Longtime BBC correspondent Adam Brookes is also the author of multiple books, including the novels Night Heron, Spy Games, and The Spy’s Daughter. His new work of nonfiction is Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasures of China’s Forbidden City, which historian Simon Sebag Montefiore calls “a compelling story of art, war and adventure. An extraordinary odyssey of the imperial treasures of the Forbidden City, protected by heroic and remarkable curators.” Brookes discussed Fragile Cargo with Stephen Usery during a two-part interview last month.

This podcast comes courtesy of WYPL Book Talk in Memphis. Listen to part one here.