The best spy thriller books

Why am I passionate about this?

I cut my teeth loving the intrigue of the spy world. Days of old TV shows like Man from U.N.C.L.E. (the original not the remake). All the James Bond movies—old and new. As a child, I had a Man from U.N.C.L.E. spy kit, equipped with a miniature camera and all. It seemed only fitting that when I started writing, I stayed with what I loved. The espionage thriller genre has evolved over time to a more sophisticated, action-packed storyline…which is right up my alley.


I wrote...

The Savannah Project

By Chuck Barrett,

Book cover of The Savannah Project

What is my book about?

The truth can be a dangerous thing. 

Jake Pendleton, aided by an unlikely partner – an air traffic controller named Gregg Kaplan – must untangle the webs of deceit in order to find a vicious killer. Nothing is as it seems. Nothing is sacred. Nobody is safe.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Red Storm Rising

Chuck Barrett Why did I love this book?

As a child I was fascinated with everything espionage. I read many authors from Ian Fleming to Stephen King, but when I read my first Tom Clancy novel, I was hooked. This was my genre! I read and read and ultimately, when I decided to write my first novel, this was the only choice. Red Strom Rising was the inauguration of that dream. It planted that seed. It had it all—espionage, intrigue, action, adventure, suspense—all key ingredients for the thriller genre.

By Tom Clancy,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Red Storm Rising as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Tom Clancy's second classic No 1 bestselling thriller - a chillingly authentic vision of modern war - now reissued in a new cover.

Three Muslim terrorists who destroyed the Soviet Union's largest petrochemical plant thought they were striking a blow for freedom. What they had done, unknowingly, was fire the first shots in World War III.

Desperately short of oil, the Kremlin hawks see only one way of solving their problem: seize supplies in the Persian Gulf. To do that, they must first neutralise NATO's forces and eliminate their response - and so they develop Red Storm, a dazzling master…


Book cover of The Camel Club

Chuck Barrett Why did I love this book?

The Camel Club took me away from the massive technical details that Clancy wrote to a more intimate spy character…and his cadre of retired spies. Whereas Clancy's writings were broader in scope, Baldacci narrowed the field and presented characterization at a closer level, one the reader can readily relate to. As I discovered David Baldacci's books, I fell in love with his style of writing. His novels have probably had the greatest influence on my writings above any other author.

By David Baldacci,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Camel Club as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

After witnessing a shocking murder, four conspiracy theorists team up with a Secret Service agent to uncover the government corruption that threatens to cause an international terrorism crisis in this New York Times bestselling thriller.

Welcome to THE CAMEL CLUB.

Existing at the fringes of Washington, D.C., the Club consists of four eccentric members. Led by a mysterious man known as "Oliver Stone," they study conspiracy theories, current events, and the machinations of government to discover the "truth" behind the country's actions. Their efforts bear little fruit--until the group witnesses a shocking murder...and becomes embroiled in an astounding, far-reaching conspiracy.…


Book cover of The Hard Way

Chuck Barrett Why did I love this book?

I met Lee Child within a few weeks of this book being released. I had never read anything by Child and honestly, hadn't even heard of him prior to that meeting. I bought his book, got it autographed, and read it. His style was different from any other author I had read to that point. I liked his rogue character, Jack Reacher, and the way Child put that character into more and more peril as the story progressed. Having said all that, I had a character in my writing that, in many ways, resembled Reacher. Lee child's writing had a major influence in the crafting of my Gregg Kaplan character and series.

By Lee Child,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Hard Way as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Jack Reacher is alone, the way he likes it.

He watches a man cross a New York street and drive away in a Mercedes. The car contains $1 million of ransom money. Reacher's job is to make sure it all turns out right - money paid, family safely returned.

But Reacher is in the middle of a nasty little war where nothing is simple.

What started on a busy New York street explodes three thousand miles away, in the sleepy English countryside.

Reacher's going to have to do this one the hard way.

_________

Although the Jack Reacher novels can…


Book cover of Takedown

Chuck Barrett Why did I love this book?

As a writer, it is fun to read several authors in my genre and take note of their different styles of writing. Brad Thor's novels, especially his earlier ones, were a breath of fresh air. Much like Thor's personality, they're excitable, spirited stories that move at a blistering pace…another must ingredient for the thriller genre. His storylines were as present-day as picking up the newspaper and reading the headlines. Never a dull moment with lots of wicked twists.

By Brad Thor,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Takedown as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

America has just unwittingly drawn the world's deadliest enemy to its doorstep.

After years without a terrorist attack on American soil, one group has picked the 4th July weekend to pull out all the stops. In a perfectly executed attack, all the bridges and tunnels leading into and out of Manhattan are destroyed just as thousands of commuters begin their holiday exodus. With domestic efforts focused on search and rescue, a deadly team of highly-trained foreign soldiers methodically makes its way through the city with the sole objective of locating one of their own - a man so powerful that…


Book cover of The Templar Legacy

Chuck Barrett Why did I love this book?

I owe a lot to Steve Berry. He was local to the area I lived in when I started writing. I was in the same critique group, albeit at a different time, as Berry. I had met him several times and listened to his stories of how he got started writing. Around the time I finished my first manuscript, post-editing, Berry made The New York Times bestseller list. When he was doing a local book signing, I approached him, manuscript in hand, and asked if he'd be kind enough to read it and tell me what he thought of it. Certainly, I valued his opinion and expertise. Not only did he return a good review, he also blurbed my first novel—The Savannah Project. About the book: read it! Exciting, full of wonderful twists, controversial. 

By Steve Berry,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Templar Legacy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first explosive thriller in the Cotton Malone series from a New York Times megaselling author.

The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power, until the Inquisition destroyed them and their riches were lost forever.

But some people don't believe in 'forever'.

Ex-agent Cotton Malone used to work for Stephanie Nelle in the US Justice Department. Now Nelle wants his help to crack a series of puzzles that have confounded experts for centuries - and could lead to the legendary lost treasure of the Knights Templar.

But someone else is on the trail - someone…


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Conditions are Different After Dark

By Owen W. Knight,

Book cover of Conditions are Different After Dark

Owen W. Knight Author Of The Visitors

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Visionary Compassionate Imaginative Conspiracist Apophenia (or apophenic)

Owen's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

In 1662, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. Awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.

Over four centuries later, Faith and James move to the country to start a new life and a family. They discover their village lives under the curse uttered by the hanged man. Could their arrival be connected? They fear their choice of new home is no coincidence. Unexplained events hint at threats or warnings to leave. They become convinced the village remains cursed despite their friends’ denials. Who can they trust, and who are potential enemies?

Conditions are Different After Dark

By Owen W. Knight,

What is this book about?

In 1660, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. While awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.
Over four centuries later, Faith and James move to the country to start a new life and a family. They learn that their village lives under the curse uttered by the hanged man. Could their arrival be connected?
Faith and James fear that their choice of a new home is…


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