Alan Furst discussion

One a year is not enough. Furst's novels have led me to David Downing, Joseph Kanon and Philip Kerr. Has anyone found other books in the genre worth reading?

I suggest Eric Ambler and Graham Greene. They are very old school, but actually they are the best of the best. Even Alan Furst refers to Ambler in his novels.

Ambler's The Light of Day is funny and brilliant. The characterization is real and not contrived. I really love that book. However most people consider A Coffin for Dimitrios as his best book.

I just read This Gun for Hire by G Greene and enjoyed it.

You may have already read them, since they have been around for ever. But if you haven't, you really should.

Like Alan Furst with his, I invested a lot of research in this WW2 spy/thriller: "The Great Liars".

"The Pulitzer-Prize nominated journalist smartly centers this historical novel on a charming rogue.” --Kirkus Reviews

“. . . a heady brew of military history and conspiracy theory that will appeal to aficionados of both.”

--Kirkus Reviews

Plus, there are lots of sterling Amazon reviews you might want to check out.

Update: This just in from the popular Ace of Spades website:

"I'm about a third of the way through it, and it's a real hoot. A Smithsonian researcher has discovered, in a nursing home for retired soldiers, a former naval officer (and a bit of a rogue) who knows where all the bodies are buried, and who has somehow managed to keep himself out of the history books."

I denounce myself for shamelessness.

Cheers,

Jerry Jay Carroll

In a similar league to Furst as a writer is Charles McCarry, who writes of the world of espionage in the Cold War era. He could be considered a contemporary of an American Le Carre, though his plots are unveiled in a simpler manner, without being less complex, which makes them very entertaining. Start with the Miernik Dossier, it's excellent.