{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmy-life-in-books.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2Fjohn-preston-FUsyK8So","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"John Preston","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/c1f7074b-1a77-4fd0-b874-36e07b5a5765/6a7868c0-8f30-4c0f-90e4-bc7cba7e3d0d/my-life-in-books-1400x1400-podcast-cover.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"<iframe src=\"https://player.simplecast.com/2b233426-9dd4-4d2e-8850-8ecbe2aeaa5f\" height=\"200\" width=\"100%\" title=\"John Preston\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>","height":200,"description":"This month, Red’s guest is John Preston, the award-winning journalist and author whose titles include \"The Dig,\" \"A Very English Scandal\" and, most recently, \"Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell.\"\n\nJohn has a gift for bringing historical characters back to life, exposing hypocrisy and subterfuge and for blending the tragedy and farce of human endeavour. He also has a wicked turn of phrase honed by his many years on London’s Fleet Street; of disgraced media mogul Robert Maxwell he writes, \"His smile was like that of Richard III.\"\n\nJoin John and Red as they discuss larger-than-life characters, spectacular falls from grace and adapting the written word for the screen and audiobook."}