40 Greatest Spy Novels of All Time

Spy fiction enthusiasts are some of the most devoted genre fans, and it's easy to see why. The best spy novels are thrilling, dangerous, and often a bit sexy. They explore politics and history through a unique lens (and we're not just talking night vision goggles). Their heroes speak seven languages ​​and drive at least four expensive cars - all well above the speed limit, we may add. And admit, you always secretly thought you'd be a great spy.

Well, good news! If you're looking for vicarious fulfillment of those aspirations, we've got you covered with the 40 Greatest Spy Novels of All Time in this post. From oldie-but-goodie classics of the genre to cutting-edge contemporary techno thrillers, these books let you travel through time and spin the world. You will climb buildings, defuse bombs and overthrow entire governments - all from the comfort of your favorite reading chair. 

Not sure where to start on your espionage reading journey? We've got you covered! Our 1 minute quiz gives you a thriller recommendation, tailored to your taste. 😉

 

1. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré Le Carré

's name has become synonymous with the spy genre, and it was this book that drove him to international fame. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold is the third of Le Carré's spy novels about the activities of a British intelligence unit known as 'The Circus', inspired by Le Carré's own experiences working in the intelligence service for MI5 and MI6 over the years 50 and 60.. Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the story follows Agent Leamas, who is called to complete one final mission: he goes undercover as a defector to East Germany to take down the German intelligence unit. 

See Also: 10 Best Mystery Thrillers Books of 2021

2. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré

Another well-known title from le Carré, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, continues in the same fictional realm as in le Carré's previous spy books. As tensions between the Soviet powers and the West continue to simmer, we follow a now-retired cop from The Circus, George Smiley, as he springs into action again on the hunt for a traitor in their ranks. As suspicions grow, Smiley must question everyone around him, even his most trusted colleagues, to eradicate the mole that made The Circus so expensive. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is peak le Carré at its best - one of the best spy novels to masterfully capture the danger and paranoia of treachery.

 

3. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

Jason Bourne is rescued by fishermen, the lone survivor of an attack at sea. When he comes to, he suffers from amnesia and cannot remember anything about himself or his past life outside of the periodic flashback. Armed with only the details of a bank account, he searches for his own identity. As the truth begins to unfold, panic mounts when it becomes clear that Bourne's life was anything but quiet and ordinary. But is it his past that he should fear - or what to do next? 

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4. Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett

This award-winning classic (and Ken Follett's first bestseller) follows a German spy nicknamed 'The Needle' for his signature use of a needle-pointed knife when killing are victims. As the last remaining German intelligence agent, he must try to save the Nazi forces from the Allies' D-Day ploy. But when he makes a massive discovery that could put everything at risk, he becomes MI5's most wanted. With British intelligence on his heels and following the trail of the victims he left in his wake, The Needle flees - only to discover the one thing he didn't expect: an unforeseen romance that could be his downfall. In this blood-curdling race against time, we are reminded that even stone-cold killers are not immune to heart disease.

5. The Innocent by Ian McEwan

Set in Cold War Berlin, The Innocent is the story of Leonard Marnham: a 25-year-old British post office engineer who is taken to a sting operation to help Americans tap Soviet telephone lines. While on his mission, he meets the older, divorced Maria Eckdorf, and the two begin a relationship. But when a ghost from Maria's past shows up, Leonard is dragged into a complicated cover up. This once humble man now has two deadly secrets - and one you must give up.

6. Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews

After an injury cuts short her promising career as a ballerina, Dominika Egorova becomes a reluctant student of Russia's top secret "Sparrow School". There she learns to entice hostile agents into compromising situations, where she can then extract information from them. Her next target: Nathan Nash, a CIA handler. But Nash sees Egorova coming, and the result is a thrilling chase characterized by seduction and deception. Written by a retired CIA agent, Red Sparrow is hailed as one of the most accurate literary depictions of espionage. If you liked the 2018 movie of the same name, it's worth giving the source material a try.

7. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

This Pulitzer Prize-winning debut novel follows an unnamed protagonist: a captain in the South Vietnamese army, who flees to the United States during the fall of Saigon in 1975. Once in Los Angeles, the main character and his companions, including the general he advises, feel that navigating American life isn't quite what they expected. As the group grows tired of their new home and plans their return to Vietnam, the protagonist has good reason to want to stick around: he is a communist informant who returns information to Vietnam about anti-communist activities in America. The Sympathizer explores the duality of a protagonist who constantly walks in two directions, from his mixed Vietnamese and French ancestry to his double-minded espionage.

8. American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

Marie Mitchell, a young black FBI officer, is saved from the monotony of endless paperwork when she is sent to destabilize the 1986 rise of communism in Burkina Faso. Her target? Only the charismatic revolutionary Thomas Sankara - the real former president of Burkina Faso. Despite her discomfort with the mission's MO, she takes the job - but she will also face the ultimate fallout as she struggles to decide how far she is willing to compromise her principles in line with duty ., an artful blend of spy thriller and historical fiction, American Spy introduces you to a complex and criminally overlooked face of the Cold War.

9. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

Casino Royale, Fleming's first book, marks the birth of the world's favorite secret agent: 007. Bond is the name, and Baccarat is the game as he carries out his mission to take on Le Chiffre, an agent. switch. for the Russian secret service. The stakes are in the millions as he plays for the sole purpose of bankrupting Le Chiffre (which, as you can imagine, makes for some very bad losers). And when attempts to settle scores are taken off the table, the stakes go higher and higher in terms of life or death. Bond himself flirts with the "deadly" end of the equation when he's herded into the arms of a female cop - but is her warm embrace the haven he thinks it is? If you want to see how the man, myth, and legend all started, this is the best place to start.

10. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

The setting: the vast ocean. The players: Russia and America. The trigger? A captain of a Soviet submarine who has suddenly and inexplicably propelled The Red October off course to the West. The result is one of the greatest espionage chases in literary history as the submarine literally slips under the radar and a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse ensues ... except in this game, there are two cats who want to. The RedOctober: Russia and America. The debut novel that launched Tom Clancy's career into the stratosphere when it was published in 1984, The Hunt for Red October also marks the first appearance of young CIA agent Jack Ryan - and it still stands the test of time.

11. The Thirty Nine Steps by John Buchan

When a bored young man hoping for a break from boredom finds a corpse in his apartment, he learns to always be careful with what you wish for. Unsurprisingly, Richard Hannay is now the number one suspect in the murder of the man found dead in his home. A little more surprising, he is now also at the center of an international assassination plot - one that could have seismic conseqences across Europe. Hannay takes flight and flees to his native Scotland in an effort to evade both the police and enemies of a more shadowy kind. Another genre classic, this heartbeat adventure book is considered by many to be the ideal form for the 'chase novel'.

12. Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household

In 1938 a British man wants to murder an unnamed European dictator. However, this is not a political murder. What he's interested in is the thrill of the chase - and he doesn't even know if he'll go through with it. Sure enough, just as he finally gets close enough to strike, he gets caught at the last minute. Tortured and left for dead, the unnamed protagonist soon realizes that nowhere in Europe is now safe from him. This groundbreaking spy novel has redefined the genre and profoundly influenced many of the best-loved stories written since then. If you really want to familiarize yourself with thrillers, this is the ideal starting point.

13. The House of Fear by Ibn-e Safi

Ibn-e Safi is an acclaimed (and prolific) Indian writer, whose gigantic series of 120 spy novels still enjoy a cult classic in South Asia. The House of Fear is from this series and is Safi's first espionage book translated from the original Urdu and published in English. At the heart of it is Ali Imran, the man who is always the butt of the joke at his job at the Secret Service. Little do his colleagues know that they seriously underestimate him, because Ali is actually the perfect spy - a devastating combination of strength, wit and agility. And his extraordinary talents will be put to work solving a series of mysterious murders when a series of dead bodies are found, all bearing the same painstaking wounds.

In a hit of two-for-one luck, The House of Fear also features a second novella, Shootout at the Rock, in which Imran is one man's only hope of being saved from a murderous gang. 

14. Agents of Innocence by David Ignatius

This American classic focuses more on the diplomatic side of espionage work than the outright action, but the depth and complexity of this fascinatingly plausible novel is more than enough to make up for the lack of motorcycle chase scenes. Ignatius' espionage book follows the story of a CIA agent Tom Rogers who recently arrived in Beirut and is working hard to establish connections within the Lebanese intelligence community. One of his new contacts is playboy Jamal Ramlawi, a valuable but slick asset. Rogers soon finds out that their lack of confidence makes for a very precarious alliance that combines a complicated plot with historical accuracy and Agents of Innocence may be a slow burn, but boy does it pay.

15. 's Alice Network Kate Quinn

Charlie is a young American woman who has been disgraced to Europe by her wealthy but controlling family who discreetly "wants to take care of her pregnancy." Once a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed recruit trained by the famous 'Alice' herself during the war, Eve lives a life of seclusion in the UK, her grief and nurturing memories of the demise of the spy network she had drowned. ever dedicated her life to. Two women, two very different pasts. But - when their paths cross in London - they work together and pursue a common truth that could put an end to years of fear for each of them.

16. Transcription by Kate Atkinson

We are already delighted to have this spy book on our list of World War II by female authors, but we can't help but mention it again. In Transcription, Ablast from the Past reminisces Juliet's memories of her wartime experiences and we are taken back in time with her to 1940. Juliet, then only eighteen years old, is reluctantly recruited by MI5 to painstakingly transcribe recordings of surveillance of fascist sympathizers. But this boredom is short-lived. Sent undercover to find 'the Red Book', a notebook with the names of Nazi sympathizers, Juliet herself soon becomes entangled in the action. Back in the present, the truth about her time as a spy begins to bubble to the surface. And it soon becomes clear to Juliet that the past she thought she left behind is actually crawling right after her ... 

17. Code name Villanelle by Luke Jennings

You may have heard of the hit BBC show Killing Eve. And by "May" we mean that you certainly did. Well, this is where it all began - as a self-published series of four novella ebooks in which Eve, a humble but tenacious cop, pits against the seductive and ruthless Villanelle, an expert assassin (who is reportedly based on real life 'Tigresa', a Basque hit man). After encountering a particularly high-profile murder, Eve embarks on her quest to find Villanelle, and an astonishing game of cat and mouse ensues. Prepare to be grabbed as you follow these two women, each so different from the other and yet all extremely good at what they do, locking each other up.

18. Who is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht

Vera Kelly has mastered the art of pretending, born from years of hiding her sexuality in a world that is not ready to accept it. And yet her talents are wasted as she turns night shift after night shift at the radio station struggling to make ends meet. That is, until she's scouted for the CIA and wiped out to Argentina. Vera goes undercover as a Canadian student and has to supervise student revolutionaries - a task fraught with danger and possible betrayal. But it is Vera's personal development that takes center stage, aided by flashbacks to Vera's past that slowly make us understand who she is. A subtle and engaging piece of new LGBT fiction, Who is Vera Kelly? promises a lot more than your average spy novel.

19. The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins

In an imagined 1943, Heinrich Himmler's brainchild, Operation Eagle, is underway. The goal: to kidnap Winston Churchill on British soil. It's a long shot, but Himmler is determined to get through his daring plan, and months of conspiracy and exploration come to a head on a quiet November evening in an even quieter English village. The stakes are almost impossibly high. But will the German Task Force be up to it ?, an enduring piece of war fiction, The Eagle Has Landed remains as fresh today as it did in 1975 - perhaps because it's not just a tale of evasion, but a masterful exploration of the nuance and darkness of war, in a world where living on the 'wrong' side does not necessarily make you irreparably bad.

20. Ultimatum by Frank Gardner

Amid mounting tension, an insider agrees to provide information to British intelligence on Iran's development of nuclear weapons. But when an appointment at a remote mountain monastery ends in disaster, MI6 realizes they need a different approach. They need to find a new insider - and quickly. Come in to Agent Luke Carlton, who has been ordered to put a new liaison on the side ... until the kidnapping of a high-ranking British minister turns everything into a tailspin., Written by a former BBC security correspondent, Ultimatum reaps all the benefits of the author's first-hand knowledge of international relations and takes the reader on a thrilling ride with one foot firmly in reality.

21. The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

Published in 1907, The Secret Agent is arguably the most timeless spy novel on our list. In London, 1886, we meet Adolf Verloc, a man who leads a seemingly banal life as a shop owner. The operative word here is "seemingly": behind this facade, he is in bed with the anarchists and is a bumbling secret agent working for an unnamed country. When summoned to attack the Greenwich Observatory, Verloc makes the decision to betray his family - setting in motion a chain of events that may well set in motion the undoing of all events. Based on the real-life Greenwich bombing in 1894, Conrad provides an imaginative and classic backstory to a crime that remains unexplained to this day.

22. I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

A series of heinous crimes. A secret plot so destructive it would destroy humanity forever. The two are linked, but how? Only one man can find the answer: Pilgrim, a young, mysterious intelligence agent with many names who had retired early, only to return when he finds he just can't stay away from the fast life. Set off on a whirlwindaround the world as I Am Pilgrim takes you chasethrough continents, following a trail of gruesome clues that Pilgrim hopes will uncover the threat's origins. Time is of the essence, and Terry Hayes' debut novel really turns the tension into a spy thriller.

23. The Quiet American by Graham Greene

British journalist Thomas Fowler feels pretty tired of the world. Years living in Saigon describing the conflict between Viet Minh communists and the French colonial forces left him a staunch pessimist. Enter Alden Pyle, a young CIA agent who is new to Saigon. While Pyle - thethe same name Quiet American of - may be gentle, he is nonetheless a devout patriot, and just as idealistic as Fowler is cynical. But his attempts to covertly propagate American-style democracy have disastrous consequences for the local population. As the bodies pile up, Fowler can't sit back to watch Pyle run from disaster to disaster. But is it his own morals, or a matter of the heart, that leads him to intervene? Greene's novel, a highly controversial and razor-sharp investigation of American exceptionalism and colonialism, remains one of the true classics of the genre.

24. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene

Very different in tone from Greene's other entry in our list The Quiet American, Our Man in Havana tells the satirical story of James Wormold, a vacuum cleaner salesman turned unlikely spy. When the extravagant tastes of his 16-year-old daughter Milly begin to put him in debt, James has no choice but to take on an afterthought: espionage. The thing is, he doesn't really feel like doing any of the work. Instead, James makes up his reports back to London, bringing together Shakespearean storylines, the names of acquaintances and some intricate blueprints for vacuum cleaners. Everything runs smoothly - that is, until those fabricated messages become reality ...

25. The Expats by Chris Pavone

Meet Kate Moore: stay home, mother, devoted housewife and former spy. After 15 years with the CIA, Kate decides to put the family first and follow her husband to start a new life in Luxembourg. Of course, she struggles with the occasional culture shock after trading undercover operations for bath time - but Kate soon realizes that play dates are her least of her problems when she's worried about the arrival of two highly suspicious neighbors. Is Kate's past about to catch up with her? And if so, what will happen to the family that gave it up to protect them? Few authors hit a home run with their first novel, but Chris Pavone does exactly that with the compelling The Expats.

26. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth

A failed assassination attempt has put the French president on red alert. He is now the most heavily guarded man in the world and a seemingly impossible target - that is, until his enemies drop the jackal on him. An English undercover agent whose true identity is a secret even to those who adopted him, the jackal may be the only person capable of breaking through the president's impenetrable defenses and changing the course of the world as we know it . Inspired by the real-life assassination attempt on Charles de Gaulle, this incredible speculative spy novel is a blood-curdling race against time and a giant in the spy thriller genre.

27. The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott

It's the height of the Cold War, and two women have been given a dangerous task: smuggle a revolutionary novel into the USSR, where it has been banned for its subversive content. The CIA believes this could be the key to turning the tide of the Cold War, so Secretary Irina is plucked from the typing program and tasked with getting Dr. Zhivago into the hands of the Russian people under the tutelage of the veteran pro Sally. . This female-driven story full of intrigue will keep you on the edge of your seat andlet you reallyappreciate the power of a good book valuation. A spyabout spies and novelnovels? Sign us up.

28. Berlin Game by Len Deighton

Bernard Samson works on the desk in London for years, until an important assignment unexpectedly calls him back into the field. A high-ranking spy working out of East Germany has had enough - he wants to come to the West. The extraction won't be easy, but Samson is indebted to the agent on the other side of the Iron Curtain: that same agent once saved Samson's life, so it's time he got the favor back. If, at the end of this nimble story of betrayal (a personal favorite of Quentin Tarantino!), You find yourself getting quite fond of Samson, you're in luck - there are 8 more books waiting for you in the series.

29. Secret Service by Tom Bradby

MI6 officer Kate Henderson has made a discovery: the prime minister is dying and one of the candidates to replace him is a Russian mole. The problem is, Kate doesn't know which one - and her superiors are skeptical of the veracity of her claims. Is she just paranoid? And does that paranoia play into the hands of the enemy? Kate begins to unravel as she desperately tries to keep her career, her family, and the country together. This best-selling psychological thriller is so full of political power play and feverish tension that you have to take a steady position on the edge of your seat.

30. The Mask of Dimitrios by Eric Ambler

The body of a notorious murderer has been found floating in the Bosphorus. Charles Latimer, a former teacher turned so-called mystery writer, visits the body in the morgue. From there, an obsession that will carry Latimer across continents spans, painstakingly tracing the intricate web of betrayal and deceit left by the dead man in his wake. His desire to understand the dead murderer, Dimitrios, is so terrible that in a new, disturbing sense, he runs the risk of becoming the killer's next victim. Fun fact: The Mask of Dimitrios is James Bond's favorite vacation - he saw it on the plane in From Russia, With Love. Talk about a busman's vacation.

31. The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva

What does an art restorer have in common with a highly skilled (and deadly) intelligence agency? You may not think much, but it turns out Gabriel Allon is pretty good at both. Allon had long since given up the fast-paced world of espionage for a quiet life of brushes and magnifying glasses and thought he'd put all that behind him. That is, until he's called up for one last job - isn't that always the way? His mission is to take down a terrorist as knowledgeable as he is, and with whom Allon shares a complex and tragic history. Throw in a glamorous model, an Israeli diplomat and a whole bunch of paintings, and you've got the recipe for one of the best spy novels.

32. Diary of a Dead Man on Leave by David Downing

When Walter finds the diary of a former tenant hidden in his childhood home, he is unprepared for what he discovers in its pages. Despite his modest attitude, Josef Hofmann had more to offer than he had shown. Five decades earlier he had not found his way to Walter's German hometown by chance. In fact, he had a top-secret mission: one by one to find the surviving members of the city's pre-war communist party and determine where their loyalties now lay. The constant threat of discovery by the Nazi authorities makes this task a suicide mission - one that becomes even more complicated when Josef's glimpse of another possible life in the form of Walter's family makes him doubt his priorities ...

33. An officer and a spy by Robert Harris

 

Author Robert Harris has produced no fewer than thirteen bestsellers, in genres that include historical fiction, techno-thriller and political fiction. So it's no wonder when this jack of all trades turned his hand into a spy novel, he knocked it out of the park. A Officer and a Spy is a story of intrigue and suspicion set in the ranks of the 19th century French army. At first glance it seems like an open and closed case: military officer Alfred Dreyfus has been charged with espionage, convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment. But Georges Picquart, a fellow soldier who witnessed Dreyfus's dramatic fall from grace, has a sneaking suspicion that they may have found the wrong man.

34. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

A wealthy young woman disappeared from her family's estate on a private island 40 years ago. But since the scene of the crime is a family gathering, the suspect list is a little too close for consolation. After decades without any progress, her desperate uncle hires Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced former journalist, to reopen the case. His unlikely partner is Lisbeth Salander, a troubled computer genius and the girl of the same name with the dragon tattoo. As the two begin to dig into the estate's history, they uncover a wealth of evil secrets. The level of detail that Larsson packs into this tour-de-force of an espionage /suspense hybrid is truly astonishing: you'll have to break a family tree to follow it.

 

35. American Assassin by Vince Flynn

Irene Kennedy keeps a close eye on Mitch Rapp. He's a brilliant college student and top athlete, and she's an up-and-coming CIA analyst looking to recruit him for a top-secret project. She knows that Mitch's vengeful rage over his tragic past provides the perfect ammunition to turn him into a super soldier. And when he agrees to intensive training, he quickly proves he's the perfect secret weapon. Now he's out in the field, and while his first mission goes well, he soon realizes that taking out the target is just the beginning. A military thriller that travels around the world, action movie fans will get a lot out of this movie.

36. Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith

A grim crime thriller, Gorky Park is not for the faint of heart: the novel opens with the discovery of three bodies in a Russian amusement park. That is, three bodies minus their fingers and faces. The impossible task of identifying the victims lies with Arkady Renko. His only clue? A pair of skates. This police procedure probes the dark depths of law enforcement corruption, a conspiracy that has spread far beyond the usual remit of Renko's job. Will the detective follow the trail of deception to the bitter end? Or is this case just too far above his pay scale?

37. Deadlock by Catherine Coulter

 

The latest release in the ultra-prolific bestselling author Catherine Coulter's FBI thriller series (the 24th episode, to be exact). Deadlock investigates two parallel mysteries: one, a young woman confronted with long-forgotten family secrets fueled by a paranormal reading; the other, a cryptic jigsaw puzzle, sent to the agents by an anonymous observer who seems to know more than they should.