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Quick answer: If you loved Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Smiley's People, A Perfect Spy and Slow Horses. All offer slow, intelligent spy fiction full of betrayal and moral doubt.
John le Carré's novel follows George Smiley as he hunts a Soviet mole inside British intelligence. It is patient, bleak and full of office politics. The books below include more le Carré and other masters of realistic spy fiction. All are real, in-print books for adult readers.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Spy Who Came in from the Cold | John le Carré | Adult | the next le Carré |
| Smiley's People | John le Carré | Adult | completing the trilogy |
| The Honourable Schoolboy | John le Carré | Adult | Smiley completists |
| A Perfect Spy | John le Carré | Adult | literary spy fans |
| The Little Drummer Girl | John le Carré | Adult | undercover stories |
| The Constant Gardener | John le Carré | Adult | post-Cold War le Carré |
| Slow Horses | Mick Herron | Adult | modern spy comedy |
| The Ipcress File | Len Deighton | Adult | 1960s spy cool |
| Berlin Game | Len Deighton | Adult | Cold War Berlin |
| Our Man in Havana | Graham Greene | Adult | spy satire |
| The Third Man | Graham Greene | Adult | noir fans |
| A Coffin for Dimitrios | Eric Ambler | Adult | classic suspense |
| Night Soldiers | Alan Furst | Adult | historical spy fiction |
| The Spy and the Traitor | Ben Macintyre | Adult | true spy stories |
| The Company | Robert Littell | Adult | epic spy fiction |
1. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
A burned-out agent takes one last mission in East Germany. Short, bleak and le Carré's breakthrough.
Best for: the next le Carré.
2. Smiley's People by John le Carré
Smiley comes out of retirement to face his old rival Karla. The conclusion of the Karla trilogy.
Best for: completing the trilogy.
3. The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré
The middle Karla book sends an agent to Hong Kong. Long and rich in detail.
Best for: Smiley completists.
4. A Perfect Spy by John le Carré
A spy disappears and a lifetime of lies unfolds. Le Carré's most personal novel.
Best for: literary spy fans.
5. The Little Drummer Girl by John le Carré
An actress is recruited by Israeli intelligence. Tense and morally murky.
Best for: undercover stories.
6. The Constant Gardener by John le Carré
A diplomat investigates his wife's murder in Kenya. Angry and moving.
Best for: post-Cold War le Carré.
7. Slow Horses by Mick Herron
Exiled MI5 agents work in a rundown office and stumble on a plot. Funny, cynical and current.
Best for: modern spy comedy.
8. The Ipcress File by Len Deighton
A nameless spy investigates brainwashing. Snappy, ironic and stylish.
Best for: 1960s spy cool.
9. Berlin Game by Len Deighton
Bernard Samson tries to bring an agent out of East Berlin. Opens a long series.
Best for: Cold War Berlin.
10. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
A vacuum-cleaner salesman becomes a British spy in Cuba. A comic, sad story.
Best for: spy satire.
11. The Third Man by Graham Greene
A writer investigates a friend's death in postwar Vienna. Short and atmospheric.
Best for: noir fans.
12. A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler
A writer becomes obsessed with a dead criminal. A tight, pre-war thriller.
Best for: classic suspense.
13. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
A young Bulgarian is recruited by Soviet intelligence. Moody and rich in period detail.
Best for: historical spy fiction.
14. The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre
The true story of KGB officer Oleg Gordievsky who worked for MI6. Reads like a novel.
Best for: true spy stories.
15. The Company by Robert Littell
A long novel about the CIA across the Cold War. Dense and sweeping.
Best for: epic spy fiction.
How to Choose
For more Smiley, read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Smiley's People. For modern humor, pick Slow Horses. For true stories, The Spy and the Traitor is gripping. For classic noir, try The Third Man or Our Man in Havana. Spy fiction rewards slow reading, so take your time with names and agencies. If you are new to the genre, begin with The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, which is shorter and easier. Move to the Karla trilogy later. Keep a note of names, since le Carré rarely explains who is who. The BBC series with Alec Guinness is an excellent companion.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read Tinker Tailor first?
You can start with The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, though Tinker Tailor begins the Karla trilogy.
What order are the Smiley books?
Call for the Dead, A Murder of Quality, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, then the Karla trilogy: Tinker Tailor, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People.
Why is le Carré so highly regarded?
He had real intelligence experience and wrote spies as flawed, tired people, not heroes.
Is there a good film?
The 2011 film starred Gary Oldman, and the 1979 BBC series starred Alec Guinness.
Which spy series is easiest to start?
Slow Horses is funny, modern and quick to read.
Is Tinker Tailor hard to follow?
Yes, at first. The plot is dense with code names and flashbacks, but it rewards patience.
Who is George Smiley?
He is an aging British intelligence officer, quiet and brilliant, who appears in several le Carré novels.
Is Slow Horses a good place to start?
Yes. Herron's books are funnier and faster, though they are part of a series.
Are there other spy writers like le Carré?
Len Deighton, Graham Greene and Eric Ambler write in a similar realistic style, and several appear on this list.