James O’Neill is a British thriller author who writes from the shadow line where intelligence, technology and covert operations collide. Before turning to ficti
James O’Neill is a British thriller author who writes from the shadow line where intelligence, technology and covert operations collide. Before turning to fiction, he spent nearly two decades in UK Special Forces, operating in some of the world’s most complex and hostile environments. Those years shaped his obsession with detail: how surveillance really works, how operations really fail, and how quiet decisions in grey rooms can change lives on the ground. His debut novel, The Lost Key, launches a new series of British espionage thrillers rooted in real tradecraft, modern geopolitics and the blurred front line between cyber and human intelligence. James’s stories favour flawed professionals over superheroes, moral ambiguity over easy answers, and pace that never quite lets you breathe out. When he is not writing, James works internationally, advising on security, risk and critical infrastructure projects. He divides his time between the UK and various airport departure lounges, usually with a notebook in his bag and the next operation already forming in his head.