18 books like Liar's candle

What to read after Liar's candle — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

Prelude to terror Helen MacInnes · 1978 · 352p · ≈ 11h · Moderate Synopsis (Fantastic Fiction) The scene is Vienna, where an American art expert, Colin Grant, has been dispatched by a Texas millionaire to buy a painting by the Dutch master Ruysdael. He is instructed to get the painting "at any cost" but to keep his employer's name a secret. This seemingly simple assignment turns into a nightmare for Grant as he finds himself in the center of a conspiracy to… Shares: Terrorism, Spy Fiction

Contact zero David Wolstencroft · 2005 · ★ 3.6 · 448p · ≈ 14h · Moderate Framed and dispossessed for a crime he did not commit during his first assignment, recent Spy School graduate Ben Locke learns that several of his fellow classmates have been murdered, a situation that forces him to search for the enigmatic Contact Zero, a mythical helper of Agency ex-members. Shares: Intelligence officers, Spy Fiction

Doctor Frigo Eric Ambler · 1974 · ★ 3.6 · 257p · ≈ 8h · Moderate "A coup d'etat in a Caribbean state causes a political storm in the region and even the seemingly impassive and impersonal Doctor Castillo, nicknamed Doctor Frigo, cannot escape the consequences. As things heat up, Frigo finds that both his profession and life are horribly at risk."--Page 4 of cover. Shares: Intelligence officers, Spy Fiction

The Matarese Circle Robert Ludlum · 1979 · ★ 4.1 · 601p · ≈ 20h · Moderate An international circle of killers, the Matarese will undoubtedly take over the world within just two years. Only two rival spies have the power to stop them: Scofield, CIA, and Talaniekov, KGB. They share a genius for espionage and a life of explosive terror and violence. But though these sworn enemies once vowed to terminate each other, they must now become allies. Because only they possess the… Shares: Intelligence officers, Spy Fiction

All The Queen's Men Linda Howard · 1999 · ★ 3.9 · 376p · ≈ 12h · Moderate (The second book in the CIA's Spies series) CIA agent John Medina and electronics expert Niema Burdock share a violent past: the two were part of a covert operation that went tragically wrong, resulting in the death of several people. Now, five years later, their paths cross again and John, whose love for Niema has only grown over time, is determined to keep her in his life for good. Having… Shares: Intelligence officers, Spy Fiction

Mysterious Mr. Sabin Edward Phillips Oppenheim · 1900 · 370p · ≈ 12h · Challenging "The mysterious Mr. Sabin is an unscrupulous French royalist who aids the German government in a conspiracy of war against England. His part in the plot is that of securing valuable papers recording the coast defenses of England, for which services he demands Germany's conquest of France and the restoration of the monarchy in the person of Prince Henri and his cousin, Helene of… Shares: Spy Fiction

Pray for Brave Heart Helen MacInnes · 1955 · 256p · ≈ 8h · Moderate About the undeclared and ever-waging war of our time, the war for men's minds, and the action takes place in Switzerland. Shares: Spy Fiction

Windmills of the gods Sidney Sheldon · 1987 · ★ 3.9 · 384p · ≈ 12h · Moderate A college professor, a naive Kansan, becomes the US ambassador to Romania and learns a lot about life. Shares: Spy Fiction

The Whip Hand Victor Canning · 1965 · ★ 4.0 · 271p · ≈ 9h · Moderate A 1960s London PI's search for a missing au pair leads to sinister evil in this classic spy series opener by the author of The Rainbird Pattern.Meet Rex Carver, the suave and laconic private investigator.His job is to track down a German au pair, Katerina Saxmann, who has gone missing in Brighton. But when the security services show up at his apartment within hours of him accepting the… Shares: Spy Fiction

If you can't be good Ross Thomas · 1973 · ★ 4.1 · 249p · ≈ 8h · Moderate An old CIA connection brings trouble for a Washington, DC, barman in this thriller from "America's best storyteller" (The New York Times Book Review).   As the saying goes, you can't pick your friends. If you could, Mac McCorkle would disown Padilla. They owned a bar together in Bonn, the West German capital, and stayed partners even after Padilla's sideline as a CIA operative got the bar… Shares: Spy Fiction

The man who lost the war W. T. Tyler · 1980 · ★ 3.5 · 434p · ≈ 14h · Moderate Set in post-war Berlin, a disillusioned former CIA operative and a Russian spy cross paths in their search for an elusive double agent. Shares: Spy Fiction

The second lady Irving Wallace · 1980 · ★ 3.9 · 383p · ≈ 12h · Moderate On a state visit to Moscow, Billie Bradford, the beautiful and brilliant wife of the President of the United States, is abducted by the Soviets and replaced by Vera Vazilova, a superbly trained Russian undercover agent and actress who is the First Lady's physical double.The impostor's mission--to induce the President to reveal a U.S. secret that will drastically tip the world balance toward… Shares: Spy Fiction

Family Trade James Carroll · 1982 · ★ 3.5 · 400p · ≈ 13h · Moderate A New York Times Notable Book"A rich, seductive meld of characters real and fictive, of history and fancy."  — New York Times Book ReviewIn this compelling family saga set during a tumultuous era in Boston history, 1960-1984, acclaimed author James Carroll chronicles the lives of two brothers, Nick and Terry Doyle, as they strive to move beyond the strictures of their working-class… Shares: Spy Fiction

The Mission Song John le Carré · 2006 · ★ 4.0 · 354p · ≈ 11h · Moderate Wanneer een Afrikaanse tolk bij een geheim topoverleg ontdekt dat men een invasie van het noodlijdende Congo plant, probeert hij dat wereldkundig te maken. Shares: Intelligence officers, Spy Fiction

The debriefing Robert Littell · 1979 · ★ 3.8 · 202p · ≈ 6h · Moderate A novel of the history of the CIA. Shares: Intelligence officers, Spy Fiction

Good news, bad news David Wolstencroft · 2004 · ★ 4.0 · 432p · ≈ 14h · Moderate Who could have guessed that a bureaucratic error would send two secret agents to the same 'cover' job, working in a shabby photo-processing booth, where each must keep his identity secret from the other while awaiting orders. On discovering the mistake, the two men decide to go on the run together. Shares: Intelligence officers, Spy Fiction

The Parsifal mosaic Robert Ludlum · 1982 · ★ 3.9 · 633p · ≈ 21h · Moderate Michael Havelock's world died on a moonlit beach on the Costa Brava. He watched as his partner and lover, Jenna Karats, double agent, was efficiently gunned down by his own agency. There was nothing left for him but to quit the game, get out. Until, in one frantic moment on a crowded railroad platform in Rome, Havelock saw his Jenna alive. From then on, he was marked for death by both U.S.… Shares: Intelligence officers, Spy Fiction

Without mercy Henry Patterson · 2005 · ★ 3.9 · 336p · ≈ 11h · Moderate From the master of suspense, a fierce thriller of terrorism, murder and revenge.In Higgins' acclaimed bestseller DARK JUSTICE, intelligence operative Sean Dillon and his colleagues in Britain and the United States beat back a terrible enemy, but at an equally terrible cost. One of them was shot, another run down in the street. Both were expected to survive – but only one of them does. As… Shares: Terrorism, Intelligence officers, Spy Fiction

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