Sir Parky pops in to chat about his friend, the flawed footballing genius George Best- the focus of his new memoir. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Simpson has been the BBC's World Affairs Editor for more than half his fifty-two year career. The legendary journalist tells us about his new novel Moscow, Midnight. MP Patrick Macready has been found dead in his flat. The coroner rules it an accident, a sex game gone wrong. Jon Swift is from the old stock of journos - cynical, cantankerous and overweight - and something about his friend's death doesn't seem right. Then days after Macready's flat is apparently burgled, Swift discovers that his friend had been researching a string of Russian government figures who had met similarly 'accidental' fates. When the police refuse to investigate further, Swift gets in touch with his contacts in Moscow, determined to find out if his hunch is correct. Following the lead, he is soon drawn into a violent underworld, where whispers of conspiracies, assassinations and double-agents start blurring the line between friend and foe. But the truth will come at a price, and it may cost him everything.

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Find out the writing and reading habits of this week's authors. Cressida is the multi million selling creator of How To Train Your Dragon. And Edward has compiled a book of maps which chart the rise of exploration. They talk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cressida Cowell is the multi million selling creator, author and illustrator of How To Train Your Dragon. Her latest book is the second in the Wizards Of Once series. Edward Brooke-Hitching is the author of the critically acclaimed books The Phantom Atlas and Fox Tossing, Octopus Wrestling and Other Forgotten Sports . The son of Franklin Brooke-Hitching, collector of the largest and most comprehensive library of British exploration and discovery ever accumulated, he is also a writer for the BBC series QI and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. His latest book is The Golden Atlas - charting the evolution of maps and exploration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The reading habits of bestselling author Ian Rankin - covering the likes of Charles Dickens, Alistair MacLean, RagnarJonasson...and Jilly Cooper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

See if Matt can keep his sh*t together in front of his all time favourite author...Ian Rankin comes in to chat about his new bestseller In A House of Lies - the 22nd Rebus novel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The author of the multi million selling Jack Reacher thrillers talks about his reading and writing habits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The multi million selling author of the Jack Reacher books pops in to the pod to talk coffee, movies and cotton buds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan and Anna from the No Such Thing As A Fish podcast discuss their Book of the Year - amazing facts from 2018. And explorer Levison Wood tells us about his latest adventure, which he has written about in his new book Arabia - 13 countries, 5000 miles...on foot, camel and tank. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discover the reading habits, loves and suggestions of explorer Levison Wood and the QI Elves Anna & Dan (No Such Thing As A Fish). Levison has written a book about his recent journey around the Arabian Peninsular - 13 countries & 5000 miles via foot, tank and camel. The Elves have released the Book of the Year - amazing facts that may have passed you by in the past 11 months or so. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.