The Hiroshima Men: Iain MacGregor in conversation with David Goodman
Join us at The Harbour Chapel in Dunbar on Wednesday, 2nd July, at 7.30 pm, when Ian MacGregor, author of The Hiroshima Men, will be in conversation with David Goodman, author of A Reluctant Spy.
The event will include a Q&A and audience questions, followed by a book signing.
Order a copy of either The Hiroshima Men by Iain MacGregor (RRP £25) or A Reluctant Spy, by David Goodman (RRP £10.99) via this page for free entrance to the event.
About The Hiroshima Men: The Quest to Build the Atomic Bomb, and the Fateful Decision to Use It:
At 8:15 a.m. on August 6th, 1945, the Japanese port city of Hiroshima was struck by the world's first atomic bomb. Built in the US by the top-secret Manhattan Project and delivered by a B-29 Superfortress, a revolutionary long-range bomber, the weapon destroyed large swaths of the city, instantly killing tens of thousands.
The world would never be the same again. The Hiroshima Men's unique narrative recounts the decade-long journey towards this first atomic attack. It charts the race for nuclear technology before, and during the Second World War, as the allies fought the axis powers in Europe, North Africa, China, and across the vastness of the Pacific, and is seen through the experiences of several key characters: General Leslie Groves, leader of the Manhattan Project alongside Robert Oppenheimer; pioneering Army Air Force bomber pilot Colonel Paul Tibbets II; the mayor of Hiroshima, Senkichi Awaya, who would die alongside over eighty-thousand of his fellow citizens; and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist John Hersey, who travelled to post-war Japan to expose the devastation the bomb had inflicted upon the city, and in a historic New Yorker article, described in unflinching detail the dangers posed by its deadly after-effect, radiation poisoning.
This thrilling account takes the reader from the corridors of the White House to the laboratories and test sites of New Mexico; from the air war above Nazi Germany and the savage reconquest of the Pacific to the deadly firebombing air raids across the Japanese Home Islands. The Hiroshima Men also includes Japanese perspectives - a vital aspect often missing from Western narratives - to complete MacGregor's nuanced, deeply human account of the bombing's meaning and aftermath.
Hardback, 448 pages, published 5th June 2025.
About A Reluctant Spy:
RIGHT PLACE. RIGHT TIME. WRONG MAN.
'Engrossing...ingenious...nods to Buchan, Fleming and le Carré' SUNDAY TIMES, THRILLERS OF THE MONTH
'A propulsive, intelligent, ripped-from-the-headlines spy novel that's guaranteed to cost you hours of sleep. Highly recommended' DAVID McCLOSKEY'
A twisty storyline and convincing action scenes make this a very promising debut' FINANCIAL TIMES
Jamie Tulloch is a successful exec at a top tech company, a long way from the tough upbringing that drove him to rise so far and so quickly. But he has a secret...since the age of 23, he's had a helping hand from the Legend Programme, a secret intelligence effort to prepare impenetrable backstories for undercover agents.
Real people, living real lives, willing to hand over their identities for a few weeks in return for a helping hand with plum jobs, influence and access. When his tap on the shoulder finally comes, it's swiftly followed by the thud of a body. Arriving at a French airport ready to hand over his identity, Jamie finds his primary contact dead, the agent who's supposed to step into his life AWOL and his options for escape non-existent.
Pitched into a deadly mission on hostile territory, Jamie must contend with a rogue Russian general, arms dealers, elite hackers, CIA tac-ops and the discovery of a brewing plan for war. Dangerously out of his depth, he must convince his sceptical mission handler he can do the job of a trained field agent while using his own life story as convincing cover. Can Jamie play himself well enough to avoid being killed - and to avert a lethal global conflict?
Paperback, 384 pages, published 5th June 2025.
EVENT DETAILS:
Please note that copies will be available for delivery/collection from the bookshop from around publication day, 5th June 2025.
Alternatively, they can be collected from the signing table on the night of the event.
Please select 'local pick up' at the checkout if you would like to collect your copy/copies from Night Owl Books, or at the event. Alternatively, please select the 'ship' option and we'll post your book(s) to you.
Event times:
The Harbour Chapel bar will be open for attendees from 6.30 pm.
Event: 19:30 - 20:30, followed by signing.
Doors: 19:15.
Venue information:
The Harbour Chapel, 10 Victoria Street, Dunbar, EH42 1ET.
FAQs
- Will I be sent an e-ticket before the event?
Please note that we will have a guest list on the door on the night of the event, and you will not be sent an e-ticket for it - simply let us know your name/the name of the person who booked your ticket when you arrive, and we'll check you in!
- Can I collect my book at the event?
Copies can be collected on the night at the event, or alternatively if you would like to read the book before attending copies can be collected or posted to you in advance.
A note on Covid precautions: if you feel unwell on the day, please err on the side of caution, and please take a lateral flow test before attending, if you can.
About the authors: