Join us for an in-depth conversation with author Mark O'Neill who is writing the Estate-Approved sequel to To Catch A Thief, the original novel by Dovid Dodge from which the Hitchcock film of the same name, starring Cary Grant was adapted!

It's been a year since John Robie, notorious Riviera jewel thief, proved his innocence by catching a copycat burglar. And it's been a year since John has seen Francie Stevens, the adventurous socialite who not only saw through his disguise, but helped him catch the copycat. Now Francie is returning to the Riviera for its first-ever Fashion Week as a model for a top French designer, and John plans on rekindling their romance. But there's a problem. While helping a friend, John chases down a mysterious courier, whose ruthless associates now want John dead. To make matters worse, when Francie arrives, she has a boyfriend in tow, and tells John that she wants nothing to do with him.

John has to figure out why he's a hunted man, and why Francie is acting suspiciously. Digging deeper, he discovers a spy ring with evil intent. As John works unofficially to gather evidence, a question begins to haunt him―could Francie Stevens be a spy? With his enemies closing in, John turns to his cat burglar skills to try to save his life and expose the traitors. To survive, he has to catch the spies before they catch―and kill―a retired thief!

Mark ONeill's debut novel, To Catch a Spy, is the official sequel to To Catch a Thief. Before turning to writing, Mark was a toy designer, a newspaper columnist, a marketing executive, and, most recently, a private investigator. You can follow Mark’s writing journey on X (formerly Twitter) at @JohnRobieIsBack.

As a teenager, he became fascinated with To Catch a Thief, particularly the character John Robie. Robie, a circus acrobat turned jewel thief who fought with the French Resistance, could climb anything and break into any place. Portrayed by Cary Grant in the Hitchcock film, he was charismatic and independently wealthy, living on the French Riviera.

Obsessed with being like Robie, he ordered a lock-picking guide from a magazine and made burglar tools in shop class, practicing breaking into his own house hundreds of times, though unsuccessfully. He also became obsessed with climbing, practicing pull-ups regularly and eventually reaching 20 at a time.

His obsession was put on hold when he started working. With a diverse background, he has been a lifeguard, toy designer, founder of Italian Ice stores, humor columnist, marketing executive, and most recently, a private investigator.

Despite the varied career, his love for To Catch a Thief never waned. The sequel, To Catch a Spy, is his first novel, with more to come. He lives in South Carolina with his wife Victoria, dreaming of new adventures for John Robie and Francie Stevens in his spare time. He still practices lock-picking and does pull-ups every day.

To Catch A Spy - conversation with Mark ONeill