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James Dunlop is the author of The Andrew MacKay Thrillers, a series that blends high-stakes espionage with dark British humour. His work has been praised for its sharp wit, breathless pacing, and ability to find comedy in the chaos of international intrigue. Andy MacKay is an incurable gambler, chain-smoker, and binge drinker, whose only real talent lies in outliving his own poor choices. Driven by fierce loyalty and an alarming lack of common sense, he seems to find himself enmeshed in situations where he must use his wits to pull off the impossible and save the day, when he can barely save himself.
In Half Made Up, Andy is drawn into a web of corporate espionage, government corruption, and terrorists with excellent taste in chemical warfare. He'll need to avoid government operatives if he hopes to recover the classified nerve agent, before they use it to kill thousands of innocent people. That is if they don't kill him first. Fast-paced, sharp-witted, and wildly entertaining, Half Made Up blends the tension of a classic spy thriller with dark comedy and high-stakes action.
Reviews of Half Made Up (Book One)
“This white-knuckle page-turner will seize you from the first page.” Readers' Favorite
“Gripping and entertaining ... sharp and witty.” Verbatik Media
“A blistering, witty, and emotionally resonant debut." Likely Story
Like your thrillers are dangerous and your heroes barely qualified? Half Made Up is just the beginning. Plausible in Parts sees Andy accused of attempted murder. When his lawyer is kidnapped, the hunt to get her back takes him through Europe's shadier tourist attractions: brothels, execution sites, and strip clubs with worse taste than the clientele. The trail leads to a Belarusian oligarch with ties to Andy's past and plenty of reasons to want him dead. Andy MacKay isn’t the right man for any of this. He’s not even the wrong man. He’s just the one man who doesn’t know when to quit
Reviews of Plausible in Parts (Book Two) -- coming February 2026!
“Impossible to put down.” David Cordrey, author of The Persian Alternative
“Fast, witty, and unapologetically irreverent.”Seattle Book Review
"A tense, intelligent thriller that balances razor-edged wit with moral depth." The Prairies Book Review
“An exceptional work of espionage intrigue … a literary gem.” Reedsy.com
“Dunlop possesses a fiendish wit, writing in prose that is a joy to devour.” The BookLife Prize
Fans of Mick Herron, Killing Eve, and Ben Aaronovitch will devour this darkly satirical series and this fresh take on spy fiction’s “everyman" hero — if that everyman had a liquor loyalty card and a startling lack of self-preservation. Perfect for readers who enjoy:
Comic spy thrillers with twists
Dark comedy mixed with suspense
Accidental heroes and fast-paced action
Espionage stories with humor and bite
When he isn’t throwing Andy MacKay into increasingly questionable situations involving MI5, nerve agents, or Belarusian oligarchs, James can be found consuming too much coffee, researching morally suspect plot twists, and overthinking things that don’t need thinking.
Click here for my resume.