6, was shortlisted for the Westminster Prize. A Breed of Heroes and Legacy, the latter the first of his Charles Thoroughgood series of spy novels, were filmed by the BBC, while his novel The Kaiser’s Last Kiss is a feature film starring Christopher Plummer and Lily James.

Judd has written and reviewed for a number of publications, including regular comment pieces for the Daily Telegraph and motoring columns for the Spectator and the Oldie. Before becoming a full-time writer he served in the Army and the Foreign Office.

His more recent novels include A Fine Madness, tracing the enigmatic life of Christopher Marlowe, and the spy thriller Queen and Country, the latest in his Charles Thoroughgood series. In spring 2025 he published No. 2 Whitehall Court, a new novel set during the First World War.

Author photo © Richard Gardner/REX