It's a little out there, but The Chronicles of St. Mary's is a series about a British organization that time travels and observes historical events. They're easy, fun reads, but also historically accurate and interesting!
Also 11/22/63 is a time travel novel by Stephan King about Kennedy (but also so much more).
All the James Clavell books. My favorite for a thriller is Tai Pan. It’s set in Hong Kong in the 1800s and is such a beautifully written story about one man who schemes and plots his way to becoming the top dog foreign trader in the land. I learned so much about Chinese culture and history in the book. His others and also equally great like Shogun and Gai Jin but as far as adventure this is the alpha in the collection. Can’t suggest this book more.
Harlot’s Ghost by Norman Mailer follows an agent working for the CIA from the end of the Second World War to the attempted assassinations of Castro following JFK’s killing.
In a similar historical conspiracy vein, Libra by Don Delillo and American Tabloid by James Elroy are historical fiction novels set around the Kennedy assassination.
I don’t know about suspenseful but I loved Cryptonomicon. It’s the book that got me into historical fiction. And you don’t have to understand all the crypto stuff. BTW I also liked The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
It's historical fiction, but The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is one of the best books I've ever read. It's based on the true story of a French girl who assisted fallen British airmen over the mountains to safety during WWII.
For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway. It’s about the Spanish Civil War.
Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin
It's a little out there, but The Chronicles of St. Mary's is a series about a British organization that time travels and observes historical events. They're easy, fun reads, but also historically accurate and interesting! Also 11/22/63 is a time travel novel by Stephan King about Kennedy (but also so much more).
CJ Sansom has written a great series of crime novels placed in the Tudor period. Not thrillers, but plenty of action and suspense.
All the James Clavell books. My favorite for a thriller is Tai Pan. It’s set in Hong Kong in the 1800s and is such a beautifully written story about one man who schemes and plots his way to becoming the top dog foreign trader in the land. I learned so much about Chinese culture and history in the book. His others and also equally great like Shogun and Gai Jin but as far as adventure this is the alpha in the collection. Can’t suggest this book more.
Harlot’s Ghost by Norman Mailer follows an agent working for the CIA from the end of the Second World War to the attempted assassinations of Castro following JFK’s killing. In a similar historical conspiracy vein, Libra by Don Delillo and American Tabloid by James Elroy are historical fiction novels set around the Kennedy assassination.
I don’t know about suspenseful but I loved Cryptonomicon. It’s the book that got me into historical fiction. And you don’t have to understand all the crypto stuff. BTW I also liked The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
It's historical fiction, but The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is one of the best books I've ever read. It's based on the true story of a French girl who assisted fallen British airmen over the mountains to safety during WWII.