![]() ![]() People who know us know that two of our, say, top five interests include midcentury double identity stories and underground Latin American political/intellectual scenes. Rosalie Knecht, Who Is Vera Kelly? (Tin House) Today, let’s celebrate the year’s best works of espionage fiction, ten novels that burrow deep into the souls of spies and their quarry. (Yes there’s plenty of overlap-that’s why these books are so great.) We love all kinds of spy novels, and tomorrow we’ll be looking at the year’s best political and spy thrillers. Spy thrillers are focused on the actions of spies and the geopolitical and military ramifications of their spycraft. We’re going to make a rather haphazard distinction between “espionage fiction” and “spy thrillers.” Espionage fiction, let’s say, is focused on intelligence gathering and the inner lives of spies. Let’s establish some parameters up front. We’ve decided to round up our favorites from a strong year in espionage fiction. The novelist and the spy, it turns out, are practically relatives. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Espionage has always been tied up with dual identities, coded communication, the foundations of knowledge, the manipulation of wills, and all the other tricks and trappings of a spy’s life. ![]() ![]() More and more, many of our most talented authors are turning to the world of intelligence gathering and finding there the grist for powerful new work. There are many areas of the crime and mystery world to be excited about in 2018, where startling new stories are being told in innovative ways, cultures are intersecting, and identities are being explored with nuance and insight, but quite possibly the first among peers has to be espionage fiction. ![]()
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