Good spy novels- or thriller series

[SydneyBridge]

Just finished the Stella Rimmington 'Liz Carlyle' series which was excellent.
Now reading the latest Reacher and then have the latest M J Alridge.

Have also read most of Charles Cummings books
Loved Stephen Leather 'spider shepherd', all of the series- not really spy but sort of- about terrorists anyway... Read all the other Stephen Leather books as well

I started John Le Carre Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, with the aim of reading all his books, but it was so heavy going I could not get into it.

I like to read a series of books, to get into the characters, also like to read books set in the UK

Can anyone recommend any good spy/thriller novels and/or series of books, preferably set in the UK

thanks

[wombleh]

Just finished Agent Zigzag which was quite interesting, true story of a WW2 double agent put together from MI5 records.

Didn't realise Stella Rimmington had written novels, must have a look at those.

[SydneyBridge]

wombleh said:

Didn't realise Stella Rimmington had written novels, must have a look at those.

neither did I until recently, I really enjoyed them.

[Vocal Minority]

wombleh said:

Just finished Agent Zigzag which was quite interesting, true story of a WW2 double agent put together from MI5 records.

I clicked on this thread specifically to recommend this book - despite it being non-fiction, Ben McIntyre writes it with the pace of a thriller - and what this chap got up to is just crackers! Crammed rather more into 5 years than expect I will in my life!

[RizzoTheRat]

Robert Ludlum's Bourne Trilogy is well worth a read, and completely different from the films. Don't be tempted to read any of the other Bourne books that have since been written by other authors though. Ludlums other stuff is good too but the rest are standalone rather than series.

[Joey Ramone]

SydneyBridge said:

I started John Le Carre Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, with the aim of reading all his books, but it was so heavy going I could not get into it.

I like to read a series of books, to get into the characters, also like to read books set in the UK

Shame about Le Carre. You're denying yourself some of the finest espionage novels ever written. They are always difficult to get into over the first 30 or so pages, but after that they really draw you in. Try his 'The Spy that came in from the cold'. His first book, and very readable. Great plot as well.

If you like series of books, you can do no worse that the Arkady Renko series by Martin Cruz-Smith. Start with 'Gorky Park', and follow up with 'Polar Star' and 'Red Square'. Renko is a Russian detective. Phenomenal character, basically a younger Russian George Smiley. There's a whole series of about 10-15 Renko books, but those are the ones to start with.

Like you, my brother didn't like le Carre, but he loved the Renko novels.

[downthepub]

Len Deighton is probably worth a look. I personally didn't get on with the Ipcress File and the earlier stuff, but loved the Bernard Samson series. The triad of three novels starts with Berlin Game; all very 80s and 90s Cold War spy stuff. I'm itching to re-read them.

[Huff]

Henry Porter's books are well-written and a good read.

+1 to Gorky park'; it's a great novel; I've enjoyed many others by Martin Cruz-smith, but none hit the spot quite like the first.

[Smithers Jones]

Currently reading the Matthew Dunn series, pretty entertaining so far...

http://www.matthewdunnbooks.com/

[footnote]

The Nick Belsey series by Oliver Harris

London Detective - very now/modern - only two so far The Hollow Man and Deep Shelter great fast reads

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Hollow-Man-Nick-Belsey...

[T1547]

Most Frederick Forsyth novels, but particularly The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File and The Fourth Protocol (personally in that order).

Brilliantly written thrillers.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Try giving Alan Furst a go.

[W99KSY]

I second the Frederick Forsyth novels. Another author i've enjoyed is Nelson DeMille, especially the first few John Corey books

[944fan]

Joey Ramone said:

Shame about Le Carre. You're denying yourself some of the finest espionage novels ever written. They are always difficult to get into over the first 30 or so pages, but after that they really draw you in. Try his 'The Spy that came in from the cold'. His first book, and very readable. Great plot as well.

I agree. TTSS is one of my favorite books. If you struggle to get into that though you will hate the next in the Carla trilogy, The Honorable Schoolboy. Very slow.

Although The Spy Who Came in from the cold is not his first book, more his first proper spy book. His first two A Murder of Quality and Call for Dead are more detective thrillers and Smiley is more of a policeman. Spy who came in from the cold is a very good book though.

OP - They are a bit "lightweight" but have you read the Flemming novels? OHMSS is a good read as is From Russia with Love.

[TorqueDirty]

SydneyBridge said:

I started John Le Carre Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, with the aim of reading all his books, but it was so heavy going I could not get into it.

Huge Le Carre fan here. Might I suggest Little Drummer Girl? Not set in the UK (much) but it is markedly different from the Carla Trilogy and I loved it.

As others have said, once you have got in to one of his books they are spell-binding.

Oh and if you do decide to read all of his books I suggest you miss out The Naïve and Sentimental Lover. It is not a spy novel and is very dated now.