David Solomons

About Author

Look out for chases, gadgets and villains in Spyglass: Master of Mayhem, a hilarious, action-packed spy adventure by David Solomons.

Before writing his bestselling My Brother is a Superhero series, David wrote screenplays for many years and his first feature film was an adaptation of 'Five Children and It'.

David was born in Glasgow and now lives in Dorset with his wife and children Luke and Lara.

Twitter @DavidSolomons2 Website david-solomons.com

Interview

April 2026

David Solomons reveals his high stakes, action-packed Spymaster adventure series

A windswept seaside caravan park, a secret workshop and a retired gadget inventor come together in this action-packed adventure, Spymaster: Mastermind of Mayhem, the first in a new series by bestselling author David Solomons (My Brother is a Superhero series)

ReadingZone caught up with David Solomons to find out what inspired his new series, who are the three teenagers at its heart, and to find out what his favourite gadget would be. Plus we have a great writing challenge from the author!

More about Spymaster: Mastermind of Mayhem

Read a Chapter from Spymaster: Mastermind of Mayhem

Q&A with author David Solomons: Action, gadgets and villains in Spymaster

"There are clifftop chases, break-ins, narrow escapes, sunken wrecks, robo-sharks, a rabbit, and at least one situation
where a plan goes so badly wrong it somehow becomes a different, slightly worse plan."

1. Hello David, thank you for joining us on ReadingZone to talk about your new Spymaster series. Can you start by telling us what first brought you into writing, and what's your favourite thing about being an author?

I came to writing slightly by accident, which is reassuring because most of my best decisions have been accidents. I started out writing for TV and film, which involved a lot of waiting around for things to get made and then . . . not get made. Eventually I realised that if I wanted to actually tell stories, I might have to do it myself.

The best thing about being an author is that you get to make things up for a living and nobody can stop you. You can build entire worlds, invent ridiculous gadgets, and put your characters through absolute chaos, all while technically being at work. It's a very good deal.

2. What happens in Spyglass? Is it anything like your earlier books like My Brother is a Superhero?

Spyglass starts with a boy called Adam, who is expecting a perfectly ordinary summer on a slightly windswept caravan park by the sea. Unfortunately for him, the house on the cliff above the park turns out to belong to Professor Albert Goodspeed, a retired spy inventor whose idea of 'keeping a low profile' involves living on top of a secret workshop packed with gadgets that are as brilliant as they are deeply unsafe.

Once Adam and his friends, Zada and Tyler, stumble into that world, things escalate quickly. There are people from Goodspeed's past who would very much like to get their hands on his inventions, especially his greatest one, a mysterious device called the Quantum of Shoelace. It's exactly as sensible as it sounds.

What follows is a series of increasingly chaotic and high-stakes situations involving chases, villains, and inventions that don't always behave in the way you'd hope. There are bicycles that think they're sports cars, a villainous chiropodist with far too much ambition, and a spy casino where the game is bingo but everyone treats it like life and death.

If you've read my earlier books, the humour will feel familiar. Ordinary setting, extraordinary events, and characters who have to figure things out on the run, usually while something explodes nearby.

4. Why choose a slightly woebegone coastal caravan site for the setting? Any childhood inspiration?

Because nothing says 'international spy conspiracy' like a slightly damp caravan and a vending machine that only sells crisps you didn't choose. There's something about British seaside holidays that feels very ordinary and very nostalgic, which makes it the perfect place to hide something extraordinary.

Also, yes, I am scarred by that one caravan holiday, just enough to know the specific sound a door makes when it doesn't quite shut properly.

3. Who are your three characters at the centre of this story, and why do they work so well together?

At the centre of the story are Adam, Zada and Tyler, three friends who are, on paper, probably not the ideal candidates for taking on an international spy-level crisis, which is exactly why it works.

Adam is the one who tends to think things through, although not always in time to avoid the danger. He's the one trying to make sense of what's happening, usually while everything is getting steadily worse.

Zada is sharper, quicker to act, and far more comfortable with the idea that sometimes you just have to jump in and deal with whatever comes next. If there's a risky decision to be made, she's already halfway through making it.

Tyler brings a completely different energy again. He's basically a tired, middle-aged, middle-management executive who just wants to sit on a sun-lounger with a good book . . . trapped in the body of a 13 year old boy. Tyler could really do without all this annoying adventure stuff, but when the moment comes, he steps up. Reluctantly.

What makes them work is that none of them could manage this on their own and, crucially, they trust each other. Even when things are going wrong, and they very much are, they stick together, argue, improvise, and somehow keep moving forwards. Which, in a story like this, is half the battle.

5. This is an action-packed story - what kinds of situations do Adam, Zada and Tyler find themselves in?

Mostly the kind where, if they stopped for a moment and thought about it, they'd immediately go home. There are clifftop chases, break-ins, narrow escapes, sunken wrecks, robo-sharks, a rabbit, and at least one situation where a plan goes so badly wrong it somehow becomes a different, slightly worse plan. So, the usual: danger, confusion, and a growing sense that they are very much out of their depth.

6. What gave you the idea for the secretive gadget maker, Professor Goodspeed?

Every great spy story has someone behind the scenes making the gadgets, and I've always loved that idea. The person who isn't out in the field but is absolutely essential to everything working . . . or not working, as the case may be.

Professor Goodspeed is my version of that, except he's perhaps a little less . . . reassuring. His inventions are brilliant, but not always in a way you'd entirely trust in a life-or-death situation, which is much more fun.

7. If you could get Professor Goodspeed to create a gadget just for you, what would it do?

Something that stops me checking my phone at night and then magically guarantees a perfect night's sleep. I realise that sounds less like a spy gadget and more like basic self-control, but I'd prefer that to a complicated invention.

8. Now we come to your villian, Dr Toe - any favourite bits? Was he fun to create?

Dr Toe was enormous fun to write, which is always slightly worrying in a villain. I like characters who are a bit ridiculous on the surface but who have just enough edge that you wouldn't actually want to meet them in real life. He let me play with wordplay and tone, but also gave the story a proper sense of threat.

Favourite moment? His trophy cabinet. It'll make sense when you read the book.

9. What's next for Adam and his friends? Does the professor make a return?

Once you've introduced someone who makes questionable gadgets, it would be a terrible waste not to bring them back. The sequel to this book comes out later this year. It's called Spyglass: Coldfinger.

10. What do you do to relax or find inspiration?

I walk a lot, which sounds healthy and productive but is mostly just me staring into the middle distance while trying to solve plot problems. Inspiration usually comes from odd details, things that don't quite make sense, or moments where you think, 'that shouldn't be there'.” Stories tend to grow out of those.

A Writing Challenge from David Solomons

Start with a problem. Maybe you're locked in somewhere. Maybe you're being followed. Maybe you need to hear something you're not supposed to hear. Once you've got the problem, invent a gadget that solves it. The trick is to make it slightly flawed. Maybe it runs out of power at the worst moment. Maybe it makes a ridiculous noise. Maybe it works . . . but not quite how you expected. That's where the story begins.

David Solomons' School Visits

My school events are designed to be fun, energetic, and interactive, with a mix of storytelling, behind-the-scenes insight into how books are created, and practical tips that students can use in their own writing. I like to include plenty of audience involvement, since that means less work for me. Schools can get in touch via my website to organise a visit.

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