20 Greatest Spy Books Ever Written

13. "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" (1963) - John Le Carré

The first John le Carré novel to feature on this list, the 1963 classic "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" is not only a breathtakingly good spy book - it also plays with the mind of the reader, forcing them to consider whether or not Western espionage methods are morally consistent with the supposed values of democracy. Based during the 1950s and 1960s - when the world was on standby for fear of nuclear war - it is set in East Germany, just a year after the completion of the Berlin Wall and when double-agent Heinz Felfe has been discovered and tried. George Smiley, Peter Guillam and the rest of the "Circus" (MI6) led by "Control" must try and track down a double agent in Germany - and use Alex Leamas in order to achieve this. Leamas must travel deep into the heart of the German Democratic Republic and then betray Britain - something he does with trademark cynical professionalism. But, as the story progresses, Leamas begins to question the politics behind his mission - and the true reality of the difficult decisions spies must take every day really come to the fore in this gritty thriller.