Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré ★★★★★

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John LeCarré ★★★★☆

Call For the Dead by John LeCarré ★★★★☆

Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz ★★★★☆

What I loved 

Fat gay bad guy!

Sixteen - the strong, intelligent, violent female spy.

The most vicious, effective, and soul-sucking potential Bond death. Any man, hell any person, would have gladly jumped in a shark tank.

Transfer of Power (Mitch Rapp #3) by Vince Flynn ★★★★★

“Nothing else mattered, especially not the political operative who had brought this snake into the White House.” 

Better than Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down combined is the original, and politically damning, Vince Flynn version, Transfer of Power. These books are my new obsession. It’s 3:30 in the morning and I was suppose to wake up at 4:30 - I blame you for this Flynn! 

Kill Shot (Mitch Rapp #2) by Vince Flynn ★★★★★

Mitch Rapp is back! It’s just one more kill, a Libyan oil minister with a dark past, but now Rapp has gone from hunter to hunted. Who can he trust? Lone gunman are often just that - alone. Multiple international interests, action, violence, sex, betrayal - this felt like the best of old Clancy (maybe better). 

Without Remorse by Tom Clancy ★★★★☆

John Clark was never a boy scout. Half of the book is layered Clancy geopolitical games but the rest is down and dirty. Be prepared to hit the streets with an ex Navy Seal hell bent on revenge!

The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Jack Ryan #4) by Tom Clancy ★★★★☆

Comrades, this was much better the second time around. I got choked up at the end, a tear nearly escaped.

The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan #3) by Tom Clancy ★★★☆☆

And so it is for the third time I can say the movie was better than the book.

Red Rabbit (Jack Ryan #2) by Tom Clancy ★★★★★

Five spy-citing stars! This is Cold War miniseries gold. Of all the Ryan books, this is the one I remembered the most.

Patriot Games (Jack Ryan #1) by Tom Clancy ★★★★★

If there’s anything better than classic Clancy I have yet to find it. Damn but this was good, a perfect balance of action, intrigue, and investigation. Listed as the first Jack Ryan adventure, the old girl holds up well.

American Assassin (Mitch Rapp #1) by Vince Flynn ★★★★★

“Retribution is a punishment that is morally right and fully deserved.”