2024 yielded yet another bumper crop of spy books and today we share with you what our Spybrary spy podcast listeners reckon are the best spy books they read in 2024. Unlike traditional reviews penned by critics, Spybrary is powered by people like you, spy book enthusiasts who embody Spybrary's spirit of ‘by spy fans, for spy fans.‘
Just like our popular post highlighting the best spy books of 2023, we've invited our dedicated Spybrary Podcast listeners and community members from around the world to share their best spy books published this year. Read on as we unveil the most captivating and thrilling spy novels of 2024, handpicked by the true aficionados of the espionage genre the paying punters.
Never Mind the Critics, here are the Spybrarians!
We asked our spy book readers.
- What is the best spy book you have read that was published in 2024? (N.B. Some of these books were published in the US in 2023 so there may be overlap as many of our agents are based outside the US. Why can't publishers release these books globally?
So if you are looking for spy book recommendations, then read on.
Warning, Spybrary does not accept any liability for bankruptcies or divorces that may occur as a result of you browsing this list of the best spy thrillers and raiding your reptile fund.
If you are looking to chat all things spy books, then do come and join us over at the Spybrary Community.
(Whilst I have added Amazon links below and yes we do earn a small cut from each purchase, we would love it if you could purchase these books from an independent bookstore. I added the Amazon link so you can read the reviews before deciding to buy.)
Shane Whaley's Best Spy Books of 2024 Picks
What an extraordinary year for spy books! I thought 2023 was chock a bloc with quality spy reads but here comes 2024 to show '23 who is boss! Looking at what is coming down the pike for spy books in 2025 then, we are truly being spoiled.
I struggled to keep up with all the spy books that were published in 2024. There's a handful of authors in the quality spy thriller realm whose books I'd usually devour as soon as they're released. But in 2024, even I had to play catch-up. And let me tell you, that's a delightful problem to have! It's far better to be keeping watch over our tottering to-be-read piles than to find our bookshelves lacking.
Here are my picks, not ranked in any order:
Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway
Gabriel's Moon by William Boyd
Honour Among Spies by Merle Nygate
Midnight in Vienna by Jane Thynne
The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey
Check out my interview in full with our friends at the Spybrary Approved Five Books – The Best Spy Thrillers of 2024, recommended by Spybrary's Shane Whaley
Then check out our interview with Nick Harkaway, son of John le Carré and the author of Karla's Choice.
Vaughn Johnson
The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey – a fantastic exploration of the characters from David McCloskey’s first novel as they move forward in time.
A Death in Cornwall – Daniel Silva has turned the pattern into predictable yet entertaining discovery of places and people otherwise unknown.
James Stejskal
Kaleidoscope (A Spy Game Serial) 4th of July by Michael Frost Beckner — A (relatively) short but tantalizing novella that scratches out the history of a spy family as intriguing as Charles McCarry’s Christophers but perhaps more treacherous than the House of Borgia. A twisted journey and ropes of sand, a wilderness of mirrors, the dancing lights, broken mirrors, and twisting figures of a kaleidoscope await the reader in a uniquely written tale that promises redemption, revenge, and betrayal — all spinning around an all-American family unlike any other. Highly recommended like all his others.
The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey — The author's experience as a former CIA officer show in his writing, the tradecraft he infuses into the story is genuinely accurate and the 7th Floor’s bureaucracy maddeningly real. A whirlwind performance by my favorite antagonist Artemis Procter (she succeeds in antagonizing everyone).
Shanghai by Joseph Kanon — not fully “spy” but it's Kanon. Danial Lohr, a Jew in Germany, must escape the Nazis to one of the few places that will accept them, Shanghai. He submerges himself in the lawless nightlife of an alien culture, trying to stay alive in a world of secret police, gangs, and political warlords where the only certain thing is that life is cheap. Tense, historical, entertaining…
Check out James Stejskals‘ spy thriller books!
Bruce Dravis
My best spy books “published in 2024” list is Karla's Choice, Seventh Floor, and the first three installments of Kaleidoscope.
I also read some Slow Horses books, John le Carré's Murder of Quality (pretty bitter reflection on public school experience), and finished Beckner's Aiken Trilogy–very good and a unique twist on how to tell a spy story.
Martin Paul
I'm going to eschew the obvious ones – Karla's Choice and Gabriel's Moon and go for THE RELUCTANT SPY by David Goodman , MIDNIGHT IN VIENNA by Jane Thynne and BERLIN DUET by SW Perry.
A Reluctant Spy by Dave Goodwin, because it mixes old-school espionage with new-school tech, and features my favourite scenario – amateur dragged into the Game, and way out of his depth.
Midnight in Vienna by Jane Thynne, because the prose is spot-on, it's set in my favourite pre-WW2 era, and Vienna just comes alive.
Berlin Duet by SW Perry because it's a spy story set against the rise of Naziism, seen through the eyes of a young girl who tried to capture period through her camera, while joining in the Game.
Read more of Martin's reviews at GoodReads.
Listen to our Spybrary interview with Charlotte Philby.
Stephen England – Thriller Author
Michael Beckner is quite possibly the most unabashedly duplicitous writer of the spy fiction renaissance, and the Kaleidoscope serial novellas showcase his work at its most devious and most literary, with each episode–like, indeed, the turn of a kaleidoscope–serving to alter and reframe the story being told until the reader begins to realize just how trackless a wilderness of mirrors they've wandered into.
The story of an All-American family enmeshed in the world's second oldest profession, Kaleidoscope is a family saga and a spy thriller rolled into one, and though I look forward anxiously to the final episodes, I'm pretty confident that no one–possibly including the reader–is walking away unscathed. The plotting and pacing is brilliant, and Beckner has a talent for prose possessed by few in the business. Fans of the cult classic film “Spy Game” will be delighted to see its creator's genius given free rein.
Check out Stephen England's books
Steve Ritterman
The three best spy books I enjoyed the most that were published in 2024 were….
ILIUM by Lea Carpenter. A slim volume that globetrots throughout Europe with a Highsmith vibe. A 2-day espio-read that thoroughly satisfied…..
KARLA'S CHOICE by Nick Harkaway…..A spectacular achievement that not only surpassed the hopes of JLC fans, but cemented it's place within the ‘Smiley' timeline. Essential reading for all Circus lovers.
PHANTOM ORBIT by David Ignatius. A welcome back to form for this talented writer. While books laden with ‘tech' are not my usual go-to, I found this story fascinating. PS….my only regret is not being able to get my hands on William Boyd's GABRIEL MOON. Something tells me it might have elbowed it's way into the top tier.
Karl Gunnar Oen (Oslo Station)
2024 is a great year for Spy Novels, but the different UK/Europe vs US publishing dates play havoc on my list.
Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway and Honour Among Spies by Merle Nygate are no-brainers.
I’ve only read the first installment of Michael Beckner’s Kaleidoscope, but it absolutely deserves a mention. Charles Beaumont’s A Spy Alone was published too late to make the shops in 2023, and I read it as soon as I could get hold of it – in 2024.
I also like to put in a kind word for Moscow X, which was published over here in 2024.
‘These are my choices, if you don’t like them, I’ve got others.’
Ted Smith (Utah Station)
My top spy books for 2024:
Karla’s Choice (Nick Harkaway). Wonderful homage to Nick’s father, John le Carré. Fits beautifully into the George Smiley world. The highlight for me was the opportunity to see Smiley in action as an agent (the scene at the Czecho border is stunning). Yes, George can drive a car (even a Trabant) very fast.
The Siege (Ben MacIntyre). I have a vague recollection of the SAS rescue of the hostages, but was unaware of the underlying story. As only he can do, and even though I knew how it would end, Ben’s recounting of the events and personalities was thrilling.
Shane – The Siege is non fiction rather than a spy fiction thriller but it reads like one and its Spybrary Approved so we will keep the inclusion.
Shanghai (Joseph Kanon). Excellent love story and highly atmospheric re-creation of Shanghai (in Japanese hands), one of the few places that would issue visas to Jews fleeing Hitler.
Honorable Mentions.
The Seventh Floor (David McCloskey). The further adventures of Artemis Procter in tracking a mole inside the CIA. It’s excellent.
Kaleidoscope (Michael Frost Beckner). Technically not a 2024 book because we’ve only received three of the five planned installments (you can bet that the completed project will be top of my list for 2025). If you think you have family issues, meet the Kingstons.
Yogi Huh (Our Man in South Korea)
The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S.Berry
Moscow X by David McCloskey
Muir's Gambit by Michael Frost Beckner
A Spy Alone by Charles Beaumont
Michael Martz
The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey
“The Seventh Floor” is a crackerjack follow-up to David McCloskey's “Moscow X”, featuring main characters from his fine first two novels. It's McCloskey's spin on the ubiquitous (at least in spy fiction) ‘there's a mole in a key position in our agency!' story, but he's self-aware enough to throw a couple references to le Carre's great TTSS.
Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway
Nick Harkaway, son of John Le Carre' (David Cornwell) has pulled off the near impossible with “Karla's Choice”, creating a piece of spy literature that reverberates almost seamlessly with the look and feel of his old man's work. As far as I'm concerned, it's a triumph and should be welcomed by any and all fans of his late father.
Phantom Orbit by David Ignatius.
In ‘Phantom Orbit', David Ignatius does what he does best (other than writing great columns for the Washington Post): he pens great spy novels with great plots, characters you can care about, and timely topics. Unlike his lackluster “Quantum Spy”, Ignatius doesn't get too far down into the weeds in Phantom Orbit on technical issues.
Read more of Michael's spy thriller reviews over on GoodReads.
Graham Roberts
Kennedy 35, Karla’s Choice and Gabriel’s Moon.
All beautifully written and subtle use of spycraft with an honourable mention for the peacock and the sparrow which should be on anyone’s list but 4 into 3 places is tough.
John McAtamney
My top three for 2024 are The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry – loved the atmosphere, tradecraft and the writing style just clicked with me, The Enigma Girl by Henry Porter – great characters and his passion for journalism shines through and Honour Among Spies by Merle Nygate – great characters, tradecraft and great storytelling. Other favourites read in 2024 but published in 2023 are A Spy Alone by Charles Beaumont and Kennedy 35 by Charles Cumming.
What were the best spy books you read in 2024?
What spy books are you excited to read in 2025?
Let us know over in our Spybrary community
