The 10 Best Spy Novels

Editor's Notes

January 23, 2020:

Just as suspenseful and heart-pounding as a good thriller, spy novels have the added benefit of high-tech equipment, intense action scenes, and insight into the inner workings of everything from corrupt governments to military task forces. Many also happen to be written by ex-agents and analysts and retired military personnel, such as Red Sparrow and Daughter of War, or journalists and political science majors, like The Faithful Spy and Agent in Place. As such, you get your fiction with a heavy dose of realism.

Today we said goodbye to The Sympathizer and The Darkling Spy. The Sympathizer, while an excellent portrayal of the view from the other side of the Vietnam War, suffers from stilted metaphors, disjointed pacing, and stodgy writing in places, as well as a protagonist who comes off as inauthentic at times. We took the opportunity to replace it with Daughter of War, a recent release by a veteran spy writer that's been, so far, well received. This novel uses current events as its jumpoff point and introduces well-rounded characters that are easy to fall in love with.

We also added The Killer Collective, another new release that takes two separate elite agencies and weaves them together, making for an exciting plot that goes at a breakneck pace. It also features compelling red-herrings and sensitively deals with disturbing subject matter without being overly gratuitous.