Louise Doughty

Simon Mayo's Books Of The Year

Bestselling novelist Louise Doughty joins Simon and Matt for a chat about her new novel, 'A Bird In Winter'

She talks about going on the run herself to get into the mind of her character and meeting a real-life spy in a hotel lobby. Louise also talks about her TV adaptations and who she'd love to play Bird, if this latest book were to be adapted.

Here comes the science bit:

Bird is a woman on the run. One minute, she's in a meeting in her office in Birmingham - the next, she's walking out on her job, her home, her life. It's a day she thought might come, and one she's prepared for - but nothing could prepare her for what will happen next.

As she flees north using multiple disguises, Bird has to work out who exactly is on her trail, and who - if anyone - she can trust. Like many people, she has fantasised about escape for a long time, but now it's actually happening.

Is her greatest fear that she will be hunted down, or that she will never be found?

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