Book prize could blow McNab's cover

Andy McNab, SAS hero, author of Bravo Two Zero and the most shadowy figure among British best-selling writers, was at the centre of a new mystery last night, writes Sophie Walker. Will he or will he not make his first public appearance at the Booksellers' Association conference on Tuesday evening?

The conference organisers say that he will, his publishers say that he won't, while his agent refuses to take calls.

The ex-soldier, whose uses only his pen-name and has so far never been seen in public, is tipped to win this year's Author of the Year Award at the booksellers' conference.

The award will be presented at a gala dinner for more than 300 representatives of the publishing world in an Eastbourne hotel.

Andrea Marks, the conference public relations officer seen jiving at last year's dinner with another publicity-shy figure - Salman Rushdie - said: "According to his publisher Andy McNab will be there, and we will take care of him".

When asked about security precautions, she said: "Remember, no one knows what he looks like."

But Sally Wray, press manager at Corgi, the firm that printed McNab's Gulf War memoirs in paperback, denied that the author would appear and later instructed Ms Marks to tell future inquirers the same.

Calls to McNab's literary agent were politely but firmly deflected and as usual, McNab himself is incommunicado.

The Author of the Year Award will be made to "the writer whom booksellers believe had most impact during 1995".

With his Bravo Two Zero McNab amply fulfilled this criterion. It is the story of an ill-fated SAS patrol, led by McNab, behind Iraqi lines in 1991. Three of its eight members died; four, including McNab, were captured by the Iraqis and tortured; one, Chris Ryan, escaped to Syria. It soared straight to the top of the bestseller lists and enjoyed 12 weeks at number one. It remained in the lists for 70 weeks in all.

Last year's Author of the Year was Delia Smith, who has been shortlisted again this year, but is not thought to be attending. Neither is fellow candidate Louis de Bernieres, author of Captain Correlli's Mandolin. That leaves Pat Barker, who won the Booker last year with The Ghost Road, former winner Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld sagas - and the elusive Mr McNab.