[1][2] He is the author of multiple spy thriller novels including Night Heron (2014) drawing on his life in journalism and years in China,[3] featuring fictional journalist Philip Mangan.

[4][5] The book received positive reviews from outlets including NPR, The Washington Post, and The Canberra Times.

[9] As a journalist in the area of spycraft and foreign relations, he has been a frequent commentator and panelist on military and international affairs.

[10][11] His 2023 historical nonfiction book Fragile Cargo: The World War II Race to Save the Treasures of China's Forbidden City covers the saga of the relocation of treasures from the National Beijing Palace Museum during World War II, and how they emerged at their final destination of the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.

Brookes was born in Canada and moved to the United Kingdom, growing up in a village in Oxfordshire.