Reddit mentions: The best espionage thriller books

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Ride From Two Directions August 6, 2012
By Randall Masteller
http://www.amazon.com/Stinger-Nick-Daley-Series-ebook/dp/B008SF6VF2/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1344883445&sr=1-4

The first book in the Nick Daley series is a captivating and thrilling excursion and it takes you to its conclusion via two separate routes. Taking place in the mid 80's when the Soviet Union was fighting in Afghanistan, that plot revolves around the pursuit of a notorious mujahadeen leader. Daley wants to find him to provide weapons on behalf of the CIA. A beautiful American female reporter who was once that leader's lover and friend at Berkeley seeks an interview with him. The book follows both parties as their paths meet, diverge, and meet again. One thing that keeps you glued to the pages is that both threads are extremely interesting. Daley must play politics with the Pakistanis and his own bosses while playing cloak and dagger with everyone else. The reporter must deal with the fact that she is an independently minded woman in a land that does not appreciate such a thing and usually refuses to acknowledge it. When you throw in a KGB agent ordered to eliminate the warrior and all who support him, you have that great ride I mentioned.

When I put the book down at the end, I had to say "Wow". Then I went in search of the next book.

Well done, Ms. Chambers. You have a fan in me and a promise to buy all the Nick Daley's you decide to write.

The Tourist/Milo Weaver series, by Olen Steinhauer -- It's a well regarded literary spy novel. Pretty much each of these books made the NY Times Best Books list when it came out.

The Faithful Spy/John Wells series, by Alex Berenson -- It's more pulp-ey, but still well done. An American spy who's also Islamic infiltrating Islamic terrorist outfits.

The Expats, by Chris Pavone -- This is less globe trotting, but inherently involves travel. It's about an American couple living abroad in Luxembourg. I can't reveal too much without spoilers, but ... I guess it's safe to say that spying is involved somehow. Otherwise, I wouldn't be recommending it here. Another one that made a lot of "best books of the year" lists, including the NY Times.

The George Smiley novels, by John Le Carre -- Genre defining classics. They're cold war espionage books. And they're wonderful. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, and Tinker Tailor are probably the most well regarded. But they're all great.

Code Name Echo is an assassin romance/thriller novel where the main character has poisoned lips and her partner has X-ray vision. She's sent to kill a target but ends up getting drawn into a larger conspiracy that involves a lot of romance, action, and unexpected twists.

Here's a short blurb:

> Eliza has known three things ever since she was a child. One: her partner August will be always there for her. Two: the Executive will retire her if she refuses to assassinate her targets. Three: anyone she kisses on the lips will die.

>Until now.


You can get it as an ebook for $2.99 or in Kindle Unlimited for free. Also, if you're a reviewer and would like a free copy in exchange for a review on Amazon, please send me a PM! Thanks :)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078JNGG34

Assuming his love of war books isn't limited to historically-set pieces, I've got a somewhat obscure author to suggest on his behalf: Eric L. Harry. He has three war novels, the first about a limited nuclear war between Russia and the US, and subsequent efforts to prevent an escalating conflict, called Arc Light. The second is about an anarchist revolution in Russia which leads to a power vacuum in Asia, resulting in a war between the US and China, called Protect and Defend. The last is about a dominant China essentially taking over the world and invading the United States, with enthralling subplots ranging from a plot to overthrow the president regarding his handling of the war and guerrilla tactics being used against the Chinese invaders in the Deep South. That one is appropriately titled Invasion.

I've read all of them and found each of them more enthralling than the last (in the order I listed). They are techno-thrillers, so there are occasional bits of very specific description, but I find this both interesting and informative and enjoy it in fiction if it is done right (see: Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child). And with those technical descriptions, Harry tends to avoid the overly dry descriptive style that Clancy can sometimes descend into, so I sometimes consider him a step up from good ol' Tom. Overall, I'd say Eric L. Harry is great at weaving together his understanding of political and military workings, quite original (and eerily prescient) plots, and very well-rounded characters into novels that really keep the pages turning. I'd say they are some of the best war novels I've read, and I've made my way through quite a few, thus I suggest them to you on behalf of your father.

When I was in middle school my mom bought the entire run of first edition AD&D books at a garage sale for $0.50 each. In addition to helping me make friends, develop my social skills, and hone my imagination, it also encouraged me to excel in reading, math, and science. These are the skills that got me through college and, eventually, into the video game and RPG industries. This led to publishing my first novel. Now I'm working on an RPG system of my own so that I can share this hobby I've loved for decades with my kids when they're old enough.

David Morrell's Brotherhood of the Rose and its sequel Fraternity of the Stone are both quite good.

Have you read any of Ken Follet's stuff? Eye of the Needle was great. Haven't read any of his other books, though.

I really enjoy the Rain Fall series by (white) author Barry Eisler. It's about a half Japanese-half white American Vietnam vet who becomes an insanely well prepared and badass hitman for the CIA. The author goes a little heavy handed on the political diatribes but it's a very entertaining read if you're into this sort of thing.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
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These are favorites of mine that I don't expect will make it on other lists:

The Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny

Blindsight by Peter Watts

The 1st Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson

• Lord Foul's Bane
  
  
• The Illearth War
  
  
• The Power That Preserves
  
  The 2nd Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson
  
  
• The Wounded Land
  
  
• The One Tree
  
  
• White Gold Wielder
  
  The Culture Saga by Iain M. Banks
  
  
• Consider Phlebas
  
  
• The Player Of Games
  
  
• Use Of Weapons
  
  
• Excession
  
  
• Look To Windward
  
  
• Matter
  
  
• Surface Detail
  
  The Takeshi Kovacs series by Richard K. Morgan
  
  
• Altered Carbon
  
  
• Broken Angels
  
  
• Woken Furies

This is the catalyst for the events in this fine piece of literature. Environmentalists+Basques+Arctic Nazis = best 2 Euros spent at a Belgian used book store ever.

Recently finished Let Bhutto Eat Grass, a spy thriller written by someone who used to be fairly active here. It's a fast-paced, enjoyable read with relatable characters and none of the reality-defying rubbish that you often see in this genre.

I'll ask the author if he wants to do an AMA.

not completely military, but Rickard K Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs books are really good reads.

Altered Carbon

Broken Angels


Woken Furies

and there's his non Takeshi book:

Thirteen

I found this to be a great read and has a female lead:

http://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Valhalla-Mike-Whicker/dp/0984416021

push through! they are all worth it!

if you do want alternatives though...

Mitch Rapp - Vince Flynn / Kyle Mills

Scot Havarth - Brad Thor

Covert-One - Robert Ludlum / Kyle Mills

Dewey Andreas - Ben Coes

Jerichio Quinn - Marc Cameron

Nick Heller - Joseph Finder

Pike Logan - Brad Taylor

Sam Dryden - Patrick Lee (still waiting for book 3)

Sigma Force - James Rollins

Vanessa Michael Munroe - Taylor Stevens

Will Robie - David Baldacci

Edit: Holy shit! Never expected to get gilded for book recomendations! Thanks!!

24: Deadline.

And according to Amazon.co.uk, it will be available same day as in the United States.

>And no, I cannot recall the name of the book now, it was an eBook and I have read hundreds of them in the last few years.

Looks like it might've been Red Moon by David S. Michaels.

You do know these are based on books right?

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This is most likely season 2


This is most likely season 3

Would it be Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett?

Uk link THE ALTER https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073YLFR4Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_86yMzbFEG6JVH

Broken Angels by Richard Morgan - Set in a future where humans download there minds and transmit them in stead of physically traveling across space due to never being able to break the speed of light with ships. Then download into new sometimes genetically engineered and enhanced bodies. A pilot hires Takeshi Kovacs to help retrieve an ancient alien artifact from the middle of a war zone.

I quoted from Altered Carbon. There are two other Kovacs novels: Broken Angels and Woken Furies.

https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Angels-Novel-Takeshi-Kovacs/dp/0345457714

https://www.amazon.com/Woken-Furies-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novel/dp/0345499778