To create a protagonist that felt globally credible, de Villiers avoided a French hero, famously stating that "besides cheese and wine, nothing about us is credible abroad". Instead, he created , an Austrian prince and "His Serene Highness" ( Son Altesse Sérénissime or S.A.S.).

In 1980, he wrote about the assassination of the Egyptian president a full year before the real event took place.

His novels often functioned as "drop boxes" where intelligence agencies leaked information they couldn't officially release, allowing them to see their own secrets mirrored in fiction. 2. A Knack for Prophecy