This seems to be the week for musing about one’s choices in espionage fiction. Peter Millar, who reviews thrillers for the London Times, issued his top six picks earlier, and now comes Publishers Weekly with its own selection of the top 15 spy novels, as follow:
1. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John le Carré (1963)
2. The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum (1980)
3. The Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsyth (1971)
4. The Spy Who Loved Me, by Ian Fleming (1962)
5. The Quiet American, by Graham Greene (1955)
6. The Ipcress File, by Len Deighton (1962)
7. The Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett (1978)
8. Masquerade, by Gayle Lynds (1996)
9. The Moscow Club, by Joseph Finder (1991)
10. Above Suspicion, by Helen MacInnes (1939)
11. The 39 Steps, by John Buchan (1915)
12. Harlot’s Ghost, by Norman Mailer (1991)
13. The Unlikely Spy, by Daniel Silva (1996)
14. The Riddle of the Sands, by Erskine Childers (1903)
15. Morning Spy, Evening Spy, by Colin MacKinnon (2006)
(Hat tip to David J. Montgomery.)
Saturday, September 09, 2006
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1 comment:
This is strictly a matter of taste, but you and Mr. Millar have left out a few. For example, Alan Furst's work has shown me where the simple premise of a man in a tight spot can go. And, neither of you mentioned a single book by Charles McCrary, while you did include the almost embarassing "Harlot's Ghost," by Norman Mailer. I love Mailer, but he was off track in what was supposed to be a trilogy of spy stories. And, there are many, many more.
D.
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