18 books like The debriefing

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

Liar's candle August Thomas · 2018 · ★ 3.7 · 320p · ≈ 10h · Moderate Reminiscent of the work of John le Carre and Olen Steinhauser, this brilliant debut novel features a young State Department intern on the run in Turkey, trying to outwit and outmaneuver everyone from the Turkish president to Islamic extremists to the CIA. Racing to keep from being killed and to uncover the truth, Penny Kessler reluctantly partners with Connor Beauregard, a rookie CIA officer on… Shares: Intelligence officers, 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

A Perfect Spy John le Carré · 1986 · ★ 4.0 · 607p · ≈ 20h · Moderate Magnus Pym, ranking diplomat, has vanished, believed defected. The chase is on: for a missing husband, a devoted father, and a secret agent. Pym's life, it is revealed, is entirely made up of secrets. Shares: Defectors, Spy Fiction

The Ipcress File Len Deighton · 1962 · ★ 3.9 · 222p · ≈ 7h · Moderate Len Deighton's classic first novel, whoseprotagonist is a nameless spy – later christened Harry Palmer and made famous worldwide in the iconic 1960s film starring Michael Caine.The Ipcress File was not only Len Deighton's first novel, it was his first bestseller and the book that broke the mould of thriller writing.For the working class narrator, an apparently straightforward mission to find a… Shares: Defectors, 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 Hunt for Red October Tom Clancy · 1984 · ★ 4.1 · 479p · ≈ 15h · Moderate Somewhere under the Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision...the Red October is heading west.The Americans want her.The Russians want her back.And the most incredible chase in history is on...The Hunt for Red October is the runaway bestseller that launched Tom Clancy's phenomenal career. A military thriller so accurate and convincing that the author was rumored to have… Shares: Defectors, Spy Fiction

A darker place Henry Patterson · 2008 · ★ 3.8 · 364p · ≈ 12h · Moderate Dillon and company are back in the ultimate blockbuster from the 'legend' that is Jack HigginsDisillusioned with the Putin Government, famous Russian writer and ex-paratrooper Alexander Kurbsky decides he wants to disappear into the West. However he is under no illusions about how the news will be greeted at home - he has seen too many of his countrymen die mysteriously at the hands of the… Shares: Defectors, Spy Fiction

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