2024 yielded yet another bumper crop of non fiction 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.‘
We've invited our dedicated Spybrary Podcast listeners and community members from around the world to share their best non fiction spy books of 2024. Read on as we unveil the most championed best spy history books 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 non fiction 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 history 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 history books 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 Non Fiction Spy Books of 2024 Picks
What an extraordinary year for spy books both non fiction and thrillers! 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 history 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 best non fiction spy books of 2024. (Not ranked in any order.)
Shane's best spy books (non fiction) of 2024
Her Secret Service by Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall
I’ll rely on Her Secret Service as a trusted reference espionage book for years to come.
Shane Whaley, Spybrary.com
Drawing on private and previously classified documents, Hubbard-Hall rescues these women from obscurity, bringing their gripping stories to life to provide a definitive account of women's contributions to the history of the intelligence services.
Want to learn more about Her Secret Service or Secret Servants of the Crown to give its US name? Why not give my conversation with the author Dr Claire Hubbard Hall a listen on the Spybrary podcast or watch on YouTube.
Next up – To Catch A Spy – How the Spycatcher Affair Brought MI5 In From The Cold by Tim Tate
One of the best non fiction espionage books I have ever read!
Shane Whaley – Spybrary.com
In To Catch a Spy, Tim Tate reveals the astonishing true story of the British government's attempts to silence whistleblower Peter Wright and hide the truth about Britain's intelligence services and political elites. It's a story of state-sanctioned cover-up plots; of the government lying to Parliament and courts around the world; and of stories leaked with the intention to mislead and deceive.
Classified! The Adventures of a Molehunter by Nigel West
Nigel West is the ‘Don of Dons' when it comes to espionage history.
Shane Whaley – Spybrary.com
‘As action-packed as the lives of the spies he has written about, this is the story of the most enthralling and significant post-war intelligence revelations as told by Britain’s most authoritative writer on espionage and the secret services.’
(If you are looking for the best spy thriller books of 2024. 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)
More best spy history books of 2024
James Stejskal Author
The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination by Stuart A. Reid.
Merle Nygate – author of Honour Among Spies
The Siege by Ben Macintyre– smashing book
Joe Modzelewski
Four Shots in the Night by Henry Hemming
Martin Paul
‘I'm not a huge reader of non-fiction, but I couldn't resist this. James Crossland's ROGUE AGENT. The Scottish connection plus the link to Reilly made it doubly interesting.'
Scott Belliveau
If it counts, Nicholas Shakespeare's The Complete Man, the biography of Ian Fleming.
Chris Rawlings
A Suspicion of Spies by Tim Spicer
David Clark
To Catch a Spy by Tim Tate was my favourite. It recounts the Spycatcher Affair with great colour and clarity. A terrific read and real eye-opener.
Scorpions' Dance: The President, the Spymaster, and Watergate by Jefferson Morley (2022) is another I enjoyed immensely. It uses the relationship between Nixon and CIA Director Dick Helms to lift the lid on a very dark period of American history. I’ve read a few books on the Kennedy assassination recently, all of which are, inevitably, spy heavy, but most of which are flawed.
The exception is Not In Your Lifetime: The Assassination of JFK by Anthony Summers (2013), which treats the facts with admirable seriousness and acknowledges what it doesn’t know.
What were the best non fiction spy books you read in 2024?
What spy history books are you excited to read in 2025?
Let us know over in our Spybrary community
