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- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré. Buy on Amazon. Le Carré’s name has come to be synonymous with the spy genre, and it was this very book that propelled him to international acclaim.
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré. Buy on Amazon. Another well-known title from le Carré, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy continues in the same fictional realm set up in le Carré’s previous spy books.
- The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. Buy on Amazon. Jason Bourne is rescued by fishermen, the sole survivor of an attack at sea. When he comes to, he’s suffering from amnesia, unable to remember anything about himself or his past life outside of the intermittent flashback.
- Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett. Buy on Amazon. This award-winning classic (and Ken Follett’s first bestseller) follows a German spy, nicknamed ‘The Needle’ due to his signature use of a needle-pointed blade when killing his victims.
May 9, 2024 · Masquerade (Liz Sansborough #1) by Gayle Lynds. With Masquerade, Gayle Lynds was one of the first female authors to become a major player in the spy novel game. The first in the Liz Sansborough series, the novel opens with CIA Agent Sansborough having no memory of who she is or how she came to work for the CIA.
- Find The Killer Logline
- The Big Opening
- A Unique Protagonist and Antagonist
- Offer The Illusion of Reality
- Deliver on The Action
- Major Twists, Turns, Reveals, and Many of Them
- The MacGuffin
If you're not hired to write the latest James Bond, Jason Bourne, or Ethan Hunt blockbuster, you have to do your best to find a killer logline that will force Hollywood decision-makers to take notice. It's not enough to tell your version of those types of spy thrillers. You can't simply create your own Bond, Bourne, or Hunt, give them a new name or...
While some may believe that the big thrilling spy movie opening has become a cliché, you can't deny the expectation that audiences (and studios) have when they sit down to watch a spy thriller. But remember that there are many different versions of a big opening. You can go the James Bondroute, and focus on action spectacles. Or Mission Impossible:...
You can't just have a great hero go up against a cookie-cutter villain. It works in spy thriller franchises at times because of the fan base. But you also can't just have a cookie-cutter protagonist go up against a unique and compelling villain either. They have to be equally strong in your script — and they have to compliment each other through th...
Let's be honest — real spies are not like the ones we see in movies. They don't have a gadget-maker, and they certainly don't have the technology to make those fantastic Mission Impossiblemasks. The spy thriller tropes we know and love just aren't real (that we know of), but we still enjoy those cool gadgets and skills so how do you make such eleme...
Protagonists in spy thrillers are men or women of action. They aren't dealing with inner conflicts that encompass the core of the story and plot. They are trying to save their country or save the world. Because of that, your spy thriller scripts need to showcase a sense of action. Now, in some spy thrillers, that action is less about physical leaps...
All spy thrillers pride themselves on their twists and turns. While every script in almost every genre would do good by having twists, turns, and reveals, spy thrillers rely on them to keep the audience guessing. If there's one element out of all of these mentioned above, this is the one you need to focus on most. And it's not just about tricking t...
Alfred Hitchcock made this term popular, referring to it as a goal, desired object, or any other motivator that the protagonist (and often the antagonist as well) is either tasked with pursuing, or drawn to pursuing for whatever reasons. It’s a motivating element that exists only to drive the plot and is usually the cause and effect of each charact...
The well-crafted Liz Carlyle novels by Stella Rimington. At Risk (Liz Carlyle #1) – High stakes in an excellent espionage thriller. Secret Asset (Liz Carlyle #2) – An engrossing novel about British counter-espionage. Illegal Action (Liz Carlyle #3) – An engaging spy novel from former MI5 director Stella Rimington.
Mar 18, 2024 · The George Smiley series by John le Carré – Set during the Cold War era, the novels explore George Smiley’s efforts to uncover moles and double agents within the British intelligence services, particularly focusing on his investigations into the elusive Soviet spy known as “Karla.”. Renowned for its realistic portrayal of espionage and ...
Feb 7, 2013 · Cliffhangers are easy to arrange once you think like this. When you’re developing the plot, make a note of the cliffhanger you are going to end each chapter on. 6. Startling Twists. Related to cliffhangers are twists. A spy thriller must have twists. New and surprising things must keep coming up.
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Jeremy Hollingshead wrote: "No Ross Thomas novels make the top 100 spy novels, but a bunch of suspense and mystery stories that have nothing to do with spies do. That makes perfect sense, said no one ever."
