Espionage fiction has a long and storied history, from the influential work of old spymasters, such as Ian Fleming and John le Carré, to the operations of more recent operatives, such as Mark Greaney and Olen Steinhauer. Indie authors have contributed their own missions to the genre, and we recommend the following:
In Keith Yocum’s Kirkus-starred 2019 series entry, Valley of Spies, recently retired investigator Dennis Cunningham is tapped by the CIA’s director to find a therapist who’s gone missing: Dr. Jane Forrester, who previously treated members of the agency—including Dennis. What she knows could jeopardize all her former clients, and it’s up to this ex–Navy SEAL to find her and nail down the facts of the case. Kirkus’ reviewer calls the novel “a taut, thoughtful thriller” and Yocum’s best.
Agent Doppelgänger (2019) by Gene Hetzel adds SF and horror elements to its spy story of a shape-shifting operative who can look like anybody and is part of a secret government project. His missions involve infiltrating enemy groups, but when his latest outing ends in a massacre, he finds himself on the run. Our reviewer recommended it for readers “weaned on Philip K. Dick’s conspiracies-within-conspiracies brand of SF paranoia or Robert Ludlum’s identity-scrambled spy thrillers.”
Michael P. King, author of the Travelers crime-fiction series, jumped into the spy game with the 2021 series starter The Hunt for the Hijacked Nerve Agent. Down-and-out Katherine Denise “KD” Thorne has a remarkable resume, including a doctorate in environmental science, multiple tours in Afghanistan, and even a few years at NASA. Now, the shadowy National Defense Agency wants her to help track down a stolen cannister of nerve agent XP-93 before it’s used in a terror attack. It’s “an undeniably entertaining way to spend an afternoon at the beach,” according to our reviewer.
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.
