However, A Coffin for Dimitrios can be best seen as an historical novel that depicts Europe between the two World Wars, and does so masterfully. But it would be a mistake to pigeonhole what may be Eric Ambler’s most accomplished work as merely an espionage novel, as it features few of the familiar devices of that genre-which may be why it’s so highly regarded. Image: A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler (1939) 309 pages ★★★★★ – Still a lively read among classic spy novelsįirst published in 1939, A Coffin for Dimitrios is widely regarded as one of the best spy novels ever written.
15 top espionage novels reviewed here This image bears little resemblance to the practice of espionage today, but it makes for compelling fiction. There may well be tens of thousands of spy novels in print, and no one-nor even any group of people-could possibly claim to identify the very best among all those stories. There are some exceptions for titles I read before I began reviewing books, others for those I rated below ★★★★☆, and still others that I simply haven’t read yet.Ī word of caution: I do not pretend that these 15 books are the best espionage novels ever written-only that they’re the best ones I’ve read and reviewed on this site.
#Best espionage books series#
And for the most part you’ll find all the novels in each series listed below. There, you’ll find multiple titles by a number of the authors featured here: Alex Berenson, Charles Cumming, Alan Furst, Mick Herron, Joseph Kanon, John le Carré, Jason Matthews, Stella Rimington, Ross Thomas, Paul Vidich, and Edward Wilson.Īs you’ll see below, a great many of the books listed here are in series. Those titles, too, are listed in alphabetical order by the authors’ last names.
#Best espionage books full#
An abundance of runners-upīelow the list of my 15 favorites, you’ll find reviews of the full list of the best espionage novels I’ve reviewed with ratings of at least ★★★★☆. I’ve listed them in alphabetical order by the authors’ last names. And I gave every one of these 15 titles a score of ★★★★★ on its review. Though my preliminary list included multiple titles by several of the authors included here, I’ve arbitrarily limited myself to a single title from every writer.
My 15 favorites are listed immediately below. Over the past decade, I’ve read and reviewed more than 150 espionage novels (not counting a great many more I never finished).
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