The 10 top espionage novels reviewed on this site
Over the past ten years, I’ve read and reviewed more than 100 espionage novels (not counting a great many more I 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 every one of these 10 titles a score of @@@@@ (5 out of 5) on its review. I’ve listed them in alphabetical order by the authors’ last names.
Below the list of my 10 favorites, you’ll find reviews of the full list of top espionage novels I’ve reviewed with ratings of at least @@@@ (4 out of 5). Those titles, too, are listed in alphabetical order by the authors’ last names. There, you’ll find multiple titles by a number of the authors featured here: Alex Berenson, Charles Cumming, Alan Furst, Mick Herron, Joseph Kanon, John le Carré, Jason Matthews, Stella Rimington, Ross Thomas, and Edward Wilson.
As you’ll see below, a great many of the books listed here are in series. And for the most part you’ll find all the novels in each series listed below. There are some exceptions for titles I read before I began reviewing books, others for those I rated below @@@@, and still others that I simply haven’t read yet.
This post was updated on February 23, 2021.
10 top espionage novels
A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler – Still a lively read among classic spy novels
First published in 1939, A Coffin for Dimitrios is widely regarded as one of the best spy novels ever written. That reputation is richly deserved. But it would be a mistake to pigeonhole what may be Eric Ambler’s most accomplished work as merely an espionage novel, as it features few of the familiar devices of that—which may be why it’s so highly regarded. However, A Coffin for Dimitrios can be best seen as an historical novel that depicts Europe between the two World Wars, and does so masterfully. Read the review.
The Trinity Six by Charles Cumming – A stellar new spy story by Charles Cumming
Much of the latter-day literature of espionage is based, directly or indirectly, on the notorious Cambridge Five—young, bright Cambridge men seduced by the lure of Communism as undergraduates during the tumultuous 1930s who spied for the Soviet Union during World War II. Their defection to the USSR following the war created what was arguably the greatest spy scandal in modern history. For many years thereafter, rumors of a “sixth man” continued to roil the waters of the British Secret Intelligence Service. The Trinity Six relates an ingenious story about that sixth man and his longer and even more consequential career. Read the review.
The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett – The 40th anniversary edition of Ken Follett’s classic WWII spy novel
British author Ken Follett is best known to a wide public these days for the Kingsbridge Trilogy, his mammoth multi-generational account of an English cathedral town. Together, the three books run to nearly 3,000 pages (and a fourth, a more recent prequel, takes the total to nearly 4,000). They’ve reportedly sold more than 80 million copies around the world. But that’s only half of the 160 million books Follett has sold since the publication of his first novel in 1974. And he has been topping the bestseller lists ever since the publication of his classic WWII spy novel, The Eye of the Needle, in 1978. The book sold 10 million copies, and it frequently appears on lists of the all-time best spy novels. So it’s no surprise that Penguin has brought out a 40th-anniversary edition of the novel. It fully deserves all the attention it gets. Read the review.
Kingdom of Shadows (Night Soldiers #6) by Alan Furst – One of the best spy novels of recent years
Welcome to Night Soldiers, the brilliant series by one of our most accomplished writers of espionage novels. Here you’ll meet Nicholas Morath, 44, an aristocratic Hungarian living in Paris, where he is a partner in an advertising firm. His uncle, Count Janos Polanyi, is a senior diplomat in the Hungarian mission to France who is engaged in organizing the resistance to Hitler in Eastern Europe. World War II hasn’t yet started in earnest. Germany’s Anschluss with Austria is still weeks away, and the occupation of the Czech Sudetenland on the distant horizon. But Polanyi sees the future with clarity. He presses his nephew into taking on a dangerous mission in Budapest . . . and the trouble begins. Read the review.
The Quiet American by Graham Greene—The classic Vietnam novel by Graham Greene
Graham Greene (1904 -91) hovers near the top of any list of the twentieth century’s most readable and insightful spy novelists. He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1966 and 1967, confirming his bona fides as an author who roamed far outside the limits of genre. And of his more than two dozen novels, The Quiet American is widely recognized as among the handful that retain their power more than half a century later. In its portrayal of a hopelessly naive CIA officer who blindly follows a warped ideological view of the insurrection against the French in Indochina, this classic Vietnam novel proved prophetic just a decade later, as the United States stumbled headlong into a profoundly misguided war there. Read the review.
The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins – A classic espionage thriller that’s well worth rereading
Any list of the best espionage novels of all times must include Jack Higgins’ World War II caper story, The Eagle Has Landed. Published in 1975, this classic of the genre has sold more than 50 million copies. I read the book shortly after it was first published and turned back to it again to compare my memory of the book with the reality—and with contemporary entries in the field. Read the review.
Siro by David Ignatius – The most intelligent spy novel I’ve read in many years
The 1970s brought little but trouble for the CIA. The legacy of Allen Dulles’ long tenure at the helm of the agency was scandal. One after another, Congressional investigators brought to light the ugly reality of the nation’s most visible intelligence service: Watergate, the bungled operations, the assassinations and attempted assassinations of heads of state, the intervention in domestic affairs. Directors appointed to reform the agency forced out much of the old guard, with the heaviest toll landing on the clandestine Directorate of Operations. By 1979, the few survivors of the CIA’s early years considered the agency to be dysfunctional. One of those survivors is one of the three central characters in Siro. Read the review.
Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon – One of the best of today’s spy novels
Joseph Kanon’s spy novels reek of authenticity. Set in the years immediately following World War II, they conjure up the fear and desperation that hung over Europe in the early days of the Cold War, when it seemed as though open war might well break out between the two emerging superpowers, erstwhile allies. For Leaving Berlin, Kanon has chosen as his setting the bleakest possible time and place: rubble-strewn Berlin in 1949 as the Allied airlift to embattled West Berlin was underway. Read the review.
Red Sparrow (Red Sparrow Trilogy #1) by Jason Matthews – Authentic espionage tradecraft in this gripping novel by a CIA veteran
Red Sparrow is not a conventional spy story. True enough, it’s well-written, ingeniously plotted, and endlessly suspenseful. On that account alone, fans of John le Carré, Joseph Kanon, or Alan Furst should appreciate it. But the book rises above the level of the genre because the author has infused it with detailed, intimate knowledge of authentic espionage tradecraft employed both by the CIA and by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR. Red Sparrow also reveals a great deal about the SVR’s structure and practices. I was so taken aback by the level of detail that I checked a number of details at random; they all proved accurate. I can easily imagine this novel being passed around at the CIA training center known as the Farm as a fictionalized (if no doubt exaggerated) account of what an officer might encounter in the field. Read the review.
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen – The Vietnam War through Vietnamese eyes
Viet Thanh Nguyen’s remarkable debut novel, The Sympathizer, has won a slew of literary awards, including the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It was also a finalist for a number of other prestigious awards and has been named a Best Book of the Year on more than twenty lists, including those of the New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. If there is such a thing as a Great Vietnamese Novel, as there is supposedly a Great American Novel, this book would certainly be a candidate. Read the review.
All the top espionage novels I’ve reviewed
A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler – Still a lively read among classic spy novels
Transcription by Kate Atkinson – A beautifully written spy story
Alex Berenson’s John Wells series
- The Faithful Spy (John Wells #1) – Al Qaeda from the inside out: a thriller filled with suspense
- The Ghost War (John Wells #2) – North Korea, Afghanistan, China, Iran, all in one superb spy novel
- The Silent Man (John Wells #3) – An able spy story about terrorism, nuclear weapons, and Russia
- The Midnight House (John Wells #4) – The Pentagon and the CIA take a lot of punishment for rendition
- The Secret Soldier (John Wells #5) – Jihadis, the Saudi royal family, and an American soldier-spy
- The Shadow Patrol (John Wells #6) – A suspense-filled thriller about the war in Afghanistan
- The Night Ranger (John Wells #7) – An outstanding thriller set amid the refugee crisis in Kenya and Somalia
- The Counterfeit Agent (John Wells #8) – John Wells takes on a rogue ex-CIA agent
- Twelve Days (John Wells #9) – In a nail-biting thriller, John Wells must stop a US war with Iran
- The Prisoner (John Wells #11) – Going undercover for the CIA in ISIS
- The Deceivers (John Wells #12) – Russia takes the next step in the latest John Wells spy novel
Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black—A suspenseful World War II espionage thriller set in Paris
The Hot Country (Christopher Marlowe Cobb #1) by Robert Olen Butler—American vs German spies in the Mexican Revolution
The Star of Istanbul (Christopher Marlowe Cobb #2) by Robert Olen Butler—An American spy in World War I takes on the German Empire
A Single Spy by William Christie – A Soviet spy in Nazi Germany
Charles Cumming’s suspenseful spy thrillers
- A Spy by Nature – A worthy spy story that foretells more good reading to come
- The Trinity Six – A stellar new spy story by Charles Cumming
- Typhoon – A right-wing Washington cabal seeks to destabilize China
- The Hidden Man – A worthy novel of espionage from a latter-day master of the craft
- A Foreign Country (Thomas Kell #1) – Spies in conflict in contemporary Europe
- A Colder War (Thomas Kell #2) – Spycraft takes center stage in this novel of espionage
- A Divided Spy (Thomas Kell #3) – The latest from a latter-day John le Carre
- The Moroccan Girl – A spy novelist turns to espionage in Charles Cumming’s excellent new novel
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
A Spy in the Struggle by Aya de León—From Aya de León, a brilliant thriller that exposes the FBI’s illegal tactics
A Prisoner in Malta (Christopher Marlowe #1) by Phillip DePoy – A delightful historical mystery novel starring Christopher Marlowe
Moscow Sting (Anna Resnikov #2) by Alex Dryden—A former British intelligence officer imagines a female Russian superspy
Exposure by Helen Dunmore – Gay life in Britain in a suspenseful thriller
Espionage thrillers from Joseph Finder
- High Crimes – A taut thriller about Special Forces running amok in El Salvador in 1983
- Extraordinary Powers – A standout among espionage thrillers
- Paranoia – A devilishly clever tale
The Eye of the Needle – The 40th anniversary edition of Ken Follett’s classic WWII spy novel
The Fox by Frederick Forsyth – A great new spy novel from the author of “The Day of the Jackal”
The historical Night Soldiers series by Alan Furst
- Red Gold (Night Soldiers #5) – A brilliant novel of the French Resistance
- Kingdom of Shadows (Night Soldiers #6) – One of the best spy novels of recent years
- Blood of Victory (Night Soldiers #7) – Spies at work in WWII Istanbul and Rumania
- Dark Voyage (Night Soldiers #8) — A gripping spy story set on a ocean freighter in World War II
- The Foreign Correspondent (Night Soldiers #9) – A superb historical espionage novel
- Spies of the Balkans (Night Soldiers #11) – Alan Furst’s superb novel, “Spies of the Balkans”
- Mission to Paris (Night Soldiers #12) – At the dawn of World War II, a Hollywood film star in an espionage novel
- Midnight in Europe (Night Soldiers #13) – Arms merchants and spies in a thriller set during the Spanish Civil War
- A Hero of France (Night Soldiers #14) – Vive la Resistance!
- Under Occupation (Night Soldiers #15) – Alan Furst on the French Resistance
Alex Gerlis’s outstanding wartime spy novels
- The Best of Our Spies (Spies #1) – An extraordinary World War II spy story grounded in historical fact
- The Swiss Spy (Spies #2) – World War II spies in Switzerland
- Vienna Spies (Spies #3) – A stirring tale of spies in wartime Vienna
- The Berlin Spies (Spies #4) – The best spy novelist you’ve never read
- Prince of Spies (Richard Prince #1)—British spies and the Nazi V-2 rocket
The Ways of the World (James Maxted #1) by Robert Goddard – A superb novel of espionage set in 1919 Paris
The Quiet American by Graham Greene—The classic Vietnam novel by Graham Greene
An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris – The Dreyfus Affair, reenacted in a suspenseful spy novel
Intelligence: A Tale of Terror and Uncivil Service by Susan Hasler – A satirical take on the dysfunctional CIA under George W Bush
Mick Herron’s clever Slough House novels
- Slow Horses (Slough House #1) – British satire about misfit spies in MI5
- Dead Lions (Slough House #2) – Russian sleeper agents and the misfits of MI5
- The List (Slough House #3) – Bumbling spies again in Mick Herron’s Slough House series
- Real Tigers (Slough House #4) – Slough House spooks are on the loose again
- Spook Street (Slough House #5) – MI5’s Slough House spies uncover a decades-old conspiracy
- London Rules (Slough House #6) – MI5’s misfit spies outdo themselves in this very funny novel
- The Marylebone Drop (Slough House #7) – Mick Herron scores with another entry in the Slough House series
- Joe Country (Slough House #8)—Mick Herron’s latest spy thriller will keep you guessing
- The Catch (Slough House #9) by Mick Herron—About that billionaire who committed suicide in prison
Classic espionage novels by Jack Higgins
- The Eagle Has Landed – A classic espionage thriller that’s well worth rereading
- Eye of the Storm (Sean Dillon #1) – Reimagining Saddam Hussein’s role in history
- Thunder Point (Sean Dillon #2) – One of Jack Higgins’ best thrillers
- Touch the Devil (Liam Devlin #2) – The IRA, the KGB, MI5, and the Corsican mob all conflict
Clean Hands by Patrick Hoffman—A diabolically clever thriller about corporate espionage
Compelling spy stories by David Ignatius
- The Increment – A gripping novel about Iran and the CIA
- The Bank of Fear – Saddam Hussein, secret offshore banks, and a dissolute Saudi prince
- Siro – The most intelligent spy novel I’ve read in many years
- A Firing Offense – A suspenseful espionage story about journalists and spies
- Agents of Innocence — The CIA and the PLO in Cold War Beirut
- The Paladin—The latest from David Ignatius is a little hard to believe
A Map of Betrayal by Ha Jin – Betrayal is in the eye of the beholder
Joseph Kanon’s superb spy stories
- Leaving Berlin – One of the best of today’s spy novels
- The Prodigal Spy – An espionage novelist to rival John Le Carre
- Defectors – A superb new novel about defectors in Moscow
Who Is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht – A puzzling spy story set in Argentina in the time of the generals
John le Carré’s classic novels of espionage
- A Legacy of Spies – The Cold War reexamined in John le Carré’s terrific new novel
- Our Game – John le Carré on British espionage at the end of the Cold War
- Our Kind of Traitor – The spy who never left the cold
- Agent Running in the Field by John le Carré – John le Carré doesn’t like Donald Trump
The Salzburg Connection by Helen MacInnes — Nazis, Communists, and Western spies clash in this classic spy novel
Too Bad to Die by Francine Mathews – Ian Fleming stars in this delightful spy story worthy of James Bond
The brilliant 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
Prague Spring by Simon Mawer – A tale of love and espionage during Prague Spring
An Expensive Education by Nick McDonell—Special Forces are up to no good in Somalia
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen – The Vietnam War through Vietnamese eyes
The Strivers’ Row Spy (Renaissance #1) by Jason Overstreet—African-American history comes to life in this engaging spy novel
Heresy (Giordano Bruno #1) by S. J. Parris—An historical spy thriller in the Elizabethan Age
Chris Pavone’s engaging espionage novels
- The Expats – A truly suspenseful novel about cyber theft
- The Accident – Rogue spies on the loose
- The Travelers – A clever spy story that will keep you guessing
- The Paris Diversion – The CIA, a crumbling marriage, and terrorist threats in Paris
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott—Doctor Zhivago and the women in the CIA typing pool
East of Hounslow (Jay Qasim #1) by Khurrum Rahman—Undercover, a small-time drug dealer becomes an accidental jihadist for MI5
The well-crafted Liz Carlyle novels by Stella Rimington
- At Risk (Liz Carlyle #1) – High stakes in an excellent espionage thriller
- Secret Asset (Liz Carlyle #2) – An engrossing novel about British counter-espionage
- Illegal Action (Liz Carlyle #3) – An engaging spy novel from former MI5 director Stella Rimington
- Dead Line (Liz Carlyle #4) – Liz Carlyle stars in an outstanding British espionage novel
- Present Danger (Liz Carlyle #5)– Do all the best spy novels come from Britain?
- Rip Tide (Liz Carlyle #6) – Somali pirates, Al Qaeda, and home-grown terrorists in England
- The Geneva Trap (Liz Carlyle #7) – Former MI5 Director spins a fascinating tale of espionage
- Close Call (Liz Carlyle #8) – The former MI5 director spins another great tale of espionage
- Breaking Cover (Liz Carlyle #9) – Russian agents under cover in the UK
- The Moscow Sleepers (Liz Carlyle #10) — An interesting new twist on Russian sleeper agents
Provisionally Yours by Antanas Sileika—A fascinating spy story set in Lithuania following World War I
The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer – A complex spy novel worthy of John Le Carre
All the Old Knives by Olen Steinhauer – A terrorist hijacking, the CIA, and two former lovers at dinner
Ross Thomas’s witty spy stories
- The Cold War Swap – Making the Cold War seem like fun
- Cast a Yellow Shadow – A novel about assassination that’s lots of fun
- The Singapore Wink – An engaging novel of crime and espionage set in 1960s Singapore
- Missionary Stew – Cocaine, the CIA, and a Central American revolution
- Out on the Rim – Con men, a $5 million bribe, and a Philippine rebellion
Spymaster (Scot Horvath #18) by Brad Thor—Brad Thor showcases his anti-Russian perspective in this novel
Paul Vidich’s haunting historical spy novels
- An Honorable Man – The Cold War, the early CIA, and the McCarthy Era
- The Good Assassin – A compelling spy novel set during the Cuban Revolution
- The Coldest Warrior – Project MK-Ultra and the scientist who fell to his death
- The Mercenary – A superb Cold War thriller from Paul Vidich
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson – An African-American spy in the maelstrom of Cold War rivalry in Africa
The William Catesby novels by Edward Wilson
- The Envoy (William Catesby #1) – The CIA, the KGB, British intelligence and the H-bomb
- The Whitehall Mandarin (William Catesby #4) – In the early days of the Cold War, nuclear espionage in search of the H-bomb
- A Very British Ending (William Catesby #5) – A harsh look at post-war British intelligence
For additional reading
You might also enjoy my posts:
- 20 good nonfiction books about espionage;
- Top 10 historical mysteries and thrillers reviewed here; and
- Top 10 mystery and thriller series.
And you can always find all the latest books I’ve read and reviewed, as well as my most popular posts, on the Home Page.