The Oxford Book of Spy Stories

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A redline from a laser gunsight cuts through the darkness, targeting the wall beside him. A muffled sound like a dry cough precedes a bullet thudding into the wall above. As he slides forward under the bed, the tension escalates. In this gripping spy narrative, set during a fictional mole hunt in the mid-eighties, the protagonist faces constant peril. This dashing spy embodies the complexities of twentieth-century fiction, mirroring the evolving landscape of global politics. The anthology presents a rich collection of twenty-nine tales that encapsulate the essence of espionage, featuring renowned authors such as Ambrose Bierce, W. Somerset Maugham, Frank O'Connor, Ian Fleming, Len Deighton, Graham Greene, and Edward D. Hoch. These stories depict spies in various lights—sometimes as heroic saviors of national secrets, other times as disillusioned loners grappling with uncertainty. The narratives range from traditional thrillers to deeper explorations of the moral, political, and psychological dilemmas inherent in espionage. Accompanied by Michael Cox's insightful introduction, this compilation offers an engaging literary journey into a world filled with intrigue and deception.