Book Talk: Katherine Reay
Click here to listen to the episode with Katherine Reay
Host Cara Putman catches up with fan-favorite guest and writing friend Katherine Reay to discuss her upcoming novel, The Undercover Bookshop! Combining the charm of classic Golden Age detective fiction with real-life Cold War espionage, Katherine crafts a story that feels like “a delicious scone of an escape” with a little clotted cream on top.
Katherine breaks down her meticulous historical research process—including her rule that only books published before November 1949 could be referenced in the text—and explains how she balanced real MI5 history with a lighthearted coming-of-age story. She and Cara explore why post-WWII England in 1950 mirrors our own post-pandemic world, how she uses literary references as a “shared love language” with her readers, and why she keeps returning to bookshop settings in her fiction.
Plus, stay tuned for our signature Lightning Round, where Katherine drops television recommendations, her top Austen and C.S. Lewis favorites, and her ultimate favorite word!
- Welcome & Intro: Cara welcomes back writing friend Katherine Reay to talk about her new mystery-laced historical novel, The Undercover Bookshop.
- Homage to Golden Age Mysteries: Sliding nods to Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Father Brown, Marjorie Allingham, and Josephine Tey into the story.
- The 1949 Cutoff Rule: Katherine’s strict research boundary to ensure historical accuracy.
- Introducing Gemma Brown: The kooky, loveable 22-year-old protagonist searching for belonging after childhood displacement in WWII.
- A Spy as a Secondary Character: Why Katherine chose a lighter, coming-of-age perspective over a heavy spy point of view.
- Setting the Scene in Great Rollright: Researching the actual 1950 English village (population 247) down to the high street layout and constabulary placement.
- Uncovering the Real Historical Spy: How research in Ben Macintyre’s work and Oxford museum debates revealed gaps in classified MI6 files, leaving room for fictional “what-ifs”.
- Thinking “In Books”: Why bookshops recur in Katherine’s novels and how literary allusions build community with readers.
- Historical Hooks & Parallel Timelines: Finding the emotional connection between 1950 post-war rationing/uncertainty and modern post-pandemic life.
Guest Website: KatherineReay.com (Use the contact page to email her directly—she replies to all emails herself!)
Instagram: @katherinereay
Facebook: Katherine Reay Author
Want to watch this interview? You can see this episode as well as multiple others on YouTube! Enjoy!
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