Ava on The Greatest True Spy Stories

Before I started writing Alias Emma I must have read just about every espionage book there is, from the infamous fiction titles like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy to lesser-known but equally as thrilling memoirs. So I was really happy when Crime Reads asked me to write about my favourite non-fiction books about real spies.

“When I first started thinking about writing a spy novel, I read every book I could find about espionage. From Kim to Ashenden to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, along with every book that became a film starring Michael Caine. Having spent several years steeped in spies, I can honestly say that in books, real life is better than fiction. The best books I’ve discovered about espionage are not novels, but non-fiction works about actual spies and their remarkable, deadly exploits. These books are darker than Smiley. Funnier than Bond. More extreme than Jason Bourne. 

Here are my favorite, stranger than fiction, utterly gripping, non-fiction books about real spies.”