82 books like Marathon Man

By William Goldman,

Here are 82 books that Marathon Man fans have personally recommended if you like Marathon Man. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Boys from Brazil

Josh Weiss Author Of Sunset Empire

From my list on hunting and battling Nazi war criminals.

Why am I passionate about this?

Raised in a proud Jewish home, I was instilled with an appreciation for my cultural heritage from a very young age. Today, I am utterly fascinated with the convergence of Judaism and popular culture in film, television, comics, literature, and other media. After college, I became a freelance entertainment journalist, writing stories for SYFY WIRE, The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, and Marvel Entertainment. I currently reside in Philadelphia with my wife, Leora, and adorable Cavapoo, Archie.

Josh's book list on hunting and battling Nazi war criminals

Josh Weiss Why did Josh love this book?

This is my favorite book in the world.

In someone else’s hands, the tale of a global Nazi conspiracy to restore the Third Reich to its former glory by cloning Adolf Hitler would probably come off as utter insanity. But Levin makes you believe every word of it, funneling the story through the eyes of Nazi hunter Yakov Liebermann (based on Simon Wiesenthal) and infamous doctor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, Josef Mengele.

By Ira Levin,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Boys from Brazil as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this classic thriller, Ira Levin imagines Dr Josef Mengele's nightmarish plot to restore the Third Reich. Alive and hiding in South America, thirty years after the end of the Second World War, Mengele gathers a group of former colleagues for a sinister project - the creation of the Fourth Reich. Ageing Nazi hunter Yakov Lieberman is informed of the plot but before he hears the evidence, his source is killed . . .

Spanning continents and inspired by true events, what follows is one of Levin's most masterful tales, both timeless and chillingly plausible.

Praise for Ira Levin:

'Levin…


Book cover of The Odessa File

Jim Carr Author Of Femme Fatale

From my list on Cold War spies and secret agents.

Why am I passionate about this?

When the war ended, we all felt the horrors of war were finally over. My cousins were back from Europe, and all seemed at peace once again. We were wrong. A few years later I was a young journalist editing stories about Soviet-held Berlin and how Russia stopped the West from sending food and even coal to residents in West Berlin. That was just the beginning.

Jim's book list on Cold War spies and secret agents

Jim Carr Why did Jim love this book?

ODESSA was a port-war organization established to re-establish the power of SS mass murderers throughout the world and carry out Hitler’s Final Solution 20 years after his death.

In researching for ODESSA Files, Forsyth talked to several former SS members and used their memories to enhance the atmosphere and feeling of reality throughout the book.

It’s a look at what Hitler and the SS had in mind for the world. Almost every chapter bristles with suspense and excitement when a journalist starts to expose them. It’s cleverly plotted and has you on edge from start to finish.

By Frederick Forsyth,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Odessa File as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The  suicide of an elderly German Jew explodes into  revelation after revelation: of a Mafia-like  organization called Odessa ...of a real-life fugitive known as the  "Butcher of Riga"..of a young German journalist  tumed obsessed avenger.......and, ultimately, of brilliant, ruthless plot  to reestablish the worldwide power of SS mass  murderers and to carry out Hitler's chilling  "Final Solution."


Book cover of Gone For Good

Simon Wood Author Of Accidents Waiting to Happen

From my list on out-of-their-depth heroes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I fell in love with Alfred Hitchcock’s films as a kid. Something that stuck out to me was that so many of his films featured an ordinary but resourceful hero who found themselves at the center of a crisis that they were totally ill-equipped to deal with. Still, they endured by rising above the situation. When I started writing, I wanted to write books with hardboiled heroes, but I fell back on first-time heroes who find themselves out of their depth and swim against the tide. Once I recognized this style, it was something I embraced. I’ve gotten out of my depth so many times…sometimes of my own making and sometimes not. 

Simon's book list on out-of-their-depth heroes

Simon Wood Why did Simon love this book?

Guilt, shame, and family obligation…these human aspects are a great basis for a down-to-earth protagonist. A young woman is murdered in Will’s family home, and his brother is the prime suspect. On her deathbed, Will’s mother tells Will to find his brother. 

This quest puts Will at the center of the investigation because many people want Will’s brother found…dead or alive. It’s one of those stories that escalates, which kept me hooked as a reader. It has a simple premise but evolves into something far more complex that will change Will forever.

By Harlan Coben,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Gone For Good as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Will Klein lost the love of his life and his brother in the same moment ... A superb thriller from the No.1 bestselling author.

On October 17, eleven years ago, Julie Miller was found brutally strangled in the basement of her house in the township of Livingston, New Jersey. On that day, Will's brother, Ken Klein, became the subject of an international manhunt accused of the crime. He has not been seen since.

Will has tried to get on with his life in the intervening years. He has a beautiful new girlfriend, Sheila, and a job working with the homeless.…


Book cover of The Nazi Hunters

Josh Weiss Author Of Sunset Empire

From my list on hunting and battling Nazi war criminals.

Why am I passionate about this?

Raised in a proud Jewish home, I was instilled with an appreciation for my cultural heritage from a very young age. Today, I am utterly fascinated with the convergence of Judaism and popular culture in film, television, comics, literature, and other media. After college, I became a freelance entertainment journalist, writing stories for SYFY WIRE, The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, and Marvel Entertainment. I currently reside in Philadelphia with my wife, Leora, and adorable Cavapoo, Archie.

Josh's book list on hunting and battling Nazi war criminals

Josh Weiss Why did Josh love this book?

All fiction has some kind of basis in reality.

The bestsellers penned by Forsyth, Levin, and Goldman would not exist without the true stories of the men and women who worked tirelessly in the years after World War II to bring escaped Nazis to justice.

Nagorski’s wonderfully researched work of non-fiction shines a much-deserved light on those individuals who sought closure on behalf of the murdered 6 million when no one else cared to do so: Fritz Bauer, Simon Wiesenthal, Tuvia Friedman, Elizabeth Holtzman, Beate, and Serge Klarsfeld, and more.

By Andrew Nagorski,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

More than seven decades after the end of the Second World War, the era of the Nazi Hunters is drawing to a close as they and the hunted die off. Their saga can now be told almost in its entirety.
After the Nuremberg trials and the start of the Cold War, most of the victors in World War II lost interest in prosecuting Nazi war criminals. Many of the lower-ranking perpetrators quickly blended in with the millions who were seeking to rebuild their lives in a new Europe, while those who felt most at risk fled the continent. In Pursuit…


Book cover of Hunters

Josh Weiss Author Of Sunset Empire

From my list on hunting and battling Nazi war criminals.

Why am I passionate about this?

Raised in a proud Jewish home, I was instilled with an appreciation for my cultural heritage from a very young age. Today, I am utterly fascinated with the convergence of Judaism and popular culture in film, television, comics, literature, and other media. After college, I became a freelance entertainment journalist, writing stories for SYFY WIRE, The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, and Marvel Entertainment. I currently reside in Philadelphia with my wife, Leora, and adorable Cavapoo, Archie.

Josh's book list on hunting and battling Nazi war criminals

Josh Weiss Why did Josh love this book?

Every book list needs a good wild card, wouldn’t you agree?

This Dark Horse one-shot published in the run-up to the premiere for Amazon’s Hunters is only a few pages long, but perfectly encapsulates the pulpy spirit of the revenge-driven series created by David Weil. Mr. Weil has stated on numerous occasions that the small screen project was a way for him to pay homage to his Holocaust survivor grandmother and tell an epic, comic book-inspired story of good vs. evil.

The one-shot does just that as the titular squad of Nazi eliminators tracks down a concentration camp doctor notorious for conducting unspeakable human experiments and collecting gruesome trophies.

By Arvid Nelson, Tom Reilly (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Ruth Heidelbaum has secret to kill for—hundreds of Nazis are hiding in the United States, and she's on a bloody quest to take them out, one by one. She and her rag-tag teammates call themselves THE HUNTERS, and it's kill, rinse, repeat, until justice has finally been served to every last one of them. This is not murder...it's mitzvah!


Book cover of The Overseer

Simon Wood Author Of Accidents Waiting to Happen

From my list on out-of-their-depth heroes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I fell in love with Alfred Hitchcock’s films as a kid. Something that stuck out to me was that so many of his films featured an ordinary but resourceful hero who found themselves at the center of a crisis that they were totally ill-equipped to deal with. Still, they endured by rising above the situation. When I started writing, I wanted to write books with hardboiled heroes, but I fell back on first-time heroes who find themselves out of their depth and swim against the tide. Once I recognized this style, it was something I embraced. I’ve gotten out of my depth so many times…sometimes of my own making and sometimes not. 

Simon's book list on out-of-their-depth heroes

Simon Wood Why did Simon love this book?

This book is a big box thriller that I love, where the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of a simple man. In this case, he’s an academic professor decoding a medieval manuscript that will upset the world order. I was hooked by the out-of-their-depth hero in this story.

He is continually outgunned, outmanned, and outnumbered. However, an ordinary guy like Xander Jaspers discovers he's more resourceful and skilled than expected.

By Jonathan Rabb,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

It has long been rumoured that a sixteenth-century monk called Eisenreich out-Machiavellied Machiavelli, writing a masterplan for the Church to achieve world domination. So dangerous was the text that the Pope had to kill Eisenreich to suppress it.

But when the bullet-riddled body of a young girl is found in the mid-West and "Eisenreich" is her dying word, it becomes terrifyingly clear that not only is the document real, but someone is planning to use it.

Sarah Trent, a US agent, and Xander Jaspers, a Columbia University professor, race to find this manuscript, but neither fully understand the danger they're…


Book cover of Velocity

Simon Wood Author Of Accidents Waiting to Happen

From my list on out-of-their-depth heroes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I fell in love with Alfred Hitchcock’s films as a kid. Something that stuck out to me was that so many of his films featured an ordinary but resourceful hero who found themselves at the center of a crisis that they were totally ill-equipped to deal with. Still, they endured by rising above the situation. When I started writing, I wanted to write books with hardboiled heroes, but I fell back on first-time heroes who find themselves out of their depth and swim against the tide. Once I recognized this style, it was something I embraced. I’ve gotten out of my depth so many times…sometimes of my own making and sometimes not. 

Simon's book list on out-of-their-depth heroes

Simon Wood Why did Simon love this book?

This one is a banger. A serial killer has picked Bill, a bartender, to play a game of who lives and who dies. Choose your own slaughter, if you will.

What's so deviously gorgeous about this book is how the hero must learn how to beat the game so that no one dies and he can stop a twisted killer in his tracks. It’s such a great premise for an out-of-their-depth hero.

By Dean Koontz,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
 
If you don’t take this note to the police . . . I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher. . . . If you do . . . I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have six hours to decide. The choice is yours.
 
The typewritten note under his windshield seems like just a sick joke. But in less than twenty-four hours, Billy Wiles, an ordinary, hardworking guy, is about to see his life take on the speed of a nightmare. Because a young blond schoolteacher is murdered—and now Billy has…


Book cover of Fell of Dark

Simon Wood Author Of Accidents Waiting to Happen

From my list on out-of-their-depth heroes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I fell in love with Alfred Hitchcock’s films as a kid. Something that stuck out to me was that so many of his films featured an ordinary but resourceful hero who found themselves at the center of a crisis that they were totally ill-equipped to deal with. Still, they endured by rising above the situation. When I started writing, I wanted to write books with hardboiled heroes, but I fell back on first-time heroes who find themselves out of their depth and swim against the tide. Once I recognized this style, it was something I embraced. I’ve gotten out of my depth so many times…sometimes of my own making and sometimes not. 

Simon's book list on out-of-their-depth heroes

Simon Wood Why did Simon love this book?

I love a “Man on the Run” book. Books like The 39 Steps, Odd Man Out, and The Running Man are stories I truly love. There's something exciting about a chase book because the hero has to be resourceful and resilient, and that’s what we have here.

Harry has to prove his innocence. The other aspect of a chase story is all the odd characters a hero on the run has to turn to for help when there is no one else to turn to, even if they can't be trusted, but Harry has to put his faith in them for the few moments he needs them. Great stuff.

By Reginald Hill,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'One of Britain's most consistently excellent crime novelists' Marcel Berlins, The Times

A friendship renewed; a marriage going sour; Harry Bentick heads for the Lake District not knowing if he's going in search of something or running away.

Then two girls are found murdered in the high fells, and suddenly there's no doubt about it.

He's running.

Set in his native Cumberland, this was Reginald Hill's very first novel, a unique blend of detective story, psychological thriller and Buchanesque adventure that was to lay the groundwork for many books to come, taking him into the top ranks of British crime…


Book cover of Trust Your Eyes

John E. Stith Author Of Pushback

From my list on once-in-a-lifetime danger.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love books about everyman/everywoman characters facing danger, puzzles, and romance with a sense of humor. I love the suspense that builds throughout a whole book and the tension that can develop in just a paragraph. It’s easier for me to imagine I’m the protagonist and lose myself in the pages if I’m not reading about a superhero or a serial killer. With so many choices out there, it’s easier to find another person who’s seen the same TV show, for instance, but books are my true love because they are limitless and offer so many choices. It’s a privilege to be able to share some favorites.

John's book list on once-in-a-lifetime danger

John E. Stith Why did John love this book?

I love surprises and characters who are not what they seem, and I enjoy a high-tech backdrop when it fits the story. When a character thinks he sees evidence of a crime in what’s basically Google Street View, he will not let go of it and drags our unwilling protagonist into danger.

I loved the emotional core of a man dealing with his brother’s mental health issues and the blossoming romance in his life.

By Linwood Barclay,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Trust Your Eyes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What would you do if you witnessed a murder - but no one believed you . . .?

Another masterful suspense novel from the bestselling author of the Richard & Judy summer read winner, NO TIME FOR GOODBYE and FIND YOU FIRST

Map-obsessed Thomas spends his days and nights on a virtual tour of the world through his computer screen, believing he must store the details of every town and city in his head. Then one day, while surfing a street view program, he sees something that shouldn't be there: a woman being murdered behind a window on a New…


Book cover of Shotgun Lovesongs

Maggie Ginsberg Author Of Still True

From my list on the essence of small town Wisconsin.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve only ever lived in small Midwestern towns. I grew up there, raised my kids there, recovered from a divorce there, remarried there. I’ve had the same best friends for 40 years. I’ve paid and bartered for my classmates’ trade services. I’ve argued with them in churches and cafes, rooted for and against their kids at high school basketball and football games all over the state. We’ve celebrated and buried each other’s loved ones. I’ve run hundreds of miles of Wisconsin trail, soaked in her waters, marveled at her sunsets. It’s as home to me as my own body, and I’ll never tire of reading about it. 

Maggie's book list on the essence of small town Wisconsin

Maggie Ginsberg Why did Maggie love this book?

Reading Shotgun Lovesongs years ago is my first adult memory of seeing myself on the page—the kind of thing that probably happens more frequently if you’re from New York or L.A. but isn’t as common for those of us born and raised in so-called flyover states.

I fell hard for Nickolas Butler’s debut—the story of four boyhood friends in a small Wisconsin town, one of whom becomes a famous rock star—from the first chapter. While it became an international bestseller for its universally appealing story, hooky concept, and lyrical prose (not to mention its rumored, real-life inspiration),

I personally was drawn to the intimate portrayal of life-long, small-town friendships, the precise push-pull of life in a fishbowl; the loyalty we feel for each other that isn’t always earned; and the way we tether ourselves to people and place, for better or for worse.

By Nickolas Butler,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"Impressively original." ―The New York Times

"Sparkles in every way. A love letter to the open lonely American heartland…A must-read." ―People

"The kind of book that restores your faith in humanity." ―Toronto Star

Welcome to Little Wing.

It's a place like hundreds of others, but for four boyhood friends―all born and raised in this small Wisconsin town―it is home. One of them never left, still working the family farm, but the others felt the need to move on. One trades commodities, another took to the rodeo circuit. One of them hit it big as a rock star. And…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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