Simon Berthon

Simon Berthon is a novelist, historian and BAFTA-winning documentary producer. His latest thriller, A Time to Lie, was published in paperback in June 2021. He has written two previous thrillers and three works of non-fiction, as well as screenplays commissioned by Granada TV and the BBC. He now divides his time between London, Cambridge and Wiltshire.

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Find his full biography here.

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A Time to Lie

(Harper Collins 2020)

"Brilliant, a wonderful, devilishly entertaining page-turner. There's a truthfulness about the book, an authenticity. A rip-roaring read, it's going to cause much sleep deprivation" - Mark Dolan, Talk Radio

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"With deception at every turn, Berthon delivers masterful character development amid a tangle of sub-plots that both disguise and enrich the main story. Cleverly paced and meticulously planned... will have you racing towards the ending" - Edinburgh Evening News/Press Association

 

"A pulse-pounding thrill ride that hooked me from the chilling opening, A Time to Lie delivers on every explosive level" - Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End

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"An insightful journey through corridors of power walked by those with terrible secrets. Dark and twisted, A Time to Lie is a tense and timely novel" - Adam Hamdy, author of Black 13

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"Utterly gripping from the first chapter to the unexpected ending; full of the backstabbing and deception of political life in which no-one - even long-time friends - can truly be trusted. A thriller with more twists and turns than a mountain climb on the Tour de France" – Gavin Esler, broadcaster and author

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The Inquiry

(HarperCollins 2019, written as Will Caine)

“So deserving of the term, this is an expertly written thriller which delves into the murk and secrecy of the state. Not only gripping but thought-provoking. Terrific” – Elizabeth Buchan, prize-winning author of The New Mrs Clifton and The Museum of Broken Promises

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"Well-researched examination of the essential problems of espionage" - N J Cooper, Literary Review

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“Fascinating... utterly confident... a hell of an achievement” - Paul Greengrass, director of the Bourne trilogy, United 93, Captain Phillips, and July 22

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“Fast-paced, thrilling and uncomfortably credible” - Ross Armstrong, author of The Girls Beneath

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“Highly enjoyable... edge of the seat stuff!” - Simon Booker, author of Kill Me Twice

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“Excellent... a writer who knows his stuff... a tense and exciting thriller with a massive twist at the end. Highly recommended” – Netgalley

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Woman of State/A Secret Worth Killing For

(HarperCollins 2017)

“Superb first novel from an author who clearly knows the world he is writing about" - Peter Grimsdale, author of Perfect Night 

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"A cleverly written novel by an author whose experiences as an investigative film maker gave him the information for this first book. More please..." - Literary Review

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"The characters emerge like something dark, unsettling and threatening, staying with you long after reading" - Shots

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Warlords

(Methuen 2005, co-author Joanna Potts)

“Fascinating insights into the minds of these titans” - Daily Mail

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“Gripping, innovative and perceptive… It reads like a thriller but it is also a scholarly, impeccably researched piece of work… superlative” – Tribune

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Allies at War

(Harper Collins 2001)

“Particularly good at showing us how events looked at the time, rather than how they would later seem” - Daily Telegraph

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“A cracker” - The Independent

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“Full of astonishing revelations and insights” - The Guardian

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“Fascinating … A captivating glimpse into the personalities and goals of the three Allied giants” - Library Journal

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The Shape of the World

(George Philip 1990, co-author Andrew Robinson)

“A vivid account of great courage and endeavour on the grandest scale” - Where and When