Joseph Hone

Who is Joseph Hone?

Joseph Hone is an Irish writer of the spy novel. His most famous novels featured a British spy called Peter Marlow. The first of the series was The Private Sector, set in the Six Day War. Marlow's story continues in The Sixth Directorate, The Flowers of the Forest, and The Valley of the Fox. During his heyday, in the 1970s, Hone was favourably compared with writers such as Len Deighton, Eric Ambler and John le Carré. Whilst some spy novels, such as those of le Carré are often set mainly inside the offices of the spy department, and attract praise for the depth of their characterization and plotting, others are set in the field, and provide explosive action. The stories of Joseph Hone, by contrast, have a foot in both these camps, and he has become renowned amongst aficionados of the spy genre for both the quality of his writing, and the excitement of his plots. He released his memoir, Wicked Little Joe in 2009.

Hone holds degrees from Kilkenny College in Kilkenny and St. Columba's College in Dublin.