Best Spy Fiction

List of the Month
September 2022 (see all)
Description
Cloak and dagger... secrets and spies... the world of espionage is full of thrilling tales. Our List of the Month this September is devoted to the Best Spy Fiction. Each participant may vote on ten titles. Please only downvote titles if they do not fit the theme.
2
5,968 members
205 reviews
½ 3.5
23 Members
janoorani24, cpg, paradoxosalpha, charl08, troutstreamman, Sensory, Cecrow, amanda4242, cbl_tn, questbird, celerydog, paulmdh, perennialreader, JohnChic, petralex, gypsysmom, noveltea, citizencane, DebbiMack, Patricia.Ralston, Deborama, BGNorris, RMSpencer
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: Seminal man-on-the-run thriller featuring German spies in England on the eve of the Great War (written as English war propaganda, I think).
5
5,955 members
156 reviews
3.9
6
5,460 members
406 reviews
½ 4.3
7
8,060 members
129 reviews
4
8
1,884 members
86 reviews
3.9
11 Members
janoorani24, parlerodermime, dewasus1, PitcherBooks, sturlington, Bookish59, AbigailAdams26, barefootsong, johnsconklin, AnaraGuard, SueHerbine,BGNorris
Explanations
SueHerbine: Love this book! Have re read it several times and it is always enjoyable.
9
8,704 members
206 reviews
4
10
7,148 members
287 reviews
½ 3.5
11
12,457 members
132 reviews
4
12
1,269 members
36 reviews
3.9
13
10,713 members
165 reviews
3.8
14
4,492 members
82 reviews
3.8
9 Members
Minthe, abbottthomas, cwc790411, questbird, paulmdh, JohnChic, Bookish59, MichaelLynnSr, cleed
Explanations
questbird: Espionage in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia
15
2,743 members
30 reviews
4.2
16
9,982 members
211 reviews
4
17
2,071 members
116 reviews
3.9
18
4,311 members
66 reviews
3.8
19
1,616 members
47 reviews
4.1
6 Members
karenb, viking2917, adamhindman, paradoxosalpha, lottpoet, djriave
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: The best espionage-with-supernatural-occultism story I've read, strongly rooted in 20th-century (and earlier) historical events.
20
5,668 members
95 reviews
½ 3.6
21
5,657 members
248 reviews
4.1
22
5,124 members
174 reviews
½ 3.4
6 Members
paradoxosalpha, Cecrow, petralex, Bookish59, cleed, KitKatOtaku
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: The novel's anti-hero is a forger in the regular employ of state intelligence agencies. A story about the 19th-century invention of modern anti-semitism.
23
593 members
32 reviews
4.1
24
7,871 members
192 reviews
3.8
25
2,983 members
133 reviews
½ 4.3
26
3,149 members
42 reviews
½ 3.7
27
2,841 members
131 reviews
½ 3.7
28
1,203 members
44 reviews
3.8
5 Members
janoorani24, dewasus1, PitcherBooks, AbigailAdams26, SueHerbine
Explanations
SueHerbine: Great book of my favorite character.
29
4,236 members
52 reviews
½ 3.6
30
919 members
24 reviews
3.9
5 Members
dewasus1, Bookish59, ahef1963, AbigailAdams26, SueHerbine
Explanations
SueHerbine: Dorothy Gillman never dissapoints and Mrs. Pollifax is a perfect spy!
31
1,147 members
39 reviews
½ 3.7
5 Members
paradoxosalpha, pitjrw, troutstreamman, amanda4242, noveltea
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: A brace of short stories that largely invented the genre, with tropes that have survived into today's spy fiction. Vivid with more than a little autobiographical sourcing.
32
5,985 members
108 reviews
4
4 Members
birder4106, peterveen, tommi180744, MichaelLynnSr
Explanations
tommi180744: Riveting central character (the assassin) & storyline reads as if fact not fiction.
33
1,517 members
44 reviews
½ 3.6
4 Members
Euryale, paradoxosalpha, abbottthomas, peterveen
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: An excellent example of the two features that attract me to this genre: epistemological ambiguity and moral compromise.
34
2,827 members
79 reviews
3.8
35
5,944 members
99 reviews
4
36
2,877 members
71 reviews
½ 3.6
4 Members
questbird, petralex, peterveen, Yuki-Onna
Explanations
questbird: Messing about with boats meets pre-WW1 espionage
37
907 members
19 reviews
½ 3.7
38
866 members
33 reviews
½ 3.7
39
5,081 members
180 reviews
3.9
4 Members
aprille, pitjrw, questbird, sturlington
Explanations
questbird: Triple agent in the Vietnam War and beyond.
40
3,906 members
58 reviews
½ 3.6
41
310 members
1 review
½ 4.3
42
3,391 members
58 reviews
3.8
43
2,312 members
76 reviews
3.9
4 Members
tardis, adamhindman, paradoxosalpha, PitcherBooks,
Explanations
paradoxosalpha: The James Bond legend serves as a basis for eldritch thaumaturgy in the context of 21st-century espionage.
44
386 members
25 reviews
3.9
45
1,065 members
36 reviews
3.9
46
3,152 members
57 reviews
½ 3.6
47
14,493 members
373 reviews
4
48
987 members
54 reviews
½ 3.6
49
199 members
2 reviews
4
50
976 members
21 reviews
3.9
51
3,811 members
55 reviews
3.8
52
1,159 members
26 reviews
3.9
53
954 members
26 reviews
3.8
54
91 members
14 reviews
4.2
55
564 members
16 reviews
3.9
56
3,336 members
67 reviews
½ 3.6
57
958 members
28 reviews
3.8
58
2,130 members
51 reviews
½ 3.4
59
5,076 members
162 reviews
½ 3.6
60
908 members
20 reviews
½ 3.7
61
1,856 members
36 reviews
½ 3.7
62
4,247 members
72 reviews
3.8
63
1,711 members
40 reviews
3.9
64
337 members
4 reviews
3.1
3 Members
hipdeep, Cecrow, ManWithAnAgenda,
Explanations
Cecrow: Nice! I forgot about this one. A few others in the series would qualify as well.
65
1,693 members
54 reviews
3.9
66
15 members
5 reviews
3.9
2 Members
Bookish59, Maryka
Explanations
Maryka: Based on the true story of Toto Koopman, arguably the first woman to spy for the British.
67
2,577 members
35 reviews
½ 3.5
68
1,512 members
79 reviews
3.9
69
154 members
9 reviews
4
2 Members
elkiedee, kwolfson
70
118 members
6 reviews
½ 3.5
2 Members
VivienneR, RBeffa
71
2,149 members
62 reviews
3.8
72
8,914 members
276 reviews
4.1
73
1,051 members
43 reviews
4.2
74
6,910 members
41 reviews
½ 3.7
2 Members
hipdeep, daisyfly,
75
3,394 members
213 reviews
4.1
2 Members
Morphidae, PitcherBooks,
Explanations
Morphidae: Urban fantasy espionage with a British dry wit. The book description also describes it well, "... for readers who like their espionage with a dollop of purple slime, or their supernatural thrillers with an agenda and a pencil skirt."
76
33,377 members
509 reviews
½ 4.3
77
1,394 members
70 reviews
½ 3.7
78
958 members
20 reviews
3.8
79
879 members
21 reviews
½ 3.3
80
1,408 members
56 reviews
½ 3.7
81
1,406 members
61 reviews
½ 3.7
2 Members
VivienneR, RBeffa
82
583 members
39 reviews
3.9
2 Members
karenb, barefootsong,
83
485 members
48 reviews
4
2 Members
terran, kwolfson
84
407 members
23 reviews
½ 3.5
2 Members
Aquila, karenb,
85
2,645 members
49 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
EMS_24
86
969 members
17 reviews
½ 3.3
87
517 members
13 reviews
3.2
88
345 members
10 reviews
½ 3.7
89
331 members
18 reviews
½ 3.5
Member
kleo
90
188 members
12 reviews
½ 3.4
91
31 members
1 review
½ 3.5
Member
ahef1963
92
17 members
1 review
93
3,266 members
45 reviews
½ 3.7
94
1,660 members
41 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
kleo
95
852 members
20 reviews
3.9
Member
pitjrw
96
347 members
4 reviews
½ 3.4
Member
paulmdh
97
926 members
11 reviews
½ 3.5
2 Members
Euryale, gypsysmom,
98
1,286 members
39 reviews
½ 3.4
Member
Sarielle
99
516 members
38 reviews
3.8
100
412 members
10 reviews
½ 3.7