# Good espionage thrillers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817 "2006-03-02T21:40:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/1 "2006-03-02T21:40:03Z")
I’ve been on something of an espionage kick lately. Here’s my problem: Robert Ludlum cannot write worth crap. His stories are exciting and thrilling and blah blah blah, but the man is genuinely unaware that prose can be too purple, and he has never heard human beings talk. He also writes characters that are completely interchangeable, within four slots (bad guy, good guy, sidekick, and romantic interests). John LeCarre is a beautiful writer. His prose is lyrical, his characters are fully realized, the stories have powerful themes and teach me about what it means to be a human. And they also make me want to crawl under the bed and hide until politics is over. Are there any writers out there that are the espionage equivalent of George RR Martin? That is, folks who are unapologetically telling a good story, and telling it with great competence and verve? Bonus points if their espionage is extra-gadgety! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/2 "2006-03-02T21:43:15Z")
Jack DuBraul. Greg Rucka. Greg Iles. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/3 "2006-03-02T21:47:44Z")
**Len Deighton** is not bad, a bit lightweight. You might want to check out **Ross Thomas**. He wrote 25 very good books in the easy read but entertaining genre over a period of 30 years. Some are spy thrillers, some have political settings. Start with his first _The Cold War Swap_. **Norman Mailer** ’s \*Harlot’s Ghost \* is as good as it gets. You might want to skip the long introduction. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/4 "2006-03-02T21:56:10Z")
Try Allan Topol. You also might like Ken Follett. ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/5 "2006-03-02T22:07:00Z")
I cannot recommend [Allan Furst](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-author-exact=Alan%20Furst&rank=-relevance%2C%2Bavailability%2C-daterank/002-0062831-2603201) highly enough. Spy novels that take place before and during WWII. Incredibly atmospheric, very tense, very realistic. So, it goes against your ‘extra gadgetry’, but if you want realism they are some great spy novels. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/6 "2006-03-02T22:24:39Z")
Adam Hall’s _Quiller_ series. I second Len Deighton. The Harry Palmer guy; _Funeral in Berlin, The Ipcress File._ ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/7 "2006-03-02T22:31:32Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > Try Allan Topol. You also might like Ken Follett. Ditto Ken Follett, the early stuff – Eye of the Needle, The Key to Rebecca, etc. (I thought The Third Twin was crap and haven’t read any Follett since then.) You might like Robert Littell, especially The Amateur. Trevanian is extremely entertaining as well. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/8 "2006-03-02T23:35:46Z")
Just yesterday I finished my first Graham Greene novel, _Our Man in Havana_. The main character doesn’t have any espionage leanings (at all) when the book starts, but he’s definitely drawn into it. I’ll be reading more of Greene. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/9 "2006-03-02T23:45:59Z")
If you’re willing to take on a little of the supernatural with your spy novel, try Tim Powers’ “Declare.” Great story, told with incredible attention to detail. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/10 "2006-03-03T00:00:46Z")
> [@Gordon Urquhart](#): > > Just yesterday I finished my first Graham Greene novel, _Our Man in Havana_. The main character doesn’t have any espionage leanings (at all) when the book starts, but he’s definitely drawn into it. I’ll be reading more of Greene. Make sure you read **The Quiet American**. Not only was it a great read, but written in the 50’s, it’s also prophetic. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/11 "2006-03-03T00:42:02Z")
Mostly older stuff. All these authors have lots more stuff that I haven’t read although I’m not sure about Quammen \*The Zolta Configuration \* and \*The Soul of Viktor Tronko \* by David Quammen who later wrote successful science books. Charles McCarry I enjoyed \*The Tears of Autumn \* and \*The Last Supper \* Eric Ambler _Judgment on Deltchev_ and _The Mask of Demetrios_ Robert Littell \*The Once and Future Spy \* and I enjoyed _Walking Back The Cat_ Daniel Silva: _The Kill Artist_ and _The Marching Season_ Anything by Deighton, Greene, Le Carre is top notch. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/12 "2006-03-03T01:42:39Z")
I’ll third Ken Follett – “Eye of the Needle” was very good. I haven’t actually read any of his stuff, but I’ve heard that some of Ian Flemming’s early Bond books are actually pretty good. It’s not really espionage per se, but have you tried any of the old noir stuff by the likes of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler? You might enjoy those as well. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/13 "2006-03-03T04:06:34Z")
> [@Linty Fresh](#): > > Make sure you read **The Quiet American**. Not only was it a great read, but written in the 50’s, it’s also prophetic. Ditto for The Comedians, which takes place in Papa Doc Duvalier’s Haiti. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/14 "2006-03-03T10:21:28Z")
> [@Gordon Urquhart](#): > > Just yesterday I finished my first Graham Greene novel, _Our Man in Havana_. The main character doesn’t have any espionage leanings (at all) when the book starts, but he’s definitely drawn into it. I’ll be reading more of Greene. And the vastly over-rated Le Carre stole the plot for _The Tailor Of Panama_. Len Deighton’s _SS-GB_ comes highly recommended: alternate history in which the Germans occupy Britain, but the concept isn’t overcooked, the atmosphere and setting are beautifully realised, and the low-key espionage is very convincing. Same goes for Robert Harris’ _Enigma_, set around the wartime doings at Bletchley Park. I have a thing for spy novels set in the 40’s. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/15 "2006-03-03T12:56:16Z")
> [@The Gaspode](#): > > **Len Deighton** is not bad, a bit lightweight. I wouldn’t call it light weight at all- at his best he is as complex as Le Carre. Just try the super trilogy- nine books in all about the same characters and the same story, told over and over from different perspectives in different time frames with different sets of knowledge. Berlin Game Mexico Set London Match Spy Hook Spy Line Spy Sinker Faith Hope Charity ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/16 "2006-03-03T13:14:36Z")
> [@Linty Fresh](#): > > Make sure you read **The Quiet American**. Not only was it a great read, but written in the 50’s, it’s also prophetic. :eek: Seriously? I listened to it on CD during my commute last semester; that’s incredible that it was written during the fifties. (Tip: don’t listen to the audiobook. The British reader’s attempt at an American accent for the title character is horrific). Thanks for the many suggestions–I’ll definitely look some of these folks up! Yeah, I’ve read Chandler and Hammett (I like Chandler more, but then I’ve read more of him), and I don’t at all think LeCarre is overrated, quite the contrary. While Greene is wonderful, right now I’m looking for some brain candy reading that’s well-written: Greene, I think, might make me too depressed (same as LeCarre). Daniel ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/17 "2006-03-03T13:18:45Z")
This long and nobody mentions **Frederick Forsyth**? His **Day of the Jackal** is brilliant, as was **The Odessa File**. I thought **The Devil’s Alternative** would’ve made a great mini-series. His more recent stuff hasn’t had quite the impact, but they’re researched a lot more in depth than other things of this sort. In **Fist of God** he describes how to build nuclear enrichment facilities in secret and get away with it. **Icon** goes into the relationships of the surviving Russian nobility. All his stuff is worth reading. Except that sequel he wrote to Phantom of the Opera. For the life of me, I don’t understand that anomaly. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/18 "2006-03-07T15:30:52Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > This long and nobody mentions **Frederick Forsyth**? His **Day of the Jackal** is brilliant, as was **The Odessa File**. I thought **The Devil’s Alternative** would’ve made a great mini-series. His more recent stuff hasn’t had quite the impact, but they’re researched a lot more in depth than other things of this sort. In **Fist of God** he describes how to build nuclear enrichment facilities in secret and get away with it. **Icon** goes into the relationships of the surviving Russian nobility. All his stuff is worth reading. When I made it to the library, Forsyth’s was the first name I remembered, so I picked up _Icon_. It’s really, really good! I’m glad to discover that not all espionage writers are hacks. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2006, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/19 "2006-03-07T19:18:50Z")
“The Odessa File” (about infiltrating the Nazi subculture of 1963 Germany) is quite good. So is “SS-GB” (as noted above, an alternate history book about the conquered Britain of late 1941) and Harris’s “Fatherland” (also alternate history, about a Berlin police investigator looking into the mysterious deaths of retired, elderly Nazi bigshots in a mid-Sixties Germany still ruled by Hitler). I’m a big George R.R. Martin fan, as was the OP, and highly recommend two science fiction espionage books by Joe Haldeman, somewhat similar to Martin’s style: “All My Sins Remembered” (about an interstellar spy so shattered by his life’s work that he begins to forget who he really is), and “Tool of the Trade” (a very clever Cold War story about a Soviet deep-cover agent in the U.S. who develops a practical form of mind control). Good, good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Bogeyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3e96dc/32.png) [@Bogeyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bogeyman)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817/20 "2006-03-14T12:39:31Z")
More votes for Robert Littell (I’ve read _Walking back the Cat_ and _The Company_ and enjoyed both) and Ross Thomas (too many good ones to list). I like the early Len Deighton stuff (especially _Horse under Water_) better than his later works, but that’s me. Another book you might try is Joseph Garber’s _Whirlwind_ . A bit improbable in places, but an enjoyable read. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-espionage-thrillers/346817.md?page=2)