Sinclair McKay is the Sunday-Times bestselling author of Dresden: The Fire and the Darkness, The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, The Secret Listeners, and Bletchley Park Brainteasers. He has written books on subjects ranging from codebreaking to the auteurs of the Hammer Horror films, from the evolution of rambling to the political manoeuvres behind the Battle of Britain; the linking thread being his fascination with social and cultural history. 

Berlin: Life and Loss in the City that Shaped the World, was published by Viking in 2022 , followed by Meeting Churchill: A Life in 90 Encounters, and most recently St Petersburg: Sacrifice and Redemption in a City that Defied Hitler. His next work, Dad’s Army: The Glorious True Story of the Home Guard, will be published in May 2026.

Sinclair is a literary critic for The Spectator and the Mail on Sunday and for three years was a judge of the Encore Prize, awarded annually for best second novel. He lives in the shadow of Canary Wharf in East London. 

Praise for Berlin, Dresden and St Petersburg:

‘Powerful. . . There is rage in his ink. McKay’s book grips by its passion and originality. Some 25,000 people perished in the firestorm that raged through the city. I have never seen it better described.’ – Max Hastings, Sunday Times

‘I loved this book. . . apposite and wise. . . To anyone who knows Berlin a little and is fascinated by it, but would like to understand it better, this is a wonderful aid.’ – David Aaronovitch, The Times

‘Remarkable. . . A majestic work of non-fiction.’ – Matthew d'Ancona

‘Richly-layered and packed with insight, this riveting account of terrible events tells us as much about the present as it does the past’ Patrick Bishop

'McKay's magisterial history of Peter the Great’s monumental gift to Russia will become a classic' Amanda Foreman