Since I make spy video games, I've spent quite a bit of time researching the spy genre in all media.  Here are my picks for the best spy novels and graphic novels ever written.  If you'd like to see my spy picks in other media, links are provided at the very end.

Last updated: January 2025

The best spy novels

• Ian Fleming James Bond (e.g. From Russia with Love)

When discussing great spy novels, James Bond is the place to begin.  You're more than likely familiar with James Bond as portrayed in films, but the James Bond as written by Ian Fleming is something of a different character - colder, more of a blunt instrument.  In other words, the portrayals of Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig are closer in tone to the novels than what you get from other film Bonds like Pierce Brosnan or Roger Moore (although those two certainly do have their moments like Brosnan dropping Trevelyan at the end of GoldenEye or Moore kicking Locque and his car off the edge of a cliff).   And don't be fooled by the novels sharing a name with a film, as oftentimes the film diverges quite a lot from the original novel.  But a safe recommendation here if you're dipping your toes into the Bond library would be to stick with Fleming's original works (i.e. save the continuation novels by other authors for later) and go with From Russia with Love.  The film is a close adaptation, and this is one of the most-widely regarded Bond novels, even being listed as one of John F Kennedy's favorite books which helped turn Bond into the phenomenon it is today.  The first half of the book From Russia with Love focuses on the villains crafting a scheme to try and trap Bond, so Bond himself doesn't even show up until page 70 or so and makes this a compelling read.  If you want to start from the first novel, then that would be Casino Royale

• John le Carré (e.g. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy)

The other titan of the spy novel industry alongside Ian Fleming, John le Carré's novels tend more toward the realistic side, whereas Fleming's Bond stories are more fantastical.  Whereas Fleming's novels often contain a maniacal villain, le Carré's novels are more grounded and may for example feature spy George Smiley going against his opposite number Karla.  No list of the best spy novels would be complete without John le Carré in the conversation.  Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy is among his best works, and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold remains another especially well-regarded novel of his

• Mick Herron (start with Slow Horses)

If you're familiar with the Slow Horses TV show (on Apple TV+), they are adapted from a series of novels written by Mick Herron.  The Slough House series begins with a book called Slow Horses, and this series is absolutely recommended if you prefer your spy stories to be comedic in tone. Most everything else on this list is about the top agents saving the world from dramatic situations, but in the Slough House series of novels, the fate of the world is comedically saved by the worst agents in MI5.  To their credit, they do have a tremendous spymaster at their helm, but they often make mistakes and save the day in spite of their "best" efforts

• Tom Clancy (e.g. The Hunt for Red October)

Here we have a legend in the spy novel game.  Jack Ryan is his most famous character, but Clancy's books are fairly long and delve into minutia (like the specific workings of submarines) that you may find detract from the excitement typically associated with spy stories.  Still, his works remain well-known and have spanned multiple media formats, including the Jack Ryan films, Jack Ryan TV shows, and video games bearing his name, such as Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.  But all those things originated from his spy novels

• Robert Ludlum (e.g. the Bourne books)

You may be more familiar with the name Jason Bourne than you are with the name Robert Ludlum, but Ludlum is the author behind the Bourne character, as well as many other spy novels.  The Bourne novels are fairly different than the films - for example, the villain in the novels is known as The Jackal yet he is nowhere to be found in the films - but the general concept of an agent suffering from amnesia is present in the novels.   Ludlum also has many other spy novels to his name, each with a three-word title like The Aquitaine Progression, The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Prometheus Deception, etc.

• John Buchan (e.g. The Thirty-Nine Steps)

This series is a classic in the spy novel genre, going back so long ago that The Thirty-Nine Steps was adapted into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1935, with the novel itself coming out in 1915.  John Buchan wrote a series of novels about a character named Richard Hannay, who in the first entry entitled "The Thirty-Nine Step" is mistaken for a spy and must go on the run.  If for any reason you think a novel from over 100 years ago has lost its relevance in the modern day, I will point out that in the final episode of Archer's first season, Malory Archer is lounging at home reading Greenmantle by John Buchan, which is the second book in the Richard Hannay series

• Len Deighton (e.g. The Ipcress File or Funeral in Berlin)

Briefly overlapping with Ian Fleming, Len Deighton wrote several novels about an unnamed character who came to be known as Harry Palmer upon the release of the film version of The Ipcress File starring Michael Caine in 1965.  Len Deighton is widely considered in the upper echelon of spy writers, with The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin being two of his most widely-known novels

• Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household

This is a spy story that plays things pretty close to the chest, as it's told in first person and the narrator himself struggles to admit that he is in fact a spy - and maybe something worse than that.  The plot begins with the main character captured and barely able to survive a clumsy attempt on his life.   From there, he evades enemies abroad and at home, making for an exemplary story of a man just trying to escape his pursuers

• The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

There are some spy novels where the tension comes from not knowing who the ultimate villain is, and Agatha Christie - as primarily a writer of murder mysteries - applies her skills in this area to craft an espionage story in The Secret Adversary.  While Agatha Christie's two most famous characters are Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple (each with many books about them), she also wrote five novels about a couple named Tommy and Tuppence who rather than solving murder mysteries find themselves in the spy game.   In the first entry, Tommy and Tuppence stumble upon a missing persons case that leads them to uncover a potential terror plot

• The Liz Carlyle series by Stella Rimington

Now that we've delved into some spy stories from well in the past, let's return to the present.  The Liz Carlyle series follows the adventures of a British counter-terrorist agent in the modern day (ten books released from 2005 - 2018) and are written by Stella Rimington, the former head of MI5, following in the great tradition of spy authors who performed actual spy work in real-life like Ian Fleming, John le Carré, and others.  In addition, this series features a female protagonist, unlike every other book above (The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie has a duo of protagonists, one male and one female, but the Liz Carlyle series is the only one here that focuses solely on a female spy)

• Alex Rider series, for a more kid-friendly option

This is a book series which is essentially James Bond but for kids, which makes this a great entry point for children to develop a love of spy novels.  These are written by Anthony Horowitz who has written a few James Bond continuation novels, so he certainly knows his way around the spy genre

• Harry Potter series

This is a quintessential spy read for children.  Yes, you may think of the Harry Potter books as being fantasy novels about a boy wizard, but these books are absolutely steeped in spycraft.  There is the invisibility cloak, the Marauder's Map, Polyjuice potion, extendable ears, and so much more.  All of these are items that any spy would love to have in their arsenal, whether wizard or muggle.  And if you remain unconvinced that the Harry Potter books are in fact spy novels, then I submit to you the book "Harry Potter and the Art of Spying" by the International Spy Museum, which is a book that essentially goes through the story of the fifth Harry Potter book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and points out spy concepts used throughout the novel, including things like situational awareness, secure communications, informants, diversions, and more

The best spy graphic novels and comic books

• Deadpool: Secret Agent Deadpool

The best send up of the spy genre anywhere on this list.  Deadpool finds himself wrapped up in some spy hijinx and through a case of mistaken identities (including Deadpool's regenerative abilities coming into play), Deadpool begins working for a clandestine spy agency taking the place of a fallen agent very much in the style of a James Bond character.  This sets the scene for some terrific Bond spoofing, as only the motormouth Deadpool can do

• King of Spies

In this graphic novel, a secret agent finds out he has not long left to live.  What does he do with his remaining time?  He of course vows to wipe out all the scum of the Earth that he was not permitted to kill on the job.  An interesting premise and one of the best additions to the spy oeuvre in recent years

• The Illegitimates

You know how James Bond is known to sleep around?  Well, this imagines what would happen if a secret agent did that and had a bunch of kids who grew up and got into the spy game.   If that alone didn't tell you that this is a comedic take on the genre, then I'll also mention that this is conceived (and mostly written) by SNL alum Taran Killam

• Nick Fury (Jr.): Deep Cover Capers

You really can't go wrong with any story about Nick Fury or S.H.I.E.L.D., but I'll select this one for its completely outlandish plotlines.  This follows the adventures of Nick Fury Jr., who has of course gone into the world of espionage just like his father Nick Fury Sr. and each issue is a new mission that Nick resolves in style.  Other spy characters from the world of Marvel's S.HI.E.L.D. that warrant a look include the Black Widow (as well as her sister the White Widow and another orphan known as the Red Widow), Mockingbird, Phil Coulson, and Maria Hill

Well, there you go - the best spy novels and graphic novels ever written.  For top-notch spy stories in other media, check out these other links below:

• The best spy video games ever made
• The best spy films ever made (dramas and comedies)
• The best spy TV shows ever made (dramas and comedies)