70 books like Lion of Babylon

By Davis Bunn,

Here are 70 books that Lion of Babylon fans have personally recommended if you like Lion of Babylon. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Twelfth Imam

Luana Ehrlich Author Of One Night in Tehran: A Titus Ray Thriller

From my list on international espionage intertwined with faith.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was eleven years old when I read my first adult spy novel. I was only able to get my hands on it after receiving permission from my father, who brought home three to four espionage books from the library every week. By the time I was halfway through the book, I was hooked on the genre forever. Since faith plays an important role in my life, I’m always delighted to discover authors whose books reflect a strong belief system yet who can tell a compelling, action-packed adventure without sounding preachy.

Luana's book list on international espionage intertwined with faith

Luana Ehrlich Why did Luana love this book?

I love thrillers that make me think, keep me on the edge of my seat, and put me in the very center of the action. This book did all of these and more.

This book is the first book in a three-book series by an author who is well-qualified to write about the Middle East and the threat Iran poses to Israel. Rosenberg speaks regularly with both Israeli and American government officials, and one of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the knowledge I gained about Iran’s nuclear capabilities, information that I couldn’t read in a newspaper. In addition, his protagonist is a man of faith, which I found very inspiring. 

By Joel C. Rosenberg,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Book 1 in the best-selling 3-book espionage and spy thriller series that has sold 700,000 copies!

“Rosenberg is the go-to novelist for Christian political fiction.”
―Publisher’s Weekly

The Twelfth Imam is the first novel of a new political thriller series by Joel C. Rosenberg, the New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning Last Jihad series. Rosenberg takes you inside a world few will ever enter. Hold on to your seat―the twists and turns never stop coming.

Tensions are rising in the Middle East. Iran’s president vows to annihilate the United States and Israel. Israel’s prime minister says someone must…


Book cover of Operation Joktan

Luana Ehrlich Author Of One Night in Tehran: A Titus Ray Thriller

From my list on international espionage intertwined with faith.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was eleven years old when I read my first adult spy novel. I was only able to get my hands on it after receiving permission from my father, who brought home three to four espionage books from the library every week. By the time I was halfway through the book, I was hooked on the genre forever. Since faith plays an important role in my life, I’m always delighted to discover authors whose books reflect a strong belief system yet who can tell a compelling, action-packed adventure without sounding preachy.

Luana's book list on international espionage intertwined with faith

Luana Ehrlich Why did Luana love this book?

I love thrillers with in-depth character development and realistic situations involving clandestine operations, and this book hits both of those marks.

This is the first book in a three-book series featuring the Mossad, the Israeli foreign intelligence service. I’ve always been fascinated by books that give me a behind-the-scenes look at how an intel agency operates and the tech gadgets that make the business of spying possible, and these authors describe both extremely well while giving me insights into how a Messianic Jew lives out his faith. 

By Amir Tsarfati, Steve Yohn,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A USA Today and Publishers Weekly Bestseller
#1 Fiction (ECPA) Christian Bestseller

"It was the perfect day-until the gunfire."

Nir Tavor is an Israeli secret service operative turned talented Mossad agent.

Nicole le Roux is a model with a hidden skill.

A terrorist attack brings them together, and then work forces them apart-until they're unexpectedly called back into each other's lives.

But there's no time for romance. As violent radicals threaten chaos across the Middle East, the two must work together to stop these extremists, pooling Nicole's knack for technology and Nir's adeptness with on-the-ground missions. Each heart-racing step of…


Book cover of Shadow Operative

Luana Ehrlich Author Of One Night in Tehran: A Titus Ray Thriller

From my list on international espionage intertwined with faith.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was eleven years old when I read my first adult spy novel. I was only able to get my hands on it after receiving permission from my father, who brought home three to four espionage books from the library every week. By the time I was halfway through the book, I was hooked on the genre forever. Since faith plays an important role in my life, I’m always delighted to discover authors whose books reflect a strong belief system yet who can tell a compelling, action-packed adventure without sounding preachy.

Luana's book list on international espionage intertwined with faith

Luana Ehrlich Why did Luana love this book?

I love thrillers with a bit of romance mixed in with them, although I don’t want the romantic elements to overwhelm the story, and this book’s focus is definitely on the story’s intense action, with the romance only adding depth to the characters.

This book is the first book in the Shadow Agency series and introduces the protagonist, an agency operative, and a female employee of a tech firm who could possibly be a murderer but who ultimately helps the operative find the real killer by relying on her faith in God. While the plot sounds predictable, it wasn’t, which is something I really enjoy in a thriller.

What keeps me reading past midnight is an unanticipated twist—this novel had several of those—along with another one of my favorites, an unpredictable ending. 

By Christy Barritt,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

She woke with blood on her hands, a dead man beside her, and no memory of how she got there . . .

As CEO of a successful technology firm, Nia Anderson routinely makes split-second decisions. But now, every choice she makes could lead to life in prison or to her own untimely death. She knows freedom lies in finding the real killer. But the evidence is stacked against her, and just when Nia thinks things can’t get any worse, everything spins even more out of control.

Trained by the military in a top-secret program and now an operative for…


Book cover of The Warrior Spy

Luana Ehrlich Author Of One Night in Tehran: A Titus Ray Thriller

From my list on international espionage intertwined with faith.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was eleven years old when I read my first adult spy novel. I was only able to get my hands on it after receiving permission from my father, who brought home three to four espionage books from the library every week. By the time I was halfway through the book, I was hooked on the genre forever. Since faith plays an important role in my life, I’m always delighted to discover authors whose books reflect a strong belief system yet who can tell a compelling, action-packed adventure without sounding preachy.

Luana's book list on international espionage intertwined with faith

Luana Ehrlich Why did Luana love this book?

I love thrillers that tell the story of a group of operatives who must work together under the leadership of a strong central figure in order to accomplish a difficult mission, and from the opening chapter, I knew this novel would be exactly that.

This is the first book in the Warrior Spy Thriller Series. While I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the hero of the story, Delta Force operator, Reagan Rainey, who is temporarily assigned to a CIA entity, I was also fascinated by the other members of his special ops team, not only because of their unique personalities, but also by the way Rainey was able to share his faith with them without sounding preachy and to remind me of how grateful I am to live in America.

By Dony Jay,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The CIA has a problem. Its best clandestine operatives keep turning up dead. And now, as if things couldn't get any worse, a Defense Department scientist, specializing in high-energy lasers, has gone missing. America needs answers. And fast. Delta Force operator Reagan Rainey, on temporary duty assignment with a secret CIA entity known as Directorate Twelve, is tasked to do just that--get answers. But to do so, he not only has to outwit and outmaneuver a dangerous cabal of foreign actors believed to be at the center of it all, he must contend with a deadly assassin who is bent…


Book cover of The Last Tourist

Mark Pawlosky Author Of Friendly Fire

From my list on lovers of gripping suspense and espionage.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a lifelong journalist, I’ve covered and have been drawn to tales of intrigue, con men, massive financial scams, domestic terrorists and international plots, and the investigators and authorities who pursue them.

Mark's book list on lovers of gripping suspense and espionage

Mark Pawlosky Why did Mark love this book?

Olen Steinhauer brings all his writing and storytelling talents to bear in The Last Tourist as his protagonist Milo Weaver, living off the grid in the Western Sahara, is tracked down by a young CIA analyst who comes to question and warn him about a new breed of assassin on the loose.

Lovers of Le Carré’s George Smiley will find kinship with Milo Weaver. 

By Olen Steinhauer,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

New York Times bestselling author Olen Steinhauer brings back Milo Weaver in The Last Tourist.

In Olen Steinhauer’s bestseller An American Spy, reluctant CIA agent Milo Weaver thought he had finally put “Tourists”―CIA-trained assassins―to bed.

A decade later, Milo is hiding out in Western Sahara when a young CIA analyst arrives to question him about a series of suspicious deaths and terrorist chatter linked to him.

Their conversation is soon interrupted by a new breed of Tourists intent on killing them both, forcing them to run.

As he tells his story, Milo is joined by colleagues and enemies from his…


Book cover of Box 88

Aly Monroe Author Of The Maze of Cadiz

From my list on how people become spies.

Why am I passionate about this?

Looking at photographs after my father died, when still living in Spain, I reflected on what life had been like for young men of the WWII generation. This sparked the start of my Peter Cotton series. Living abroad for so long, having more than one language and culture, gives people dual perspective, a shifting identity, which is something that fascinates me—and makes Cotton ideal prey for recruiting as an intelligence agent. I also wanted to explore the complex factors in the shifting allegiances after WW2, when your allies were often your worst enemy. All these are themes that recur in the books chosen here.

Aly's book list on how people become spies

Aly Monroe Why did Aly love this book?

BOX 88 is a thoroughly modern-day spy story set in two timeframes. Lachlan (‘Lockie’) Kite, the protagonist, is poles apart from Lawton’s Joe Wilderness. An apparently chance meeting at the funeral of an old school friend leads him to be abducted. Flashback 30 years, and we see how he was recruited to a secret cell of intelligence operatives (Box 88) when barely out of his upper-class boarding school. He is trained and asked to undergo a mission while spending the summer at the house of a school friend in France. While there, he falls heavily in love, and somehow manages to carry out his mission—albeit with devastating consequences. This portrayal of an intelligent young man growing up feels real and is beautifully handled. The start of a great series.

By Charles Cumming,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Box 88 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of Parade's Most Anticipated Books of 2022!


A secret agent comes of age—and reckons with the legacy of his first mission—in this thriller by New York Times-bestseller Charles Cumming, “the best of the new generation of British spy writers” (The Observer)


Lachlan Kite is a member of BOX 88, an elite transatlantic black ops outfit so covert that not even MI6 and the CIA are certain of its existence — but even the best spy can’t anticipate every potential threat in a world where dangerous actors lurk around every corner. At the funeral of his childhood best friend, Lachlan…


Book cover of Short Range

Wolfric Styler Author Of Troubled Zen

From my list on action series with characters in the military.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been in various militaries for over 17 years and am proud of my service. Troubled Zen is my first foray into the publishing world and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. I enjoy the ex-military hero-style action/ thriller novels because I find that I can understand their mindset and relate well with their characters. I found most were male, ex-special forces so I chose a female Explosive Ordnance Disposal member as I believe that there are plenty of aspects to investigate that can show how a woman can be equally tough, stubborn, ingenious, brave, and determined.

Wolfric's book list on action series with characters in the military

Wolfric Styler Why did Wolfric love this book?

My preference is for authors to develop a series for their characters in order for me to fully embrace the depth of the character, if the character is worth developing. I enjoy picking up a novel in which I am familiar with the character as it makes it easier for me to relate to them.

The Spider Shepherd series is essential reading for me, and in particular this book. A book or two previously showed that Shepherd had finally healed enough, from his wife’s death, to find a new relationship. As a non-rule breaker, Shepherd shows that he will do what it takes to protect his family. The ending truly shocked me, leaving me chomping at the bit for the next one.

By Stephen Leather,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The explosive new thriller in the Spider Shepherd series

Dan 'Spider' Shepherd's career path - soldier, cop, MI5 officer - has always put a strain on his family. So he is far from happy to learn that MI5 is using teenagers as informants. Parents are being kept in the dark and Shepherd fears that the children are being exploited.

As an undercover specialist, Shepherd is tasked with protecting a 15-year-old schoolboy who is being used to gather evidence against violent drug dealers and a right-wing terrorist group.

But when the boy's life is threatened, Shepherd has no choice but to…


Book cover of Forbidden City

Alysa Wishingrad Author Of The Verdigris Pawn

From my list on for chess lovers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love games; board games, card games, head games*; any kind of situation in which employing strategy is the only way forward. And yet, I’m not a big game player—aside from word games. I’m also endlessly fascinated by the mechanisms of power and how societies arrange themselves. The marriage between writing and understanding politics (in the traditional, not the partisan sense) is my true north. Writing a book in which a chess-like game provides the foundation felt inevitable for me, for what game better explores the dynamics of power and strategy? *I don’t play head games, but I do find manipulation fascinating fodder for writing.

Alysa's book list on for chess lovers

Alysa Wishingrad Why did Alysa love this book?

Let me begin by saying that if you haven’t yet read the first two books in the City Spies series, please get on it. Packed with adventure, fantastic characters, and brilliant plots twists, the entire series is a complete treat. As with the two previous installments, the book follows a diverse group of international kids who’ve been brought together to keep the world safe from the nefarious Umbra, a secret organization bent on world domination. The plot of this adventure revolves around team member, Paris, when he’s sent undercover to an international chess tournament to keep tabs on the son of a North Korean nuclear physicist. Like a well-played game of chess, the story relies on clever tactics, keen insights into your opponent, and good old-fashioned strategy.

By James Ponti,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Forbidden City as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

In this third “thrilling” (Kirkus Reviews) installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the young group of spies help a fellow agent in another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls.

After taking down a mole within their organization, the City Spies are ready for their next mission—once again using their unique skills and ability to infiltrate places adults can’t. The sinister Umbra has their sights set on recruiting a North Korean nuclear physicist by any means necessary, and the City Spies plan to keep…


Book cover of Under and Alone: The True Story of the Undercover Agent Who Infiltrated America's Most Violent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang

Gary Taylor Author Of Luggage by Kroger: A True Crime Memoir

From my list on true crime memoirs written by actual participants in the story.

Why am I passionate about this?

During my 45-year career as a newspaper and magazine journalist, I covered a wide range of events on a daily basis. As a police and courts reporter for two daily newspapers, I spent many hours researching and writing about crime and legal affairs. As a reader, I’ve enjoyed true crime. As the target of a true-crime myself in 1980, however, I became more fascinated with the sub-genre of the true-crime memoir in which a participant in a true-crime shares insider details of the story without seeking pity or glorification from the reader through objectivity and self-deprecating humor. It’s a fine line. When an author manages to walk it, however, the result proves inspirational.

Gary's book list on true crime memoirs written by actual participants in the story

Gary Taylor Why did Gary love this book?

Vietnam vet William Queen was capping a 20-year law enforcement career in 1998 when the ATF agent wangled an invitation to join the San Fernando Valley chapter of the notorious Mongols motorcycle club under the code name Billy St. John. He spent the next 28 months rising undercover to the rank of treasurer and vice president, allowing him to provide documents for the arrest and indictment of 54 members by 700 officers in four different states. Queen’s 2005 bestselling true crime memoir of his Mongols days ranges from bone-chilling to side-splitting for terror and laughs. Although Mel Gibson reportedly bought the screen rights, a movie has yet to appear.

By William Queen,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

When veteran law-enforcement officer and lifelong motorcycle lover William Queen penetrated the San Fernando chapter of the notorious Mongols, he was at the mercy of psychopaths who sought to have him prove his fealty by any means necessary, from selling and doing drugs to arms trafficking, driving getaway cars and, in one shocking instance, stitching up the face of a Mongol 'ol' lady' after a brutal beating at the hands of her boyfriend.

Yet despite the constant criminality of the gang, Queen came to see the genuine camaraderie they shared. When his lengthy undercover work totally isolated Queen from his…


Book cover of Billy Summers

Max China Author Of The Night of The Mosquito

From my list on serial killers to stay with you long after you’ve read them.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was fascinated by American True Crime magazines from an early age. I used to buy them with my pocket money from a second-hand bookstore near my home. I graduated to reading novels by the age of ten, sneaking my father’s book collection into my bedroom one at a time to read after lights out. His books covered everything from The Carpetbaggers by Harold Robbins to The Devil Rides Out by Dennis Wheatley. By seventeen, I promised myself I’d write a novel one day. Most of my books are crime themed with a supernatural flavour. My debut, The Sister was published in 2013 and since then I’ve completed three more novels and several short stories.

Max's book list on serial killers to stay with you long after you’ve read them

Max China Why did Max love this book?

This is a story about a contract killer who only kills bad people and what is an assassin if not a paid serial killer? This is not Stephen King’s traditional fayre, but it is unmistakably a Stephen King story. Essentially, the book explores Summer’s past, waiting for his next hit and his life after the job is complete. King effortlessly takes us into a world of war, injustice, revenge, and love, all the while unravelling the complexities that comprise Billy Summers. It really was one of those books I didn’t want to end. I will definitely explore further crime-themed books by Stephen King.

By Stephen King,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Billy Summers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Master storyteller Stephen King, whose “restless imagination is a power that cannot be contained” (The New York Times Book Review), presents an unforgettable and relentless #1 New York Times bestseller about a good guy in a bad job.

Chances are, if you’re a target of Billy Summers, two immutable truths apply: You’ll never even know what hit you, and you’re really getting what you deserve. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business—but he’ll do the job only if the assignment is a truly bad person. But now, time is catching up with him, and Billy wants…


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