Over the past ten years, I’ve read and reviewed more than 100 espionage novels (not counting a great many more I decided not to read or never finished). My 10 favorites are listed immediately below. Though my preliminary list included multiple titles by several of the authors included here, I’ve arbitrarily limited myself to a single title from every writer. And I gave ever [...]

If you've been reading my reviews for very long, you're aware that the World War II era holds special fascination for me. This might have something to do with the fact that I was born then—in fact, about six months before the USA entered the war. Or maybe it's just because it all preceded the disillusionment that set in once the war had ended, when the boundaries between good [...]

Unless you're a devoted fan of the genre, you may be unaware of the sheer number of mystery and thriller series. I stumble across a new one about every month or two. Over the past ten years, I've read (or at least started reading) nearly 100 such series. More than four dozen of them belong in any list of engaging, well-written stories of crime and intrigue. The best mystery and [...]

For good or ill, a fair amount of what I’ve learned about espionage over the years has come from reading spy stories. A few authors are particularly diligent about research and accuracy, so most of what I’ve picked up is probably true. In fact, many of those authors are veterans of the intelligence game and should know what they write about. But, for assurance that what I r [...]