Best Thriller Novels - Secrets Of The
Spy Genre
Many of the best thrillers are so-called spy novels. What are the secrets of the best spy
novels (and I don’t mean the plot)? Some novelists write for personal pleasure, but most write with the aim of
generating some income. If one’s writing is mercenary, then an author has to take account of the target market, and
for espionage novels that means the target readers will be relatively sophisticated and used to coping with complex
plots (and indeed, that could apply to crime and mystery novels too).
Key Ingredients
The best thriller novels in the espionage genre will have some of the following
ingredients cooperating to a greater or lesser extent, plus of course the essence of any well-written fiction –
strong character development and a credible plot, effectively delivered in a way which engages the
reader.
Duplicity
What are spies if not duplicitous? The whole genre is founded on cheating, stealing
secrets and living double lives. The best novelists will include portrayal of the stresses which most spies
experience. These include identity stress (‘who am I right now’) and cover story management (which is linked to
identity).
Agent Recruitment
This can be the basis of a great story, or play no part at all. It is a courtship process,
once the likely suitor has been identified, and possible motivations for being turned have been established, and
even set up – for example a classical honey-trap scenario, or a financial lure. The most effective are those who
spy for idealogical reasons, though this is double edged for the ‘handler’, as the only lever is exposure, as
opposed to withdrawal of services or cash flow with the other levers.
Running an Agent
Many novels have been written with a focus only on this aspect of espionage – the
interplay between handler and spy is the process of ‘making the marriage work’ once the initial courtship has been
consummated.
Fieldcraft
This aspect underlies almost every one of the topics here, and is present in all espionage
novels. Dead letter boxes, disguises, communications, cutouts, losing ‘tails’ and the whole area of technology
ranging from lemon juice (invisible ink) to the use of satellites. The list is endless.
The Secrets
The information which an agent communicates is not central to the best thriller novels,
though interesting secrets can form the core of a good tale. Many espionage stories are built around one particular
secret, but some do not need any secret at all (except, of course, the central issue of
duplicity/identity).
The Organisation
CIA, KGB, SIS, DIA, FSB, SBPOK, GRU, Savak, Mossad – the list of acronyms and
organisations is extensive, and each (or several together) can form the basis of spy novels. This is a more
difficult topic effectively to write about, because (just like the police procedure genre), it requires detailed
knowledge of organisational structure and operational methods in order to portray it accurately. Yes, there is a
counter argument that the detail can be invented, because the only gainsayers will be employees of those
organisations, and deficiencies can be ironed out by the use of editorial consultants. The intelligence world is
very shadowy, though, and finding suitable advisors (who would be in breach of secrecy laws) is not
easy.
In Conclusion
The very best thriller
novels will include a broad spectrum of these topics, with one, or perhaps two, explored in great depth
as the core of the work. Spy novels are a difficult genre in which to write well, because they usually involve
characters of high intellect. Developing those characters, their motivations, thought processes and associated
plots requires a high degree of skill, and dare I say, intellect, on the part of the author.
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