Here at LoveReading, we adore books. And there’s nothing we love more than a cheeky spy thriller. The literary world is full of iconic spies, each with their own distinct style, methods, and intrigue and here we highlight some of our favourite spies from the pages of some of our favourite spy thrillers.

What is a spy thriller?

A spy thriller is a subgenre of thriller fiction that focuses on espionage, covert operations, and intelligence agencies. These stories often feature spies, secret agents, or intelligence officers engaged in dangerous missions involving political intrigue, counterintelligence, and global conspiracies. The tension in spy thrillers comes from deception, double-crosses, high-stakes action, and the ever-present threat of betrayal. Ooh they’re a cracking read, with many of the old classics living on the big screen too.

Classic and iconic spies

Whether you are partial to a classic and iconic spy like Ian Fleming’s James Bond from books such as Casino Royale. Bond is the ultimate secret agent, 007 is known for his charm, gadgets, and action-packed adventures in MI6. Fleming started the James Bond series with the novel Casino Royale, which was published in 1953. The success of Casino Royale led to a total of 14 Bond books written by Fleming, including 12 novels and 2 short story collections. Or John le Carré’s George Smiley from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and other novels who is a cerebral and unassuming intelligence officer in the British Secret Service, operating in the shadowy world of Cold War espionage. And of course we can’t forget Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne from The Bourne Identity and series. A highly trained assassin suffering from amnesia, Bourne must piece together his past while evading those who want him dead.

Tom Clancy started the Jack Ryan series with the novel The Hunt for Red October, which was published in 1984. This book introduced Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst who becomes involved in a high-stakes Cold War submarine chase. The success of The Hunt for Red October led to a long-running series of novels featuring Ryan’s rise through the ranks of U.S. intelligence and politics, eventually becoming President of the United States. Even after his death in 2013, Clancy’s legacy continues, with other authors writing new books in the Jack Ryan universe under his name.

Newer masters of the spy fiction genre

Rory Clements' first spy thriller was Corpus, published in 2017, the first book in his Tom Wilde series, a historical spy thriller set in the late 1930s during the rise of Nazi Germany and tensions in Britain. Clements’ father served in the Royal Navy, an experience that went on to inspire his bestselling and beloved thrillers, of which there are now seven in the series blending real historical events with gripping spy fiction.

Charles Cumming is fast becoming a must-read author here at LoveReading. The third book in Cumming’s gripping thriller series surrounding Box 88 – a covert intelligence organization that operates below the radar was published in 2024. A spy for the 21st century, these books have been hugely revered, and if you haven’t checked them out yet, do! Box 88, followed by Judas 62 and the newest Kennedy 35.

Gregg Hurwitz began the Orphan X series with the first novel, Orphan X, which was published in 2016. The series follows Evan Smoak, a highly trained assassin from a secret government program known as the Orphan Program, who later becomes a vigilante helping those in desperate need. Boy did the first book Orphan X explode off the blocks! An assassin with a heart leads this exhilarating series and it is a favourite in the LoveReading team.

The globe-trotting spy thriller that inspired the 2024 blockbuster film Argylle was published in 2024 by debut writer Elly Conway, written whilst working as a waitress in a late-night New York diner. It’s a cracking read, feels like an old-school spy thriller but oh so fresh.

In The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes, the long-awaited follow-up to I Am Pilgrim, we follow CIA operative Ridley Kane on a mission in the volatile regions bordering Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.

Formidable female spies in thrillers

While many famous literary spies are men, there are several brilliant and formidable female spies in fiction. 

In Chris Hauty’s Deep State there is a plot to assassinate the president in this fast-moving, full-on, wow of a book where a White House intelligence officer uncovers a conspiracy at the heart of the American government. Hayley Chill is smart as heck, brave, and can kick some serious ass. The series continues with Savage Road, The Devil You Know and Storm Rising and we love every action packed second of the series.

But formidable female characters don't necessarily have to be the hero. Dominika Egorov is a former prima ballerina that is sucked into the heart of Putin's Russia, then spat out as betrayals and counter-betrayals unfold. Jason Matthews' Red Sparrow shows the honey trap agent target young CIA operative Nate Nash to identify a senior-ranking mole. Sarah Broadhurst described it as "an excellent spy story."

A Bird in Winter by Louise Doughty, author of Apple Tree Yard, is a stylish, suspenseful thriller which tingles with on-the-run tension and emotional intrigue as a female spy flees her entire life. This book has all you might desire from a spy-themed thriller, there's distrust, betrayal, paranoia and a sense of closing in, but there's much more besides and Doughty blends in Bird's deeper emotional journey into this classy, compelling read. 

Rachel Kushner's Creation Lake was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. A profound treatise on human history delivered as a dazzling story about a woman who is caught in the crossfire between the past and the future. This novel explores the life of a a seductive and cunning freelance spy working to undermine environmental activists, delving into themes of morality and identity.

Shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Prize in 2019, Asia Mackay's Killing It injects the spy thriller with a good dose of humour. Elite covert agent with Her Majesty's Secret Service heading back for her first day after maternity leave, Liz Robinson described it as "fiesty, uniquely fabulous and full of attitude." 

Some recently published spy thrillers

January 2025 brought us a dynamic new thriller The Bourne Vendetta in the Jason Bourne series from the world of Robert Ludlum, continued by Brian Freeman. A lover from Bourne's past seeks his help when assassins threaten her husband, but only treachery burns hotter than true love.

Continuing another award-winning series are navy veterans Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson who have taken the mantle of Clancy’s Jack Ryan with the paperback publication of Act of Defiance this January.

Set in the missing decade between two iconic novels starring George Smiley, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Karla’s Choice is an extraordinary, thrilling return to the world of spymaster John le Carré, written by the author's son and acclaimed novelist, Nick Harkaway.

A Cold Wind from Moscow is the gripping new 2025 novel from the Sunday Times and one million copy bestselling 'master of the wartime spy thriller' Clements. 

Released in February, Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz is the incredible tenth book in the Orphan X series, and as usual it’s one helluva adventure.

And in May, look out for Mrs Spy by M J Robotham. Get ready for a pulse-pounding, laugh-out-loud ride through 1960s London as Maggie Flynn, unexpected MI5 operative and single mum, unravels the intelligence agency's most treacherous secrets. Pre-order it now.

Keep scrolling for more thrills, spills, intrigue and espionage with our full list of spy thriller recommendations.