#Best spy novels of all time movie
#Best spy novels of all time series

Len Deighton is one of those hit-or-miss authors far as I’m concerned. It definitely bogs down some in the middle, but in the end, it’s worth the time and effort. It is a finely crafted novel and probably one of DeMille’s better works. The Charm School by DeMille is a fantastic portrait of American intelligence officers stationed in Moscow during the Cold War and a gripping drama that pits CIA officials against political realities which often hamper intelligence missions. His work is heavy with hopeless existentialist philosophy, but still worth the read. While I don’t agree with le Carré that spies are bored people playing cowboys and Indians to brighten their own miserable lives, his writing is top-notch and his ability to tell a story is second to none. Yes, I know… when examining the works of le Carré everyone leaps immediately to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy as his magnum opus, but le Carré’s first novel, while not nearly as lengthy as his later work, is an intricately plotted tale with plenty of emotional punch that launched the British author into the limelight. To the day he died, Ludlum denied ever having worked for American Intelligence. Robert Ludlum wrote such richly detailed worlds that some insiders maintained he had been employed by the CIA before turning to writing. Both of the movies (yes, there were two) do a pretty good job of capturing the story, but the novel is far more nuanced with a much more satisfying ending. It’s a story about a spy who wakes up on a fishing boat with no memory of who he is or why someone pumped two bullets into his back.

#Best spy novels of all time movie

What can I say about Ludlum’s classic, The Bourne Identity, that hasn’t already been said? It is the novel that inspired a whole generation of knock-offs, spin-offs, movie franchises, and imitators. (by the way, The Company is a 900 page doorstop.) You are guaranteed to have withdrawal when you finish this book. The characters are so vividly drawn that it’s easy to get caught up in their lives, and the story will keep you turning pages to find out what happens next. At its heart, The Company is a search for a mole inside the CIA. He’s crafted a novel that reveals the early history of the CIA and uses real world events and historical characters to take the reader from Berlin, to the Bay of Pigs, and the fight in Afghanistan. Littell knows the inner workings of the Central Intelligence Agency and it shows. It’s one part mystery, one part drama, and one part history lesson. It is a sweeping historical drama set to the back drop of the Cold War. The Company by Littell is probably my favorite spy novel, and I don’t say that lightly. Grady has the habit of describing characters by their appearance and never giving them a name, which can be a bit laborious in the writing, but it’s a fantastic thrill ride.

It is a simple job-until a wet work team shows up and murders Condor’s entire office.

The titular character is a book worm who spends his days reading spy thrillers for the CIA to determine if top-secret information is being divulged in paperback pulps. Interestingly enough, Forsyth struggled to get this book published.Īlso made into a movie, James Grady’s book is an undeniable classic. Day of the Jackal is one of the definitive novels of the genre. It can be a little slow in the beginning, but the payoff is worth it. It is a story about an international assassin hired to kill de Gaulle, and the relentless French investigator trying to stop him. This classic spy novel has been made into at least two movies, but the book is still the best. He’s the father of the techno-thriller and this book is Clancy at his best. No one knew American hardware and systems like Clancy. A deep cover asset inside the Soviet Union has been arrested and it’s up to Jack Ryan to extract the agent before the Russian’s kill him. It is set during the arms race in the heart of the cold war and revolved around the star war missile defense system.

#Best spy novels of all time series

The third book in Tom Clancy’s perennially best-selling Jack Ryan series is arguably one of the best of the bunch. If you are looking for standout spy thrillers, here are 10 of the all time top spy novels The genre offers everything from the sublime to hackneyed knockoffs, and everything in between. There are gems, like John Le Carré’s Spy Who Came In From The Cold, to the pulpy schlock of Don Pendleton. If you enjoy spy fiction, there is plenty to choose from.