Red Mosquito • View topic - can anyone recommend me some quality SPY novels?

dunkman · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:56 am

I read Spycatcher years ago and I loved it... I'd love to read some fiction or fact books on MI5/CIA/Stasi/Gestapo/KGB

any authors who specifically deal in that genre would be appreciated also.

cheers

Skitch Patterson · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:38 am

Something about the way the title of this thread looks made me think S-P-Y was an acronym for a split second.

ThumbingMyWayToNFLD · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:21 pm

John Le Carre - The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
John Le Carre - The Looking-Glass War
Len Deighton - Berlin Game
Len Deighton - Ipcress File (any of his first four books, really)
Norman Mailer - Harlot's Ghost
Graham Greene - The Quiet American
Frederick Forsyth - The Day Of The Jackal
Ken Follett - Eye Of The Needle
Len Deighton - Spy Sinker (the whole Hook, Line and Sinker series is great)

David Morrell has written some good ones (Brotherhood of the Rose in particular, if you count that as espionage/spy fiction).

As for my own "area of expetise", the Bond novels, you really can't go wrong. Obviously, you should start with Fleming's as he truly has no equal, however the later books by Gardner and Benson as well as Kinglsey Amis' "Colonel Sun" are, for the most part well worth your time. Gardner wrote a couple of clunkers, but his are mostly anywhere from good to excellent. Sebastian Faulks' "Devil May Care" is due out this May to celebrate Fleming's centenial, so you should keep an eye out for that.

If you need anything more specific (espeically as it relates to Bond), don't hesitate to let me know.

SLH916 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:11 pm

These are my favorites off the top of my head.

WWII era spy fiction:

Eric Ambler- Journey into Fear
Epitaph for a Spy

Helen MacInnes- Above Suspician

Cold War:

Graham Greene- The Human Factor
Our Man in Havana

Adam Hall- The Quiller Memorandum

Modern:

Len Deighton- SS-GB
Robert Ludlum- The Bourne Identity
John LaCarre- The Constant Gardner
Robert Harris- Fatherland

dunkman · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:49 pm

brilliant, thank you very much

i've added all of them to my library wishlist. cheers!

dunkman · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:34 pm

i picked up 2 John Le Carre ones

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

and

Absolute Friends

ThumbingMyWayToNFLD · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:13 pm

TSWCIFTC is pretty much the essential espionage novel, so good choice there.

I haven't read Absolute Friends but I know that reviews are somewhat mixed, but more on the positive side. Let me know what you think.

Jim · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:16 pm

the bourne books a pretty good

parchy · **Joined:** Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:50 am **Posts:** 11842

edzeppe wrote:

Something about the way the title of this thread looks made me think S-P-Y was an acronym for a split second.

Play C3 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:29 am

i havent read too many spy novels, but i think this thread has inspied me to check some out.

dunkman · **Posted:** Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:38 pm

parchy wrote:

edzeppe wrote:

Something about the way the title of this thread looks made me think S-P-Y was an acronym for a split second.

i cant understand the "i've got nothing to add so i'll quote a quote" post

anyhoo... i'm half way (or more) through TSWCIFTC and it's excellent... thansk to whomever recommended it... :thumbsup:

ThumbingMyWayToNFLD · **Posted:** Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:50 pm

dunkman wrote:

parchy wrote:

edzeppe wrote:

Something about the way the title of this thread looks made me think S-P-Y was an acronym for a split second.

i cant understand the "i've got nothing to add so i'll quote a quote" post

anyhoo... i'm half way (or more) through TSWCIFTC and it's excellent... thansk to whomever recommended it... :thumbsup:

dunkman · **Posted:** Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:06 pm

ThumbingMyWayToNFLD wrote:

dunkman wrote:

parchy wrote:

edzeppe wrote:

Something about the way the title of this thread looks made me think S-P-Y was an acronym for a split second.

i cant understand the "i've got nothing to add so i'll quote a quote" post

anyhoo... i'm half way (or more) through TSWCIFTC and it's excellent... thansk to whomever recommended it... :thumbsup:

seriously enjoying it... many thanks

:worthy:

invention · **Joined:** Mon Sep 05, 2005 1:34 am **Posts:** 12029

I know you're looking for books, but The Lives of Others is a great film about the Stasi,

dunkman · **Posted:** Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:25 pm

invention wrote:

I know you're looking for books, but The Lives of Others is a great film about the Stasi,

unbelievably it was a movie marathon of all the Bourne films PLUS the Lives Of Others (which must be one of the top 5 movies evermade?) that spurred me on with this clamour for spy books.

that film was so great it almost made me weep saline

dunkman · **Posted:** Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:19 pm

finished Spy in from the Cold.

great book :thumbsup:

and was exactly what i was looking for so many thanks.

I'm onto Absolute Friends now and have reserved 3 more from this list at my library.

davidsatelle100 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 11, 2008 8:43 am

if you liked the bourne films, then get the books

they are about 10000000 times better and i love the films.

Theresa · **Joined:** Fri Nov 17, 2006 6:59 pm **Posts:** 14656

not quite spy; more investigative reporter for washington post encountering improprieties( :shock:

) at the white house...the main character is a cool intelligent guy. author's name is brian mcgrory. Books are The Incumbent, The Nominee, and Deadline...check it boiiii

dunkman · **Posted:** Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:50 am

davidsatelle100 wrote:

if you liked the bourne films, then get the books

they are about 10000000 times better and i love the films.

is 10000000 an accurate figure :wink:

davidsatelle100 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:16 am

dunkman wrote:

davidsatelle100 wrote:

if you liked the bourne films, then get the books

they are about 10000000 times better and i love the films.

is 10000000 an accurate figure :wink:

give or take 1% for rounding up/down :poke:

can anyone recommend me some quality SPY novels?

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