Spybrary Firsts! Spy Books by Author to Read First

Which spy books to read first

So you want to read a spy book by a certain spy author and don't know where to start? We get it, it can be overwhelming to look at a shelf full of Mick Herron, Charles Cumming, John le Carre, Graham Greene, Len Deighton (and many more!) and know where to start? Picking the wrong spy book could be like watching Return of the Jedi before you watch the other movies before it.

Many spy novels are written as series, such as Mick Herron's Slow Horses series, Charles Cumming's Lachlan Kite books, and the granddaddy of them all John le Carre's George Smiley series.

So we asked our learned Spybrarians (that's the term for spy book aficionados around the world who participate in Spybrary) to come up with some recommended suggestions of which spy writers work to start with first. You will see several recommendations for each spy authors because this is literature and we all have different opinions. Do you have a tip for which spy novel a reader should start with then do email me shane at spybrary dot com?

Eric Ambler books to read first

John le Carre books to read first

Which John le Carre first?

Charles Cumming books to read first

Len Deighton books to read first