Spy fiction is having a moment. According to Laura Martin at the BBC, that’s because of uncertain political times. In the past year alone, Black Doves topped the Netflix charts worldwide, an update…

The guy or gal who was never trained and never expected to be getting into the spy business. Perhaps, even when up to their eyeballs in secret codes and fake identities, they’re still clueless as to what they’ve got themselves into. And that makes them relatable because, well, it could be me, or you.

How would I, a regular person, respond if I somehow got caught up in the world of espionage? How would you? The following reading list might offer some clues.

  • The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

  • Our Man In Havana by Graham Greene

  • The Tailor Of Panama by John le Carré

  • The Amateur by Robert Littell

  • The Wayward Spy by Susan Ouellette

  • The Travelers by Chris Pavone