If you enjoy spy fiction, there is plenty to choose from. There are gems, like John Le Carré’s Spy Who Came In From The Cold, to the pulpy schlock of Don Pendleton. The genre offers everything from the sublime to hackneyed knockoffs, and everything in between. If you are looking for standout spy thrillers, here are 10 of the all time top spy novels;

 

Cardinal of the Kremlin

 

The third book in Tom Clancy’s perennially best-selling Jack Ryan series is arguably one of the best of the bunch. It is set during the arms race in the heart of the cold war and revolved around the star war missile defense system. 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. No one knew American hardware and systems like Clancy. He’s the father of the techno-thriller and this book is Clancy at his best.

 

Day of the Jackal

 

This classic spy novel has been made into at least two movies, but the book is still the best. It is a story about an international assassin hired to kill de Gaulle, and the relentless French investigator trying to stop him. It can be a little slow in the beginning, but the payoff is worth it. Day of the Jackal is one of the definitive novels of the genre. Every serious fan should read it. Interestingly enough, Forsyth struggled to get this book published.

 

Six Days of the Condor

 

Also made into a movie, James Grady’s book is an undeniable classic. 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. It is a simple job—until a wet work team shows up and murders Condor’s entire office. 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.

 

The Company

 

The Company by Littell is probably my favorite spy novel, and I don’t say that lightly. It is a sweeping historical drama set to the back drop of the Cold War. It’s one part mystery, one part drama, and one part history lesson. Littell knows the inner workings of the Central Intelligence Agency and it shows. 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. At its heart, The Company is a search for a mole inside the CIA. 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. You are guaranteed to have withdrawal when you finish this book. (by the way, The Company is a 900 page doorstop.)

 

The Bourne Identity

 

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. 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. 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. Robert Ludlum wrote such richly detailed worlds that some insiders maintained he had been employed by the CIA before turning to writing. To the day he died, Ludlum denied ever having worked for American Intelligence. But then… a spy would.

 

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

 

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. 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. His work is heavy with hopeless existentialist philosophy, but still worth the read.

 

Charm School

 

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. It is a finely crafted novel and probably one of DeMille’s better works. The book gets off to a good start. It definitely bogs down some in the middle, but in the end, it’s worth the time and effort.

 

Berlin Game

 

Len Deighton is one of those hit-or-miss authors far as I’m concerned. Some of his books really hook me and others put me right to sleep. A few of his novels have been so convoluted and hackneyed, that I can only roll my eyes and wonder what Len was thinking when he wrote them. Still others, notably Berlin Game, have kept me glued to my seat turning pages as fast as I can. It’s a twisted tale of cross and double cross about an East German defector with information about a mole that definitely deserves a top spot among the best spy novels ever written.

 

Absolute Power

 

Baldacci spun a fascinating tale of political corruption full of morally ambiguous characters in Absolute Power. A cat burglar witnesses the President murder a girl and now he’s on the run, perused by secret service agents. While Absolute Power is not exactly a spy thriller, per se, it definitely lands firmly in the realm of political thriller with espionage overtones and it’s a cracking good read. Baldacci’s prose can be a bit clunky but his story telling will keep you turning pages late into the night, and you’ll fall in love with the battered old thief at the center of the action.

 

Gorky Park

 

Smith’s Gorky Park is a well researched police procedural set in Moscow. Three bodies are found in the titular park and the Russian investigator in charge of the case learns that one of the bodies is an unidentified American. Soon the KGB is trying to stop detective Renko from digging too deep. It’s a fantastic read from a master of suspense. Smith’s book has been accused by some of plodding along in places, while others have claimed his characters are wooden and stiff. People who know Russia find this to be a believable portrait of Soviet life in Russia and it builds to a thrilling climax.

 

If you are a fan of fast paced espionage thrillers, you might also enjoy the Jake Noble Series! You can pick up the first book at Amazon FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

 

Noble Man

 

Pick up a copy today!

Did I miss your favorite spy thriller? Let me know in the comment section below. I’d love to hear your take on the 10 all time best spy novels.