From spies and secret agents who are household names to lesser known treasures loved by the connoisseurs of the espionage genre, these are the series we simply can’t stop listening to.
1. Jack Ryan | Tom Clancy
When we were compiling this list, there was no dispute about its first name: Tom Clancy. The author is synonymous with espionage thrillers and his most famous creation is undoubtedly Jack Ryan. This former US Marine is also a CIA analyst and historian, but he’s pretty handy in a fight, too. It all adds up to the complete package of the right stuff, ready to tackle bad guys the world over. Patriot Games, The Hunt for Red October and Clear and Present Danger are just some of the titles to get you in the mood for action. With a host of talented narrators at the mic, you’re in for many hours of thrills.
2. James Bond: The Collection | Ian Fleming
Who’s your favourite Bond? Matthew Goode? Rory Kinnear? Bill Nighy? Damian Lewis? Kenneth Branagh? When you dive into this collection of Fleming’s finest, you’ll love them all. Delivering these world-famous stories with all the charm, wit and menace you’d expect of the world’s most famous spy, the narrators will have you on the edge of your seat for the duration of every Bond adventure. Listen to Bond as Fleming intended. Stripped of the camp and with the special effects going off in your imagination, they’re harder-edged than the movies. You might be surprised.
3. The Evan Smoak Series | Gregg Hurwitz
Often with gritty espionage fiction, the back story is just as important as how the tale is revealing itself in the here and now. The Evan Smoak series by Gregg Hurwitz is a fine example – possibly the finest. Evan Smoak was enrolled on a secretive project at age 12 called the Orphan Program. Composed entirely of kids who won’t be missed, the project takes orphans and trains them to become ruthless assassins for the government. But what happens if the Program is closed down? With Evan Smoak (Orphan X), we find out. He becomes a vigilante but soon realises that the rest of the assassins haven’t exactly disappeared – in fact, they have their sights on him.
4. Ben Hope | Scott Mariani
Spy thrillers come in all shapes and sizes, from the explosive to the more nuanced, with highly considered development and much bigger mysteries in the background of the ones being investigated. Scott Mariani’s Ben Hope stories fit in the latter category. Sometime SAS soldier and theology student, Ben Hope is on a mission. In fact, lots of missions. But he uses his military and academic talents for good, such as rescuing missing children or solving ancient mysteries. There’s always a thread of the theological and the mystical running through the tales, giving a tantalising extra dimension to every sentence. Sit back and listen to these unbelievable stories being read by exceptional actors – you’ll start to believe.
5. Alec Milius | Charles Cumming
Charles Cumming doesn’t do small. The Alec Milius spy stories are all enormous thrillers, the subjects thwarting plans with malevolent global consequences. Alec is a flawed genius, who will stop at nothing to deceive and cajole his way to success, all against terrorists, mafiosi and a whole host of groups with bad intentions. These audiobooks make it onto our list simply because of the high quality storytelling and expert narration that will draw you in to a lesser known character outside espionage fiction circles. Get in the circle. Now.
6. Smiley | John le Carré
Try and imagine a list of the most respected espionage authors that didn’t include John le Carré. It’s impossible. So, now we’re left to decide which series of titles to focus on. Not so easy, but we’ve gone for Smiley, mainly because it’s a series you can enjoy over months, with each week revealing new information about this enigmatic character. Easily le Carré’s best known character, George Smiley works for British Intelligence overseas and has been portrayed on film by James Mason, Alec Guinness, Denholm Elliott and Gary Oldman. His adventures are spy thriller classics: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Smiley's People and The Secret Pilgrim, among others. Read mainly by Michael Jayston but with Tom Hollander contributing, you know it’s a top notch roller coaster every single minute you’re listening.
7. Jason Bourne | Robert Ludlum
The first Bourne movie was released a year after Robert Ludlum’s death in 2001 and debate has always raged as to whether they live up to the incredible storytelling that the author breathed into them. So just imagine how exceptional these audiobooks must be, with the original Bourne Trilogy being read by Scott Brick, deadpan as you like, until the suspense starts to grow. There are also some newer titles by Eric Van Lustbader, inspired by the originals and this incredible character. The movies are surely better known than their literary originals, but now you can decide for yourself whether that’s an injustice.
8. Slough House | Mick Herron
Imagine being kicked out of MI5 for … well, let’s not spoil it. Mick Herron’s Slough House series tells us what happens to these people when they mess up – they enter the House where their skills can be put to good use, and they might – might – get the chance to redeem themselves. Cue extraordinary acts of valour, spiked with feelings of betrayal and bitterness, and you’ve got a fine set of spy thrillers, all read with menace and mystery in mind.
9. Final Hour | Juno Rushdan
Spy thrillers don’t always come as thrilling as those emanating from the mind of Juno Rushdan. Agents usually end up having to unearth world-altering (and not in a good way) plots and there’s always a deep personal link (also not in a good way) to crushing them. But extraordinary actions sometimes require agents to put aside their histories and their misgivings to team up with unlikely partners – because time is always running out. We love these stories, and they had to be included here, as they must be the paciest spy fiction we know of. If that’s your thing, dive right in.
10. John Russell | David Downing
It’s surprising how hard it is to find excellent thrillers from World War II, especially considering the sheer amount of intelligence-gathering, misdirection and huge risk to life that went on. David Downing remedies that with his Station stories. We’re transported into the surreal world of Berlin during the height of Hitler’s powers, where Communist-sympathising John Russell is working for the Soviets but, with the British and Americans breathing down his neck, his loyalty is always being tested. Masaryk Station, the last of the John Russell stories, steps into the early post-war world, just as the Cold War is beginning to dawn as the new global reality, and is every bit as thrilling as you’d expect.
Discover more thrilling spy audiobooks here.
