this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2026
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How do those compare to Le Carré’s George Smiley books?
The Helm books are straight up thrillers with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
If you want something more intellectual, try Alan Furst. His books are all set in the WW2 era. What I like about Furst is that his heroes aren't clones. His French film producer has nothing in common with his Dutch sea captain or his Hungarian count.
For some reason, his publisher put numbers on the books, but they are all stand alones.
'Night Soldiers' is about a Bulgarian fisherman who gets recruited by the KGB after his kid brother is killed by a Fascist mob.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/night-soldiers-a-novel-alan-furst/950ca5867ee0f110
That sounds awesome. Thanks for the rec