Robert Ludlum. If your rec-recipient is into spoofs at all, "The Road to Omaha" is downright hysterical. What's the other Road book, "Road to Gandolfo"? Omaha is better.

For straight up Ludlum, "Parsival Mosaic." Twisted spy plotlines and a romance that made me smile.

Alan Furst appears to be gaining ground on Le Carre for intensely-realistic spy novels. I read Night Soldiers, and thought it was brilliant. Very well written, complicated characters, great intrigue.

Also The Bourne Identity, which made it to the movies in a much changed version; and anything by Helen MacInnes, wonderful stories, though older. Spy novels were my first adult love.

If your friend likes romance, more than a couple of the hot selling romance novelists have written some pretty intriguing spy type novels. I'm trying to remember one of my favorites, but the author keeps escaping me.

Ooo, good (taking notes). I should read Le Carre at some point. I gave Ludlum a shot back in junior high and hated him, but maybe worth a try again, so I'll use this as an excuse to get recommendations for myself as well. I should break out of my all sci-fi/fantasy/horror menu.

Adding it to the previous conversation, I've always been a little embarrassed to admit liking McKinley, but both The Blue Sword and Hero/Crown really stuck with me. I did the Erin thing of re-reading them a few years ago and mostly noting how much I'd matured. But I still like them.

I know I've really liked some Le Guin short stories, but I tend to read anthologies at one go, and never remember the titles of the stories, or even who wrote what. Left Hand and Dispossessed aren't long though, if you can count novellas.

Mustn't forget Furst, or MacInnes, who is splendid. Ludlum I have to be very much in the mood for.

Who wrote A Dandy in Aspic? The movie remains my favourite spy movie, to this day. (edit: Derek Marlowe.)

The rec recipient is my apprentice, a 25yo guy who claims to despise romance of any sort. But he really liked Love, Actually so I think it's a pose. Don't know that I could get him to read a romance novel, though, unless we replaced the cover with "Geeks Guide to Unix" or something.

Raquel, then I won't keep trying to remember the blasted woman's name. The Helen MacInnes usually have a romantic relationship of some sort, as do some (maybe all?) of the Ludlum's, but the focus is mostly on the spying.

I need to try Le Carre again. Also try Furst. I'd forgotten how much I loved spy novels.

Raquel, I'm mentally singing Joni Mitchell to your 25-year-old: "The last time I saw Richard was Detroit in '68, and he told me, all romantics meet the same fate someday, cynical and drunk and boring someone in some dark cafe..." and then later in the song, she says "Richard, you haven't really changed, I said, only now you're romanticising some pain that's in your head you've got doom in your eyes but the songs you played are dreaming: listen! they sing of love so sweet..."

Dude. Now I'm lost in Love, Actually again. But I think you're right, and it's a pose.

re: romance and Ludlum--at least in Parsival Mosaic, the romance is integral to the character motivations, but the plot is the main focus. Beautifully convoluted.

What are the key spy novels to read?

Pretty much anything by Tom Clancy.

Pretty much anything by Len Deighton.

Still among my favorites, although kind of dated and hard to find now:

by Desmond Bagley Running Blind The Tightrope Men The Mackintosh Man a.k.a. The Freedom Trap The Enemy

by Dick Francis Trial Run

by John Le Carré: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy The Honorable Schoolboy Smiley's People