by Joseph Hone (1989)
Eric Ambler, John Buchan, Erskine Childers, Arthur Conan Doyle, Joseph Conrad, Len Deighton, Ian Fleming, Frederick Forsyth, Graham Greene, Geoffrey Household, John le Carre, Robert Ludlum and Joseph Hone. What do they have in common? They wrote spy thrillers and all have appeared in a recent survey of the fifty best books in that genre. Although he may be the least known the inclusion of Joseph Hone was not eccentric. The particular title chosen was The Private Sector the first of his Peter Marlow titles. The author and the title are fully deserving of this accolade. The time is May, 1967 in the weeks leading up to the Arab/Israeli six day war. The place is Cairo. The story is Peter Marlow's, an Irish teacher and secret agent sent from London to find his friend and fellow spy, Henry Edwards who has vanished from Cairo. During the course of this fool's errand, he also finds his former wife, Bridget, who is now deeply involved with Edwards both emotionally and professionally. Marlow moves easily British and Egyptian intelligence branches, attaching his allegiance to neither until he becomes the unwitting victim of a failed plot to topple Nasser. Credible and dramatic, this is a story of callous political and human intrigue and of a mission which can only succeed if none of the men return.
Ian Fleming
Marking the centennial of the author's birth, a comprehensive anthology of short fiction chronicling the exploits and adventures of the suave British agent includes the tales that served as the inspiration for such films as Octopussy, The Living Daylights, For Your Eyes Only, and the upcoming Fall 2008 Quantum of Solace.
John le Carré
In the aftermath of the events described in *Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy*, George Smiley attempts to bring the Circus back from the brink and undo the damage caused by the traitor/mole Bill Haydon while still pursuing his "arch nemesis" Karla.
Tom Clancy
Patriot Games is a thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and published in July 1987. Without Remorse, released six years later, is an indirect prequel, and it is chronologically the first book featuring Jack Ryan, the main character in most of Clancy's novels. The novel focuses on Ryan being the target of Irish terrorist group Ulster Liberation Army for thwarting their kidnapping attempt on the Prince and Princess of Wales in London.
Francesca Kay
Set in London in the early eighties, award-winning novelist Francesca Kay's third novel tells the story of a spy who falls for the wrong woman. What happens to a man who has his ear pressed to the lives of others but not much life of his own? When Stephen Donaldson joins the Institute, he anticipates excitement, romance and new status. Instead he gets the tape-recorded conversations of ancient communists and ineffectual revolutionaries, until the day he is assigned a new case: the ultra-secret PHOENIX. Is PHOENIX really working for a foreign power? Stephen hardly cares; it is the voice of the target's wife that mesmerizes him. -- Publisher.