18 books like The amateur

What to read after The amateur — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

The Osterman Weekend Robert Ludlum · 1972 · ★ 3.3 · 324p · ≈ 10h · Moderate In Zurich . . . in Moscow . . . in Washington, D.C. . . . the machinery has already been set in motion. In a quiet suburb, an odd assortment of men and women gather for a momentous weekend. At stake is nothing less than the very existence of the United States of America—and, with it, the future of the entire free world.   Praise for Robert Ludlum and The Osterman Weekend   “Shattering .… Shares: United States. Central Intelligence Agency, United States, Spy Fiction

Deep Lie Stuart Woods · 1986 · ★ 4.4 · 341p · ≈ 11h · Moderate Undersea espionage meets heart-stopping suspense in this action-packed thriller in the Will Lee series featuring Kate Rule—from #1 New York Times bestselling author Stuart Woods.Sifting through reams of seemingly unrelated intelligence, CIA analyst Kate Rule discovers a chilling pattern: an ultrasecret Baltic submarine base...a crafty Russian spy-master in command...a carefully planned invasion… Shares: United States. Central Intelligence Agency, United States, Spy Fiction

Death will have your eyes James Sallis · 1997 · ★ 3.4 · 192p · ≈ 6h · Moderate David (as he's currently known) was a member of an elite corps of spies trained during the coldest days of the Cold War. But those days are long gone and for almost a decade he has been out of the rat race and working as a sculptor. Then a phone call in the middle of the night awakens him: the only other survivor from that elite corps has gone rogue. They need David to stop him. What ensues is… Shares: United States, Spy Fiction

The League of Night and Fog David Morrell · 1987 · ★ 4.1 · 413p · ≈ 13h · Moderate Two brilliant operatives known as Saul and Drew are drawn together to solve a baffling mystery: Why have ten elderly men from around the world been kidnapped? As the agents investigate they are pulled into a violent cycle of revenge that stretches back to World War II--and is now forcing sons to pay for their father's darkest sins.David Morrell's international thrillers have no equal. From the… Shares: Revenge, Spy Fiction

Unbound Stuart Woods · 2018 · ★ 4.0 · 311p · ≈ 10h · Moderate Former CIA operative Teddy Fay -- now a successful Hollywood film producer known as Billy Barnett -- loses his beloved wife to a drunk driver, the wife of a powerful man who was able to shield her from punishment. Taking a leave of absence to grieve, Teddy lands in Santa Fe in the company of his friends Stone Barrington and Ed Eagle. There, fate hands him an unexpected opportunity to exact quiet… Shares: United States. Central Intelligence Agency, Revenge

The Accident Chris Pavone · 2014 · ★ 4.0 · 392p · ≈ 13h · Moderate As dawn approaches in New York, literary agent Isabel Reed is turning the final pages of a mysterious, anonymous manuscript, racing through the explosive revelations about powerful people, as well as long-hidden secrets about her own past. In Copenhagen, veteran CIA operative Hayden Gray, determined that this sweeping story be buried, is suddenly staring down the barrel of an unexpected gun. And… Shares: United States. Central Intelligence Agency, United States, Spy Fiction

The Bourne ultimatum Robert Ludlum · 1990 · ★ 4.0 · 611p · ≈ 20h · Moderate David Webb must once again assume the identity of assassin Jason Bourne as he matches wits with his mortal enemy, Carlos, a deadly and elusive terrorist known as "the Jackal," in a final confrontation. Shares: United States. Central Intelligence Agency, United States, Spy Fiction

Day of Judgement Henry Patterson · 1697 · 263p · ≈ 8h · Demanding From the back cover of Bantam paperback June 1980: June 26, 1963. JFK's triumphal visit to divided Berlin is about to trigger catastrophe for the Free World... East German Intelligence -- with the aid of a renegade American -- has set a diabolical snare. And now, only a desperate team of Allied operatives -- six monks, an American priest, a British major and a young woman doctor who has played… Shares: United States. Central Intelligence Agency, United States, 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

End Game David Baldacci · 2017 · ★ 4.5 · 420p · ≈ 14h · Moderate Will Robie returns home from a mission overseas to discover that his boss--codenamed Blue Man--has vanished. His last known location was in remote Colorado, and there have been no other sightings or communications since. But there is violence brewing in this small town, and Robie and his sometime-partner Jessica Reel will be lucky if they make it out alive, with or without Blue Man. Shares: United States. Central Intelligence Agency, United States

The ghost Jefferson Morley · 2017 · ★ 4.0 · 336p · ≈ 11h · Moderate CIA spymaster James Jesus Angleton was one of the most powerful unelected officials in the United States government in the mid-20th century, a ghost of American power. From World War II to the Cold War, Angleton operated beyond the view of the public, Congress, and even the president. In The Ghost, investigative reporter Jefferson Morley tells Angleton's dramatic story. From the agency's MKULTRA… Shares: United States. Central Intelligence Agency, United States

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