Go thee to a used book store and hump up some Fletcher Knebble. I suggest “7 days in May” if it’s a thriller you want. An oldie but is it a goodie. He has several other good ones including one where POTUS goes insane and has to be pushed out of office. Great reads on the political bend.
I’ll also second Ludlum. the Bourne books are great. No movie could live up. The Road books are actually funny!
For spy don’t forget Tom Clancy. I don’t think I saw a mention of him. Sum of all fears teaches you how to make a nuclear weapon, and Cardinal of the Cremlin actually explains Ronald Regans “Star Wars” SDI.
While I have you here…Funeral In Berlin. Are these lines from the novel or the movie?
Palmer: I don’t want to be 'orrible 'arry Palmer.
Passport guy: Who would you like to be then?
Palmer: Rock Hunter.
Passport :You’ll take Palmer, and you’ll like it.
Don’t know if this is what you are looking for but Stephen Hunter writes some good stuff. Martin Cruz Smith writes some good stuff too, those are more murder mysteries, but still have a bit of the “spy” stuff in them. For more spy stuff though you could try Danial Silva (sp?). He does write more traditional spy novels.
I agree with these! I’m sure you know not to judge books by the movies made from them. The movies made from Clancy’s books have been OK, but the books give you so much more insight into the workings of the CIA and other intelligence agencies. The recent Bourne Identity movie was passable, I guess, but it’s unbelievable how many of the main (and best) plot elements from the book were ignored or made insignificant in the movie.
How about a novel full of characters that are double- (even triple-) agents? In fact, throughout the entire story the reader’s never sure who’s on which side with the exception of the obvious bad guy and the obvious good guy. There’s only been a few books that I became so engrossed in that just I had to keep reading until I got to the end, this was one.
Oops, never mind, I see you’ve already dismissed James Bond stories. In case you change your mind, this one is Icebreaker by John Gardner, IIRC his first in the series and definately not your typical 007 adventure.