Aly Monroe

Welcome to my website!

Here you will find information and background about the Peter Cotton series.  You will also find a link to my blog – which I invite you to visit.

Meanwhile, you might like to take a look at my

Q & A for The Maze of Cadiz
Q & A for Washington Shadow
Extract from The Maze of Cadiz
Extract from Washington Shadow

Best wishes,

Aly Monroe

Aly Monroe Blogspot

RIP 'Peter Cotton'-2:'I Do Hope I Can Help You'

I had some intrigued reactions to my post last week about my meetings with the ‘real’ Peter Cotton – but they didn’t start particularly well. More..

Washington Shadow Paperback

Less than a month to go before publication day (August 5th) for the paperback of Washington Shadow - available for pre-order from Amazon. More..

RIP 'Peter Cotton'

I regret to say that the ‘real’ Peter Cotton – or an elegant flesh and bone version of my character - died on June 22nd, 2010 in his house in Spain. He was 91 years old. More..

You Don't Speak Spanish Do You?

Recently I watched Jim Jarmusch’s film The Limits of Control, an enigmatic, dream-like play on the adventure of a hitman. I liked it very much indeed. More..

Amazon Is Not The ACME Corporation

From time to time, writers leave their books and indulge in, sometimes furiously one-sided, spats. Wordsworth’s poetic injunction – tranquility – disappears as fast as the Road Runner in Loony Tunes cartoons. More..

Ludwig & Norbert

Despite my intentions on April 29 (see previous post 'Northern Brightness') I have since succumbed, and read Sally’s in the Alley by Norbert Davis (The Rue Morgue Press). As I said then, apparently Wittgenstein was a fan of Norbert’s language, his humour, and his lack of sentimentality. More..

Tinned Pears

Two Saturdays ago, 1918 met 2009, when my father-in-law met his fifth great-grandchild again. The meeting was amiable and involved quite a lot of ‘and the little one said roll over, roll over’, and the very amusing sound/word ‘oink’.

I mention this because of a recent conversation I had with a reader on the term ‘historical novel’. More..

Northern Brightness

Among the delights of research are the incidental finds. Washington Shadow is set in 1945, at a time when John Maynard Keynes was in Washington trying to raise a loan to keep the British economy afloat after the end of Lend-Lease. More..

Peter Cotton - Cadiz, Washington ... and London

On Tuesday April 13, I signed a contract for another two Peter Cotton books with John Murray. Given that the verbal agreement dates back to January, I ignored any superstitious stuff (Martes Trece is the Spanish equivalent of Friday 13) and pressed ahead. More..

When The Third Man Met The Third Person

I have been asked, a lot, why I picked the surname Cotton for the protagonist of my novels. It is not a signally heroic sort of name. No Spade, Laidlaw or Reacher. Nor is it the obvious name of an anti-hero. More..

Scarlett and Mia

Recently, I received an email from a reader asking me about the origin of one of my characters in Washington Shadow. Writers are often asked questions like this - and they are not always easy to answer. More..

Washington Shadow - Paperback Cover

The paperback of Washington Shadow, is due out in August - in time for holiday reading! More..

The Maze of Cadiz Audiobook Review

Another review of The Maze of Cadiz, this time for the audiobook, appeared in Saturday's Guardian. More..

The Maze of Cadiz Audiobook Review

Another review of The Maze of Cadiz, this time for the audiobook, appeared in Saturday's Guardian. More..

Siege Mentality - Open and Shut Genres

Recently I wrote two blog posts on Javier Marías, a writer for whom words are (almost) everything. More..

E-books and Musings on the Future

Elliott Hall, author of the innovative and very well reviewed ("a knock-out debut") The First Stone (part of the Strange Trilogy), which is just out in paperback, has written an excellent account of the recent Amazon- Macmillan dispute, an appraisal of the whole E-book issue and possible implications for us all, in a series of three blog posts. More..

Home Cooking

When I first lived in Cadiz, people would invite me to their homes and, very often, I would find that they had gone out of their way to serve me something ‘from your country’ - to remind me of home. This was really very kind and touching, but the results were often unfortunate. More..

Audio Rights For Washington Shadow

As well as the large print rights, Isis have now acquired the Unabridged Audio Rights for Washington Shadow. More..

Inspector Proust

At Christmas, my husband gave me the last part of Javier Marías’ three part novel Your Face Tomorrow, translated by Margaret Jull Costa. More..

Large Print Rights - Washington Shadow

Isis Publishing have just acquired the Large Print rights for Washington Shadow. I am intrigued to see what cover they will choose. More..

Fair's Fair, Very Rare - The Value of Translators

A few days ago I saw a video of an interview with Javier Marías. The publication in English of the third part of his three part novel, Your Face Tomorrow, has finally seen widespread recognition of his very considerable talents. More..

Mussel Soup

I first ate mussels many years ago as a student in Granada, when a neighbour came over to prepare us a paella. More..

Something For My Christmas Stocking

Very nice to receive today, a cutting from The Mail on Sunday (December 6th). More..

Of Gardeners and Butlers

About fifteen years ago, my husband came back from lunch with a publisher who had said he would be remiss in his job if he did not keep an eye on the business models used by pornographers... More..

Lionel Davidson (1922-2009)

Last year (Sunday 30 November 2008) I wrote a blog on Lionel Davidson, pleased that Faber and Faber had brought out a collection of all eight of his books for adults published between 1960 and 1994. More..

The Seas South of Gaudi

When, on his way back home from Australia in 2003, Manuel Vazquez Montalbán died at the age of 64, at least half (the left-wing half) of Spain went into mourning. Television and newspapers went into overdrive. More..

Talking to Readers at the Edinburgh Bookshop

On Wednesday I went to the Edinburgh Bookshop in Bruntsfield Place to read from and talk about the first two books of the Peter Cotton series, The Maze of Cadiz and Washington Shadow. More..

Visit to Goldsboro Books

I went down to London from Edinburgh on Thursday - a somewhat fraught trip as the train broke down and we all had to get out at Durham and wait to be transferred to another train. I found my agent was travelling on the same train so we travelled the rest of the way together and met up with my editor. More..

'Thankfully'

November 5th was official publication day for Washington Shadow and I have been taking a break from the gruesome winter of 1946-47, the background of the next Peter Cotton book, to answer a number of questions I have received from would-be writers and/or the curious. More..

Book Hugger Author Panel

I was recently invited by Book Hugger - the excellent online magazine that started back in June - to take part in one of their author panels together with Helen Walsh and Armand Cabasson. More..

The Edinburgh Bookshop

The Edinburgh Bookshop in Bruntsfield, owned by Malcolm and Vanessa Robertson- who are also the owners of the fantastic Children's Bookshop - only opened in September this year but is already making its mark on the city. More..

Sabores de Cádiz - Comfort Food Cadiz Style

Since I started this blog, I have, every now and then, been including some recipes for food Peter Cotton eats in The Maze of Cadiz. More..

Bulls and Bells

Further to my last blog, I have been thinking more about the use of language and the perceived exoticism of foreign settings. More..

The Language of Character

I don’t as a general rule respond to other people’s comments about my books, but Fiction Desk’s review of The Maze of Cadiz, and the subsequent thread of comments which I came across recently, raised some interesting questions that confront any author who writes a story with a foreign setting. More..

Audiobook of The Maze of Cadiz is now available

audio book of the maze of cadizThe Audiobook of The Maze of Cadiz read by Johnathan Keeble is now available for purchase direct from Isis Publishing. More..

 

 

 



Cotton's Tastes of Cadiz: Poor Man's Lobster - Or Gato por Liebre

I first ate monkfish in Cadiz over twenty years ago, long before it was a desirable dish in fine restaurants. At the time, this was not a typically ‘gaditano’ dish. More..

Gothic Science

I am reading an excellent book called A Natural History of Seeing by Simon Ings.More..

Linda Fairstein

I was delighted to have it drawn to my attention recently that Linda Fairstein, best-selling author of the Alex Cooper novels had mentioned in an interview that The Maze of Cadiz was the last book she had read. More..

Ratiocination and Other Horrors or The Art of Playing Ball

At the recent Crimefest, I was surprised to hear an attack on Edgar Allan Poe for using a word like ‘ratiocination. More..

Post CrimeFest 

I’ve been busy editing recently, but I’m delighted to say that Washington Shadow, the second in the Peter Cotton series has now gone off to the copy editor. It is due out on November 5th this year. More..

Beyond the Books 

I don’t know about other authors but, while writing The Maze of Cadiz and Washington Shadow, my second Peter Cotton novel, due out later this year, I’ve spent a lot of time building background details. More..

Greetings to Readers in the USA

I have recently received numerous emails from American readers wondering why The Maze of Cadiz is advertised but not properly available to buy on USA amazon. More..

 

Reviews of Washington Shadow

The TLS, Sean O’Brien: ... The Social Concerns of the Thriller .. Read more..

The Telegraph, Jeremy Jehu: ... a Graham Greene anti-hero … the spy who brings the cold in with him .. Read more..

The Times Christmas books: thrillers, Peter Millar: ...Down to earth in the grimy world of spooks and politicians, Washington Shadow by Aly Monroe … is the second in her splendid series. …enlightened and engaging … it ought to be in Gordon Brown’s Christmas stocking.. Read more..

Guardian, John O’Connell : ...Wonderfully atmospheric. …. Excellent.. Read more..

Morning Star, Mat Coward: ...Monroe's novels are a very enjoyable, historically educated combination of espionage fiction's traditionally opaque plots with unexpected characters and effervescent dialogue.. Read more..

The Literary Review, Jessica Mann: ...Cotton … becomes both observer and victim of Britain’s diminishing power and influence ... the atmosphere of the time and place is .. vividly evoked..

The Edinburgh Evening News, Katie Linsel: A sense of perspective comes out of shadows.. Read more

Euro Crime, Norman Price: compelling narrative … evocative period atmosphere … imaginative character portraits … well researched plot … makes you want to keep turning the pages.. Read more

 

Washington Shadow by Aly MonroeThe Maze of Cadiz
Publication date September 2009.

Buy the Maze of Cadiz online from Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Waterstones or Goldsboro

Reviews of The Maze of Cadiz

The Guardian, Sue Arnold, review of The Maze of Cadiz, Audiobook : What really impressed me was her confident, economical portrayal of character, particularly Cotton’s. It reminded me of Graham Greene - high praise for a first novel.. Read more..

Mystery Women, Amanda Brown (September 2009): ...a quietly powerful tale … a good first novel and highly recommended. Read more..

New Books (September 2009): ...The novel is very moving … the plot is intriguing … the reader gains an insight into another world … I enjoyed reading this book.

The Economist, Adam LeBor: ...skilful and evocative ... brilliantly drawn ... a stylish and impressive debut. Read more..

George Haggerty, Orange County Register: ...a gripping thriller ...precision and grace ... rich authenticity. Let's hope Monroe finds an American readership and the book becomes more readily available here soon. Read more..

Financial Times, Natasha Cooper: an impressive novel ..... beautifully written .....vividly rendered.... The next can't come too soon. Read more..

Spectator, Andrew Taylor: Monroe is very good indeed on the Spanish background of the book .... As in all the best espionage stories, the personal and the political are inextricably entangled. Read more..

Telegraph, Jeremy Jehu:...hugely atmospheric .... addictive...Read more..

The Sunday Times, Joan Smith: accomplished debut. Read more..

The Guardian, Matthew Lewin: A remarkable portrait of post civil war Spain and the small expat community there …. clever and fascinating. Read more..

The Times, Marcel Berlins, November 2008: Aly Monroe's The Maze of Cadiz is a splendid debut mystery. Read more..

Eurocrime, Mike Ripley: A wonderfully atmospheric book …. a tale of the more realistic, downbeat trivia of the clandestine life …. very convincingly done.. Read more..

Books Quarterly (Waterstones) Best new debuts:…memorable thriller.

The Mail On Sunday, Simon Shaw: Hugely accomplished debut …Monroe is a natural storyteller … a cracking atmosphere … first-rate characters

Read all reviews