9 must-read books for fans of Jack Ryan

When Jack Ryan first appeared on our screens, he was a CIA analyst with a glamorised desk job. But over the past four seasons of the show, he’s been out in the field, trying to prevent international disasters (nuclear weapons, political upheavals, and another world war, to name a few).

Below we’ve rounded up the best suspense novels and spy thrillers that are perfect for those who love the show. In these novels, the stakes are impossibly high, there’s a race against time, and the fate of the world rests in one agent’s hands.

The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without a book from Tom Clancy’s series that inspired the hit Amazon Prime show. The Hunt for Red October was written at the height of the Cold War – and it shows, given the claustrophobic tension and high, world-ending stakes. In this political thriller, which introduces us to the character of Jack Ryan, America goes to extreme lengths to try and capture a Russian missile submarine. Clancy deftly depicts the mind games of the Cold War era – and the very real threat of MAD (mutually assured destruction).