Reading order · 5 books · 1962 to 1967 · Set in London
Unnamed spy (Harry Palmer) Books in Order
The first five Deighton spy novels are told by an unnamed, working-class British intelligence officer, insubordinate, sardonic and fond of cooking, who was called Harry Palmer in the films starring Michael Caine.
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Series facts
- Books
- 5
- Published
- 1962 to 1967
- First book
- The IPCRESS File
- Latest
- An Expensive Place to Die (1967)
- Setting
- Set in London
The reading order
Every Unnamed spy (Harry Palmer) book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
5 books · Set in London
- 1The IPCRESS File1962With The narratorBritish scientists are disappearing and returning with their knowledge wiped, and the narrator, a working-class intelligence officer, investigates a mastermind codenamed Jay.Buy on Amazon
- 2Horse Under Water1963With The narratorThe unnamed spy is sent to Portugal to dive on a sunken German submarine, which holds a cargo far more dangerous than it seems.Buy on Amazon
- 3Funeral in Berlin1964With The narratorThe narrator goes to Berlin to arrange the defection of a Soviet scientist, with the help of the Soviet colonel Stok, and is drawn into a trap of double-crosses.Buy on Amazon
- 4Billion-Dollar Brain1966With The narratorThe narrator is drawn into a private anti-communist network run by an eccentric Texan billionaire, organised by a huge computer.Buy on Amazon
- 5An Expensive Place to Die1967With The narratorIn Paris, the unnamed spy is drawn into a plan to pass nuclear secrets, centred on a strange private clinic.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read the books in order, starting with The IPCRESS File.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | The narrator | Dawlish |
|---|---|---|
| 1 The IPCRESS File | LLead | MMajor |
| 2 Horse Under Water | LLead | MMajor |
| 3 Funeral in Berlin | LLead | MMajor |
| 4 Billion-Dollar Brain | LLead | MMajor |
| 5 An Expensive Place to Die | LLead | MMajor |
Characters in the Unnamed spy (Harry Palmer) books
2 characters from Len Deighton’s chart, with the number of Unnamed spy (Harry Palmer) books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| The narratorWorking-class British intelligence officer, called Harry Palmer in the films | 5 | The IPCRESS File 1962 |
| DawlishThe narrator's boss | 5 | The IPCRESS File 1962 |