
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Okay, it’s not entirely accurate to call the books listed below as “Russian mysteries and thrillers.” If the truth be told, none of them are. They’re mysteries and thrillers written by people who aren’t Russian. But they’re set in Russia, some of them in the present day, others in the past. Or the action takes place mostly or entirely elsewhere but involves Russians engaged in espionage or criminal activities, all of which leads back to Russia.
Below you’ll find two lists. The first is a short one of the very best Russian mysteries and thrillers I’ve read over the past dozen years. The longer bunch that follows includes the whole lot—more than 40 books all told. Within each list they appear in alphabetical order by the authors’ last names. And, oh, I’ve included only one title from each author in the list at the top. Otherwise, a couple of these authors would dominate the list.
The very best Russian mysteries and thrillers
A Cold Red Sunrise (Porfiry Rostnikov #5) by Stuart M. Kaminsky— A historical mystery about a murder above the Arctic Circle
Defectors by Joseph Kanon—A superb new novel about defectors in Moscow
Red Widow by Alma Katsu—A poisoned CIA asset, and a hunt for a CIA mole
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carre—Is this the best spy novel ever written?
Red Sparrow (Red Sparrow Trilogy #1) by Jason Mathews—Authentic espionage tradecraft in this gripping novel by a CIA veteran
Moscow X by David McCloskey—A CIA plot to destabilize the Russian government
The Soul of Viktor Tronko by David Quammen—Digging down deep to find the mole in the CIA
Three Stations (Arkady Renko #7) by Martin Cruz Smith—A detective inside Russia under Vladimir Putin
The Cold War Swap by Ross Thomas—Making the Cold War seem like fun
The Mercenary by Paul Vidich—A superb Cold War thriller from Paul Vidich
All the best Russian mysteries and thrillers
The Silent Man (John Wells #3) by Alex Berenson—An able spy story about terrorism, nuclear weapons, and Russia
The Deceivers (John Wells #12) by Alex Berenson—Russia takes the next step in the latest John Wells spy novel
Secret Service (Kate Henderson #1) by Tom Bradby—Is Britain about to elect a Russian spy as its new Prime Minister?
Double Agent (Kate Henderson #2) by Tom Bradby—Upheaval in MI6—and a prime minister who may be a traitor
Berlin Game (Bernard Samson #1) by Len Deighton—A classic novel of Cold War espionage reminiscent of John le Carré
Mexico Set (Bernard Samson #2) by Len Deighton—In Len Deighton’s classic spy series, Bernard Samson goes to Mexico
Lenin’s Roller Coaster (Jack McColl #3) by David Downing—A novelist revisits the Russian Revolution
Moscow Sting (Anna Resnikov #2) by Alex Dryden—A former British intelligence officer imagines a female Russian superspy
Stuart M. Kaminsky’s Inspector Rostnikov novels set in the USSR:
- You’ll find the whole series I’ve read to date at Police procedurals spanning modern Russian history.
- Death of a Dissident (Porfiry Rostnikov #1)—A grim murder mystery set in the USSR
- Black Knight in Red Square (Porfiry Rostnikov #2)—The collapse of the USSR is underway in this detective novel
- Red Chameleon (Porfiry Rostnikov #3)—A Russian police procedural set in the Soviet Union
- A Fine Red Rain (Porfiry Rostnikov #4)—In Gorbachev’s Russia, corruption and a serial killer
- A Cold Red Sunrise (Porfiry Rostnikov #5)—A historical mystery about a murder above the Arctic Circle
- The Man Who Walked Like a Bear (Porfiry Rostnikov #6)—An honest detective confronts reality in Soviet Russia
- Rostnikov’s Vacation (Porfiry Rostnikov #7)—A government conspiracy in the tumult of the Gorbachev era
- Death of a Russian Priest (Porfiry Rostnikov #8)—A puzzling Russian murder mystery set in Yeltsin’s time
- Hard Currency (Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov #9)—A Russian detective on a murder case in Castro’s Cuba
- Blood and Rubles (Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov #10 of 16) by Stuart M. Kaminsky—Crime and corruption in Boris Yeltsin’s Russia
Defectors by Joseph Kanon—A superb new novel about defectors in Moscow
Red Widow by Alma Katsu—A poisoned CIA asset, and a hunt for a CIA mole
Red London (Red Widow #2) by Alma Katsu—A joint MI6-CIA operation targets Russian oligarchs in London
The Silver Bone (Kyiv Mystery #1) by Andrey Kurkov—The first in a new series of Ukraine mysteries
John le Carre’s espionage novels:
- The Spy Who Came in From the Cold—Is this the best spy novel ever written?
- A Legacy of Spies—The Cold War reexamined in John le Carré’s terrific new novel
- Single & Single—Money-laundering and the Russian mob
The Salzburg Connection by Helen MacInnes—Nazis, Communists, and Western spies clash in this classic spy novel
The Red Sparrow Trilogy by Jason Matthews:
- Red Sparrow (Red Sparrow Trilogy #1)—Authentic espionage tradecraft in this gripping novel by a CIA veteran
- Palace of Treason (Red Sparrow Trilogy #2)—Nonstop action in the sequel to the bestseller Red Sparrow
- The Kremlin’s Candidate (Red Sparrow Trilogy #3)—The gripping conclusion to the Red Sparrow Trilogy
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott—Doctor Zhivago and the women in the CIA typing pool
The Soul of Viktor Tronko by David Quammen—Digging down deep to find the mole in the CIA
Breaking Cover (Liz Carlyle #9) by Stella Rimington—Russian agents under cover in the UK
The Moscow Sleepers (Liz Carlyle #10) by Stella Rimington—An interesting new twist on Russian sleeper agents
The Captain Alexei Korolev novels by William Ryan, set in Stalin’s Soviet Union:
- The Holy Thief (Captain Alexei Korolev #1)—A terrific murder mystery set in Stalin’s Soviet Union
- The Darkening Field (Captain Alexei Korolev #2)—A compelling murder mystery set during Stalin’s terror
- The Twelfth Department (Captain Alexei Korolev #3)—An intimate look at Stalin’s terror
The Arkady Renko series by Martin Cruz Smith:
- Wolves Eat Dogs (Arkady Renko #5)—What really happened at Chernobyl
- Three Stations (Arkady Renko #7)—A detective inside Russia under Vladimir Putin
- Tatiana (Arkady Renko #8)—A crusading Russian journalist and the Mafia
- The Siberian Dilemma (Arkady Renko #9—Arkady Renko in Siberia: bears, billionaires, and death
- Independence Square (Arkady Renko #10)—Arkady Renko in Ukraine
The Cold War Swap by Ross Thomas—Making the Cold War seem like fun
The Mercenary by Paul Vidich—A superb Cold War thriller from Paul Vidich
Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams—American defectors in Moscow mirror the Cambridge Five
The Envoy (William Catesby #1) by Edward Wilson—The CIA, the KGB, British intelligence and the H-bomb
The Whitehall Mandarin (William Catesby #4) by Edward Wilson—In the early days of the Cold War, nuclear espionage in search of the H-bomb
For related reading
If you’re looking for books about Russia, try this post: Good books about Vladimir Putin, modern Russia and the Russian oligarchy.
You might also enjoy my posts:
- Top 10 mystery and thriller series
- 20 excellent standalone mysteries and thrillers
- 30 outstanding detective series from around the world
- Top 20 suspenseful detective novels
- Top 10 historical mysteries and thrillers
And you can always find my most popular reviews, and the most recent ones, on the Home Page.