The spellbinding thrillers of Robert Harris

An Officer and a Spy is one of Robert Harris' spellbinding thrillers.

Robert Harris has been selling millions of books ever since the publication of his first novel, Fatherland, in 1992. Earlier in life, he had worked as a print journalist and a BBC television reporter, and in the 1980s, he published five works of nonfiction. Fatherland sold so well that Harris was able thereafter to devote himself full-time to writing fiction. And every one of them in its way, is a spellbinding thriller.

I’ve been reading Harris’ novels almost as long as he’s been writing them. These are all, yes, spellbinding thrillers. I read the first six before I began reviewing books on this blog in 2010. I’m listing them here with their publication dates and a very brief description. The seven later novels follow, with links to my reviews.

This post was updated on December 15, 2020.

A smattering of spellbinding thrillers

Fatherland (1992) – In this alternate history, Nazi Germany won World War II.

Enigma (1995) – The story of how the British broke the Germans’ Enigma code that helped them win the Second World War.

Archangel (1998) – A British historian stumbles across Stalin’s secret diary and helps foil a conspiracy to seize the Russian government.

Pompeii (2003) – An engineer working on an aqueduct near Pompeii just before Mt. Vesuvius erupts confronts a plot to steal public water.

Imperium – Cicero Trilogy #1 (2006) – The first novel in Harris’ trilogy about the life of the legendary Roman orator Cicero.

The Ghost (2007) – A ghostwriter working for former British prime minister, a thinly veiled portrayal of Tony Blair, is caught up in a powerful conspiracy.

Conspirata – Cicero Trilogy #2 (2009) – Ancient Rome, before the fall

The Fear Index (2011) – A taut thriller about the world of multibillion-dollar hedge funds

An Officer and a Spy (2013) – The Dreyfus Affair, reenacted in a suspenseful spy novel

Dictator – Cicero Trilogy #3 (2015) – Cicero, witness to history

Conclave (2016) – A thriller about Vatican politics

Munich (2017) – Why Neville Chamberlain went to Munich

The Second Sleep (2019) – Robert Harris portrays a dystopian future England

V2 (2020) – A WWII thriller about Nazi “vengeance weapons”