These diaries should not have been written.

They were never supposed to be read. 'My heart breaks for James' - so begins the explosive, true, private diary of Miss Jane Moneypenny, Personal Secretary to Secret Service chief M and colleague and confidante of James Bond. Positioned at the heart of British intelligence, Jane Moneypenny led an extraordinary, clandestine life. Contrary to popular belief, she was not simply a bystander while James Bond saw all the action.

But a life of espionage has personal as well as political ramifications, and the impact on Jane Moneypenny was profound. Guarding so many secrets and with no one to confide in, she found herself breaking the first rule of her job. Unbeknown to anyone, she kept a diary charting her innermost thoughts and state secrets. It should never have been made public.

Kate Westbrook was educated at Cambridge and Harvard. She is a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge and specialises in the emergence of post-colonial political structures.