Military espionage will always be a popular genre. It’s about drama and secrets. It’s about romance and intrigue. It’s about war behind closed doors. It’s about backstabbing and front stabbing and cigarette holders and foreign accents.
The further away we are from it, the more we need to know. From Mission Impossible to Tom Clancy novels, we want to see the dirtiest of dealings and how far we’ll go to protect our country. Or worse, what our government is willing to do to hide its shame.
It was before the first World War when governments established modern intelligence agencies. They were supposed to be secrets, but they gradually became notable, especially as these resources were utilized to protect us against the gravest of enemies during war time.
It was at some point before the so-called Cold War that these themes of adventure and politico-military became ever so enticing. The only barricade we had between us and an invisible enemy was these secret elements. The brave that were willing to perform duties, legal or not, to maintain the integrity of government and way of life. We both honored and feared these individuals.
These themes became a backdrop in all forms of media and stayed there. The written word is an excellent place for this genre. Military espionage is about the players and the details. Nowhere do you get a better idea of the process and the underlying threat than on the page.
Here are four of the best Kindle books you’re going to find about military espionage today.
Hard Target
Centering romance beneath an espionage assignment has long been used to entice women to a male oriented genre.
Hard Target features all the standard romantic elements but the real meat is the actual depiction of life on the enemy lines. After her embassy in South America’s bombed, disgraced Sgt. Dawna Atkinson finds her competency under the microscope. Worse, it’s ex-lover Tay Hastings that’s investigating her. Once they find themselves targets of a master sniper, they have to work together to discover what’s behind these attacks.
The History of Spying: A Brief Account of Espionage in the Cold War
This book is about fact, not fiction. The Cold War is the beginning and arguably the most fascinating period for the gathering of intelligence when there wasn’t an actual enemy to fight.
The History of Spying carefully complies a lot of information in a few short pages about betrayal, politics, greed and revenge between countries that were smiling at each other before the cameras.
The World’s Greatest Military Spies and Secret Service Agents
This entails a series of stories about those who walked the path of personal danger for flag and country. They’re not necessarily Hollywood happy stories where everyone escapes to live another adventure.
It’s about the unexpected and startling manner of battles lost and won through courage and intelligence, even when conduct is less than honorable. It breaks down the difference between spy, scout, emissaries and others that have diligently served their governments.
This was written in 1917 and its tales are still as poignant and relevant as they were then.
The Espionage Dictionary
This one’s part of the The Anonymous Spy Series. It’s a comprehensive resource for anyone that has even a passing interest in the trade of spying. Its author is unknown and the series includes material about espionage, basic CIA recruitment information and true, unfiltered accounts of espionage. This tome covers terms, definitions and accounts of an agent’s day to day life.
