When McNab joined the army he was found to have the reading age of an eleven-year-old. Shortly before his seventeenth birthday he read his first book, entitled Janet and John. Speaking in 2019, McNab recalled how "I can vividly remember the sense of pride and achievement I felt. It was meant for primary school children but I didn’t care ... From then on I read anything and everything I could get my hands on." [10] Military career [ edit ]

He knows how to get into somewhere, to get what he needs and get out without anybody knowing he's been there.So starts an adventure which also takes in Rwanda, Morocco and Dubai. The former SAS action man turned author, who never allows the whole of his face to be photographed or filmed to protect him from enemies made during undercover operations in Northern Ireland in the 1980s, says he is proud of his new creation and eager to gauge reader's reactions.

McCrum, Robert (27 July 2014). "Bestselling ghostwriter reveals the secret world of the author for hire". The Guardian . Retrieved 16 May 2021. He has published a number of other novels and two autobiographies in addition to Bravo Two Zero. He has also published a book on psychopathy entitled The Good Psychopath's Guide to Success, claiming that he exhibits many psychopathic traits. [7] [8] Early life [ edit ] But also when he is there, he has the technical ability to manipulate the internet, so this is a perfect combination. He famously remains anonymous. You won’t see his face pictured in the media or on TV, unless he’s in the shadows or behind a book. He even says his Wikipedia entry as Steven Billy Mitchell is wrong. Nothing upsets me these days,” he continues. “It’s quite easy for me to just cut away. There’s a bit of stoicism there, as well. If I’m in a traffic jam, I think, ‘Well, lots of people want to go somewhere’.”

I haven't read his books... and he wasn't in SAS!

McNab, now 63, speaking by phone with a "no-caller ID" from his home in New York City last week, said he has been interested in tech developments since being trained to deploy electronic counter-measures as an infantry soldier in the 1980s. Steven Billy Mitchell CBE , DCM , MM (born 28 December 1959), usually known by the pseudonym and pen-name of Andy McNab, is a novelist and former Special Air Service soldier. [1] [2]

Andy McNab has written about his experiences in the SAS in two bestselling books, Bravo Two Zero (1993) and Immediate Action (1995). Bravo Two Zero is the highest selling war book of all time and has sold over 1.7 million copies in the UK. To date it has been published in 17 countries and translated into 16 languages. The CD spoken word version of Bravo Two Zero, narrated by McNab, sold over 60,000 copies and earned a silver disc. The BBC's film of Bravo Two Zero, starring Sean Bean, was shown on primetime BBC 1 television in 1999 and released on DVD in 2000. McNab, Andy (22 November 2008). "Andy McNab on the battle that never ends". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 26 May 2015. McNab assumed his pseudonym while writing Bravo Two Zero. When he appeared on television to promote his books or to act as a special services expert, his face was shadowed to prevent identification. [14] According to the book The Big Breach, by Richard Tomlinson, a renegade MI6 spy, McNab was part of a special training team after the Iraq war, training MI6 recruits in sabotage and guerrilla warfare techniques.a b Goodley, Simon (4 September 2012). "Andy McNab sells stake in Mobcast ebook business to Tesco". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014 . Retrieved 26 May 2015. McNab, Andy (24 June 2019). "Andy McNab: 'At 16, I read my first book – and it changed my life' ". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 25 June 2019. He became an author with his best-selling account of Brave Two Zero, a failed operation during the 1991 Gulf War that saw him taken prisoner and brutally tortured. In August 2014, McNab was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue. [21]

CNN LARRY KING LIVE: Larry King Interviews Bob Dole, Max Cleland". CNN.com – Transcripts. 20 November 2001 . Retrieved 14 November 2009. Andy McNab was just a name that would fit easily on the cover of Bravo Two Zero,” he reveals. “I thought it would just be the one book, but it’s become a brand. I’ve sold beer as Andy McNab, and I don’t even drink!” His latest novel, Shadow State, the first in a new series, breaks away from his other novels, as readers enter a world of cyberweapons and cryptocrime.a b "Stinson, James 'McNab tells of killing IRA man in 1979 gun battle' Irish News, 1 August 2005". Nuzhound.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 . Retrieved 25 October 2011.