Action, thrills, and edge-of-your-seat moments are things you can usually count on from spy book series. And having them narrated to you, with all the breathless intensity the plots require, makes espionage books a must in audiobook format. If you’re looking for some adventure in your life via catching some spies—or being a spy!—here are 10 thrilling espionage books for your spy-loving heart.
Okay, so maybe buff Jim Halpert—er, John Krasinski—came to mind first, thanks to the recent Amazon series adaptation. Who’s to say? In any case, with a CIA analyst lead who is always targeted by enemies, there is plenty of action in this series, with tons of listens for a super marathon. Series narrator Scott Brick, and his marvelous deep voice, has voiced 800+ audiobooks, so you know the performances are top-notch.
This is equal parts a romance—stay with me!—and espionage series. I also didn’t think sexy-times was a thing that could be pulled off between two spies during the Civil War, but Alyssa Cole is magic and she can, and did, do it. Get ready to be on the edge of your seat one moment and fanning yourself the next! And you can count on Karen Chilton’s lovely, warm voice to expertly navigate this roller coaster ride for you.
For fans of historical mysteries and cozies, I present you this delightful and complete spy series (it’s a quartet!). An orphan in Victorian London is saved from execution by two women who educate her and later reveal that she was being trained as part of the Agency: female spies set out to solve mysteries. I know!
Because I know I’d be run off the internet if I didn’t mention John le Carré, a spy-turned-author in real life, here’s his George Smiley series! I for one love trying to guess how accurate any given bit of espionage is in his books, because you know he saw some stuff and lived some stuff when he worked for MI5 and MI6. Oh, and hello, English actor narration that could tuck me into bed at night if these audiobooks weren’t thrillers!
This is a fun thriller series, about a secret organization that creates assassins, that’s perfect for fans of espionage and action movies. Not all of the Orphan program’s assassins are happy to be perfect deniable intelligence assets, like Evan Smoak, who escaped—but now they’re coming for him. Plus, our narrator friend (yes, I think of them as friends!) from Patriot Games is back narrating all the books in this ongoing series.
And now for more action, with added romance and spies! Take two covert operatives (former lovers who now hate each other), give them 48 hours to save millions of lives, and you have a recipe for a juicy and exciting story. Plus, both novels in the series feature not one but three very talented performers. I love multicast narrations; they’re like listening to a play or TV show.
A European History professor is kidnapped from the US and taken to Paris because his kidnappers believe him to be a spy. He, however, has no clue what they’re talking about. So now he’s got some serious enemies and a lot to figure out—well, if he can avoid being killed! Of course, beloved narrator Edoardo Ballerini has the brilliant university professor voice you imagine nailed down.
If you’re looking for a long series full of intrigue, politics, and espionage, this almost 20-volume series should seriously scratch that itch. After his wife and son are murdered, Gabriel Allon retires from his covert anti-terrorist career and takes up his cover job, art restorer, as his real work...until his enemy shows, up of course! Make a lot of popcorn and get cozy to marathon-listen to one of the greatest spy series ever written.
For a brand new series—sequel coming next year!—we have Charles Jenkins, a security consultant who was once a CIA case worker. Past showing up on his doorstep + desperate for money = cat and mouse game. A deadly cat and mouse game! And we have our professor-voiced Ballerini back again as narrator. If these countless hours of espionage listening don’t make you an excellent spy, you’ll at least be prepared—or paranoid—enough to spot one!
An American journalist, living in late 1930s Berlin with his German girlfriend and son, finds himself doing a job for the Soviets. With the war looming, both the Nazis and the Brits become aware of his Soviet work, and he finds himself caught between warring intelligence agencies. Audiobooks in the series are variously performed by Simon Prebble, Simon Vance, and Michael Healy, making them perfect for fans of English-accented narrators.
