Weekend reads: 5 spy thrillers that deliver, from The Day of the Jackal to Karla’s Choice

There’s something thrilling and magnetic about a spy thriller. There’s a rush when our characters have to make a decision in the spur of the moment, get lost in the swarm of moral dilemmas—it all contributes to a thrilling spy read. And the beauty of spy fiction is its variety. There are the intellectually engaging stories, and then there are the action-packed ones, filled with intense gunfights and warfare.

So, if you’re looking to read a good spy book for the weekend, we’ve got you covered, courtesy UAE residents.

Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway

This is May Catherine’s pick, and we’re not surprised why. The sales professional loves the pace, the endless twists and turns. “It’s like you’re on an endless rollercoaster, but you just don’t want to get off,” she says.

Interested? Here’s the essential story: It brings back the spymaster George Smiley, created by John Le Carre and carried on by his son, Harkaway. But good news is, you don’t have to worry about reading the previous novels. It works just as well as a standalone novel.  The year is 1963, and a Hungarian émigré named Bánáti—secretly a Soviet spy posing as a London literary agent—has just survived an assassination attempt by a Moscow hitman. His cover blown, the near-miss sends shockwaves through the Circus, le Carré’s iconic stand-in for MI6. Enter George Smiley, coaxed out of retirement (again) to try and flip Bánáti into working for the British. What follows is a tense and tangled operation—anything but smooth—that pulls in familiar faces from le Carré’s universe: a duplicitous German agent last seen in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, and, true to the title, the ever-enigmatic Karla, the Russian mastermind introduced in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

It's a treat for spy lovers, says Catherine.

The Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsythe

You might have seen the film, but you should read the book too, just in case you already haven’t. It’s a political thriller, revolving around a deadly, and chilling assassin who is just known as the ‘Jackal’. His task is to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France in the 1960s. It follows his gruelling, preparations for this assignment, which involves several cold murders along the way without so much of a change in expression. There’s an air of sinister mystery around this man, heightening the interest in the story.

A real page turner, as Dubai-based Donia Ley, a sales professional says.

The Berlin Exchange by Joseph Kanon

Another favourite that Ley keeps turning to, as she says. And, for good reason.

Berlin, 1963. Fog rolls in over a shadowy border crossing—not Checkpoint Charlie, where the world watches, but a quieter, guarded gate reserved for East German elite. It’s dawn.It’s the morning for secrets. On one side: two American students, caught smuggling people across the Berlin Wall, and an aging MI6 operative. On the other: Martin Keller, a physicist once splashed across headlines, now a ghost buried in the English prison system.

But the most important thing about Keller isn’t his past—it’s his American passport. And what drives him isn’t politics, but the hope of seeing his ex-wife Sabine and their young son again.

The swap is silent, efficient, cold. Standard procedure. But Keller senses it immediately—something’s off. Who arranged this? The KGB? Why now? He knows the rules: nothing in this world happens without a reason. And they don’t want his physics—he’s been out of the game too long. No, they want something else. And he won’t find out what—until it’s too late.

Taut, chilling, and packed with Cold War tension, The Berlin Exchange delivers an electrifying portrait of a man pulled back into a world he thought he had left behind. As the stakes rise, so does the danger—until the final revelation lands with breathtaking force.

The Brotherhood of the Rose, David Morrell

Dubai-based Kira Koyle enjoys this one so much, to the extent that it’s her loyal travelling companion. In The Brotherhood of the Rose, Saul and Chris grow up in the shadows of Philadelphia, handpicked and raised by a mysterious man named Eliot—not just as sons, but as elite assassins. Trained to trust no one and kill without hesitation, the boys believe they owe Eliot everything.

But when a mission spirals out of control for Saul, and Chris finds himself at the center of an international firestorm, the illusion begins to crack. As the two men dig deeper into the truth behind their missions, they realize the man they called “father” may not be who they thought he was. Of course, is anyone ever what they seem in a spy thriller?

And so, it’s no longer just about completing the mission. It’s a fight to stay alive.

Midnight in Vienna by Jane Thynne

Sometimes, you just don't know what's happening and maybe that's what makes for a brilliant spy thriller read, as Koyle says. She likes the feeling of being lost and grappling---in a good way of course. And that's exactly what Midnight in Vienna does.

As Britain braces for war, the shadows deepen, and danger creeps closer to home. With gas masks being distributed and blackouts on the horizon, tension grips the nation. For Stella Fry, the unease is personal. Recently returned from Vienna after heartbreak and job loss, she’s looking for a fresh start—anything to keep her mind off the chaos. She answers an ad from renowned mystery novelist Hubert Newman, who needs someone to type his latest manuscript. It seems simple enough—until Newman turns up dead the very next day under mysterious circumstances. And then, a package arrives: the manuscript, addressed specifically to her.

The note is cryptic. The pages, even more so.

Enter Harry Fox, a sharp, suspended former Special Branch investigator with secrets of his own, and a deep interest in Newman’s sudden death. When he approaches Stella, he’s convinced this was no accident.

Together, Stella and Harry must follow the breadcrumbs hidden in the manuscript before the real story—one filled with secrets, spies, and something far darker—claims another life.