The identity of Elly Conway, the mysterious author of the spy novel Argylle, has been revealed—and it’s not, as some feverishly speculated, Taylor Swift.
The Telegraph reported that Conway is actually two people: Terry Hayes and Tammy Cohen. Hayes is a screenwriter who co-wrote films including Vertical Limit and From Hell, and the author of the thriller I Am Pilgrim. Cohen is a novelist whose books include The Mistress’s Revenge and War of the Wives, both written under the name Tamar Cohen.
The revelation of Conway’s identity puts to rest a theory that pop star Swift was actually the novel’s author. Fans noted that in a trailer for the film adaptation of the novel, Bryce Dallas Howard—who plays a character named Elly Conway—totes her Scottish fold cat in a backpack. Swift has two Scottish folds and has been seen carrying them the same way. They also pointed to Swift’s fondness for argyle sweaters.
Cohen told the newspaper, “God, I hope all the people that pre-ordered on the basis that Taylor wrote it aren’t disappointed,” to which Hayes responded, “I hope they are! If that’s why they buy a book, they deserve every punishment they get.”
The film adaptation of Argylle, directed by Matthew Vaughn and starring Howard, Sam Rockwell, and Bryan Cranston, premiered last Friday, and has thus far flopped at the box office. Critics have largely panned the movie.
Swift, on the other hand, had a better weekend. The singer took home two Grammy Awards, becoming the first musician in history to notch four Album of the Year wins. She also announced that her next record, The Tortured Poets Department, will be released in April.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
