Helen MacInnes

Helen MacInnes (1907-1985) was a Scottish-American novelist of spy fiction. She has been referred to as the “Queen of Spy Writers” by the Sunday Express . Originally from Glasgow, MacInnes graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1928 with a degree in French and German. Following earning her M.A., she moved to University College, London and earned her librarianship diploma in 1931. It was working as a librarian where she met her husband, Gilbert Hughet. Together, they would translate German literature in order to pay for summer trips throughout Europe. These trips gave MacInnes the settings for her spy thriller novels that should would write later in life.