James Linton is a writer and creator of espionage fiction, stories where trust is lethal, secrets are currency, and no one is ever what they seem. Directive Press is where those stories live.

Linton started writing to tell the kind of spy stories that people wanted to read, tightly wound, character-driven, and full of moments that make you doubt everything.

Linton’s upcoming trilogy, The Knox Files, follows Dr. Finlay Knox, a university lecturer and MI6 field agent who moves between campus life and missions that cannot be acknowledged.

The first instalment, Ile Vermillion, launches in January 2026. The rest of the series unravels across global backdrops and personal consequences.

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“Lean prose, sharp tradecraft, and zero hand-holding. Linton trusts the reader.”

Early reader, Boston, USA.

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"Couldn’t put it down. Smart, fast, and fresh.”

Early reader, Edinburgh, UK.