How many threads of logic lead us to revelations? On this episode of The Artful Periscope, Larry sits down with Adam Sykes, author of the thriller novel The Underhanded. In addition to being an author, Adam also had a long career in the U.S. Marine Corps, received a Silver Star and was a former CIA Paramilitary Officer. Larry and Adam discuss the origin of character names and how Adam’s military experience has informed his writing, Larry posits what it was like to make the shift from being an active participant in major world events such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq vs the author’s role as a witness and commentator, adjusting from a military team life to a solitary writing life, and the role of physical exercise in his writing process.

After the break, Larry welcomes Henry Hemming, author of Four Shots in the Night: A True Story of Spies, Murder, and Justice in Northern Ireland, which recounts the true story of 1980s murder of a British spy by, potentially, another British spy. While exploring the facts of the case, Henry also explores the relationship between spies and their targets, the complicated history of Northern Ireland and it’s relationship with Great Britain.  Henry shares about the ISU (aka The Nutting Squad) and their hunting of spies for the IRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army),the courage of victim Frank Haggerty’s mother to speak out publicly against her son’s murderer, and the investigation of Jon Boutcher, a modern detective tasked with researching this case and similar cases originating in Northern Ireland.