10 Best Spy Novels To Read

Spy novels serve as a great coping mechanism. You get to see life in the eyes of the narrator. A different perspective will always help to sort your thoughts. No amount of movies or media can fill the void that a good spy novel can leave. With a great range of selection, you can choose the type of novel you wish to get lost into. This article will give you the list of 10 best spy novels.

10 Best Spy Novels

1. Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

This is a nationalist novel. It centres around a lady who loses faith in her family. As the spy novel unfolds, she realizes that her family is not the same. Her husband, as well as children, are part of a conspiracy. The story involves the Russian CIA and intelligence as well. There has been a long age war between USA and Russia.

This spy novel is a product of this long-drawn war. The protagonists suspect an undercover Russian spy within the U.S. government. The agent named Vivian Miller is caught in the middle of this fiasco. Miller builds a system to identify these undercover agents. The technical term for these spies is sleeper agents. They live among the U.S. government and outflow confidential information.

While the spy novel takes vivid twists and turns, we see that Vivian has to compromise her morals. While she goes digging into one of the Russian suspects, she finds something that alters her life. In a computer, under the folder named ‘Friends’, she finds evidence that puts her in the bad light. Miller is in a fix because she does not recognize this activity. Miller now has to make the right choices for her country.

There is a lot of panic in the air. This clouds her judgment. Vivian is in a state where her family and the company is in danger. This is a great novel that tells you about the state of affairs between the two countries. If you are into international politics, this spy novel is the right one for you.

2. The Gray Man by Mark Greaney

This spy novel will change your perspective on heroes. Yet another spy novel that has its roots in war. It is based on a Court Gentry who was earlier a part of the CIA. That did not do well for him because he realized how corrupt the system is. He turned his anguish towards killing people on hire. He was well-known for this. His life was doing well, but little did he know it was going to take a drastic turn.

 He was sent to Iraq and Syria for a shootout mission. He took up the offer because he was good in the business. He got trapped in Syria and Iraq due to the local wars. Gentry faced major betrayal when he realized that his agency was against him. The troop sent to rescue him now collectively targeted him.

To his surprise, the local war was just a front for the plan to murder Gentry. Now Gentry is in a foreign land with no support. All the authorities are looking for this one man. As the spy novel progresses, Gentry goes on to show his exceptional survival skills. As a reader, you will be shocked about how quickly you change your opinion of him. This spy novel is the nest example of ‘don’t judge a spy novel by its cover’.

Even we were shocked at the character development made by Gentry. Mark Greaney has outdone himself with this novel. It’s a crazy classic story that involves betrayal, survival and rivalry.

3. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

One of our personal favourites. This spy novel has it all. It revolves around the life of Jason Bourne. Bourne has no past or future. His life chose to turn over a new leaf without consulting him. He remembers nothing except for his accident. His body was thrown into the Mediterranean Sea. Not before he was violated with multiple bullets.

The misery doesn’t end here. In fact, it is just the beginning. During surgery, doctors find a microfilm that was inserted in his hip. This is not it. Bourne further finds evidence of plastic surgery. Bourne’s brain rejects any memory he has of his life. If this does not engage you, we are not sure what will. Due to the lapse in memory, Bourne believes that he has a mental illness. The only thing he knows is the code “J.B.”. But Bourne decides to look deeper. He finds that the code “J.B.” now leads him to a Swiss Bank account. This account has a fortune like the Kardashians and a name: Jason Bourne.

Yet, he is not convinced that this could be his name. Once he is forced to accept this as his identity, he is framed for murder. Once again, his life is a huge jigsaw puzzle. There are layers of secrets and conspiracies to this puzzle. The final piece lies in the hands of a world-famous assassin: Carlos. Carlos wants Jason Bourne dead. The only help he has is from a woman who did not want to be with him. But why? This is why you need to read this spy novel.

4. The Expats by Chris Pavone

If you are into family drama with a good suspense plot, this one is for you. This is the story of Kate, a lonesome girl whose parents died when she was young. Due to psychological turmoil, she channelled her loneliness into working for the CIA. During her venture, she meets a man Dexter Moore. Dexter is not completely aware of Kate’s role at the CIA.

Kate is now happily married to Dexter Moore with whom she has two sons. Everything is going well for Kate until Dexter is offered new employment at a bank. Kate finds this very shady, but she brushes it away as being a part of her CIA-built nature. The couple is now an ex-pat. She realizes that her new life is very unsatisfactory. Sitting in fancy restaurants and managing children is not something she wants.

Meanwhile, she finds her husband’s new friends: Julia and Bill very suspicious. Once again, she brushed her CIA-nose aside. Things change when she notices that her husband has adopted a different behaviour now. She thinks that Julia and Bill have a hold on Dexter. Something feels horribly wrong, but Kate cannot spot what it is. Amidst the lies and changing personality, she knows her husband is up to something.

She decides to put her CIA intelligence to use. Kate is now secretly monitoring and supervising her husband’s whereabouts. The Expat has an extremely intriguing plot filled with espionage and deception. Read this brilliantly written novel to see if Kate can weave her life back together.

5. The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson

This novel initially faced a lot of backlash due to its political stance. Now it is one of the top spy stories in the world. John Wells is a U.S. secret agent. It has been two years that Wells secretly wages into the most dangerous organization. This is the Al-Qaeda. Wells collects the necessary information and puts his life on the line.

However, most of this was for nothing. Wells went through an existential crisis when he was unable to stop the 9/11 attacks on his hometown. He still chooses to save his identity and work closer to the organization. Meanwhile, he has converted to the Islamic faith. This was not a part of his plan. Wells did this out of respect for the religion. His farfetched goal was to propagate the true message of Islam to the organization.

One of the leaders finally gave Wells a chance to go back home. But this came a huge price. The Al-Qaeda planned yet another attack on the U.S. This time; Wells was in charge of the mission. This strike was higher in magnitude and intensity. Alex Bereson has carefully captured the storyline and each character sketch. The spy novel describes topics like terrorism and the psyche behind such activities.

While Bereson has given the optimal description of events, the spy novel is not offensive. It is gut-wrenching to read about the horrors that go on within various organizations. Bereson has done justice to all the victims of the same.

6. The Day of the Jackal by Fredrick Forsyth

This spy novel will always make its way in the top spy novels. The story entails one of the oldest conspiracies. It revolves around the planning and assassination of a powerful political leader. It might sound cliché but Forsyth has done a great job with the characters. There is suspense, thrill, action and a great dose of political mind games.

This spy novel has two main protagonists. One, the political figure who is to be assassinated. The second is the assassin. The assassin had a fool-proof plan that was meticulously carved out. Things got entangled when someone alerted the authorities. The spy novel will unravel many conspiracies that go on within the French parliament. There are changed identities, undercover detectives and a list of expats.

There are many people who want the political leader DeGaulle dead. But there is an equal number of people who want to protect him. No, they do not want to protect him out of goodwill. Each character has a distinct storyline with their agendas. No one is as innocent as they seem. You might think it is the cliché victim-murder story. You are in for a treat with this novel. The spy novel ends with an unexpected twist. This will have you reading the last chapter over and over. The adrenaline rush is real with this novel.

7. I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

This is another breathtaking novel. The details can get slightly graphic but the climax is worth the horror. The story starts off with a perfect murder with no evidence. A woman is killed and left in a cheap hotel. As the police arrive, they see the professionalism of the murderer. The woman’s face has been violated; her teeth were removed. That’s not all; her body was found in a tub of acid. The fingerprints have been removed as well. Detective Ben Bradley is in charge of the heinous crime.

Bradley takes help from his friend, Pilgrim, who is an ex-CIA officer. Pilgrim is attracted to the case because of the complications. Bradley and Pilgrim work together now. They find themselves falling prey to the murderer. As the spy novel unravels, you will see that this is not just another murder mystery. With each clue and evidence that comes up, there is an increased threat to the U.S. This novel is a murder adventure that goes across borders. Each character has a brilliant backstory that will make you feel for them.

The intelligent Pilgrim was brought up in a wealthy but unaffectionate household. The spy novel holds a lot of politics along with the main murder plot. Towards the end, there is a merger between the two. This novel is not for the weak-hearted. The sad part is that most of the gruesome details have been taken from previous criminal records in the U.S. Once you start reading the spy novel, you will be unable to stop.

8. Star of the North by D. B John

This is a spy-tale about North Korea. This line is enough to engage readers because North Korea is one of the most secretive countries. D. B John has outdone himself by bringing North Korea to us in a novel. The story focuses on three protagonists. Actually, read it for yourself and decide if they actually were ‘protagonists’. Jenna is a CIA agent. She is going through an emotional turmoil because of the abduction of her twin.

The second character is a strong-willed Mrs Moon. After struggling financially, she weasels her way into the Chinese black market. She procures illegal goods from an international source. Selling it in the Chinese black-market is a deathly risk, but Moon manages. The final character is Colonel Cho. He was a man of morals until he learned the true face of his blood-ties. All the three characters might seem different but yet so similar.

The spy novel has one factor that binds all three stories together. As the novel proceeds you will see how D. B. John has beautifully interwoven the lives together. The spy novel is a juxtaposition of fiction and facts. It is well-researched and breathtaking. The ending will have you bawling the most. It is a story about cross-border politics and testimonies about concentration camps. It does not have a typical ending that will put your heart at ease. It can be rather unsettling so be patient with it.

9. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

You cannot have a list of spy movies without James Bond. you can find some great spy movies on Netflix. Moreover, this spy novel is the first of the series. In Casino Royale, everything depends on a game of cards. Life and death decisions dangle on these cards. The entire story line revolves around the Casino. This is the most intriguing part. The Casino itself holds a lot of secrets. Bond wants to bring down a communist named Le Chiffre. The reasons behind this are best revealed by the spy novel.

Even a minor revelation here will be a massive spoiler. Initially, the reader is engaged in the description and the antics of good-ol’ James Bond. Soon he realizes that it is not just about the money. There is a lot more at stake than you think. The spy novel is a complete package. There are thrill and suspense. And we don’t only love Bond movies for the plot. The spy novel has engaging characters that you will love. There are multiple villains, witty strangers and mysterious characters. There are love affairs and deception.

And you know the best part about the novel: Bond. James Bond has one of the best character sketches in the literacy world. No amount of movies could do justice to the king of spies. If you have not read any James Bond novels before, this will be a good one to start with. Believe us; you will not want to stop after you begin.

10. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

This is hands down the best spy novel about a manhunt. The initial pages will have you puzzled about what is happening. It is a good spy thriller that will send chills down your spine. It has codes, secrets that should not be said aloud and a heinous crime. The story is about wanderer Richard Hannay. A spy is murdered in Hannay’s apartment.

This is the same spy who revealed highly classified information to Hannay. Information that could set two countries to war. There are two nooses around Hannay’s neck. Being the most obvious suspect of the murder, he has to prove himself innocent. In addition to this, he has to warn Germany about the trail of assassins.

He secretly flees to Scotland but realizes he is being set up for something larger. The entire story spirals around well-hidden secrets and a dirty game of politics. Will Hannay be able to escape this?

Final Thoughts

These are some of the best spy novels one could ask for. Most of these spy novels are from a trilogy or a series. Start reading one and experience yourself get lost in a world of fiction and the smell of old spy novels. If you are really interested in spy genre, you can check out some interesting Spy tv series and spy movies also.