Ben Creed crafts suspenseful historical thrillers. In titles like City of Ghosts, he immerses readers in atmospheric settings full of intrigue and mystery.
If you enjoy reading books by Ben Creed then you might also like the following authors:
Martin Cruz Smith is an American author best known for suspenseful crime thrillers set in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. Readers who enjoyed Ben Creed’s atmospheric Soviet mysteries may appreciate Smith’s novel Gorky Park.
This crime thriller introduces Arkady Renko, a Moscow detective assigned to solve a grim triple murder. Despite political pressure and the harsh realities of Soviet-era corruption, Renko investigates with dogged determination.
The story paints Moscow vividly, immersed in the paranoia and danger of Cold War politics. Smith weaves a tense mystery filled with morally complex characters and twists that will keep readers guessing until the end.
If you enjoy dark historical thrillers by Ben Creed, you might appreciate Tom Rob Smith. Smith writes tense and atmospheric mysteries set in Soviet-era Russia. In his novel Child 44, Leo Demidov is a dedicated officer in Stalin’s Soviet Union.
When he’s forced to investigate a chilling series of child murders, he faces suspicion from authority figures, danger at every corner, and the threat of losing everything he values.
Through Leo’s eyes, Smith captures the paranoia and harsh reality of life under Soviet rule, creating a suspenseful story filled with unexpected twists and vivid historical detail.
Books by Philip Kerr offer readers a deep dive into historical crime mysteries set against the backdrop of World War II Germany. If you enjoy Ben Creed’s vivid portrayal of Soviet-era crime, Kerr’s Bernie Gunther series might strongly appeal to you.
A great starting point is March Violets, the first book featuring Bernie Gunther, a former policeman turned private investigator in 1930s Berlin.
Gunther is hired by a wealthy industrialist to investigate the murders of his daughter and son-in-law, a case filled with dangerous political connections and unexpected turns.
Through Kerr’s sharp dialogue and meticulously described historical settings, readers follow Gunther as he navigates Nazi politics, corruption, and violence to uncover truths people would rather stay buried.
Readers who enjoy Ben Creed’s atmospheric thrillers may appreciate William Ryan’s novels, especially The Holy Thief. Ryan brings Stalinist Russia vividly to life in this historical crime story.
Set in Moscow during the oppressive regime of the 1930s, the book follows Captain Alexei Korolev, a detective assigned to solve a murder that’s politically sensitive.
When the victim turns out to be an American woman linked closely to Soviet officials, Korolev faces danger and suspicion from every direction. Ryan creates a tense, intriguing mystery filled with authentic historical details, complex characters, and a tightly woven plot.
Fans of Creed will find plenty of suspense and historical flavor in Ryan’s captivating storytelling.
Readers who enjoy Ben Creed’s atmospheric historical mysteries might appreciate David Downing’s novels. Downing is known for skillful storytelling and detailed historical settings. A good place to start is Zoo Station, the first in his John Russell series.
Set in pre-WWII Berlin, the story follows John Russell, a British-American journalist living in Germany. Russell finds himself caught between opposing spy networks and must navigate the dangerous world of espionage in Nazi Germany.
Downing creates suspenseful scenes filled with intrigue, moral dilemmas, and carefully depicted historical events. Readers looking for a tense spy thriller with richly drawn historical context may find Zoo Station worth exploring.
Readers who enjoy Ben Creed’s tense historical thrillers might also appreciate Robert Harris. Harris specializes in weaving suspense into historically charged settings.
One particularly atmospheric book is Fatherland, set in an alternate 1964 where Nazi Germany has won World War II. Detective Xavier March investigates the mysterious death of a high-ranking Nazi official. His probe reveals dangerous secrets that powerful people want hidden.
Harris expertly blends history with a chilling crime plot, creating a believable and unsettling alternate past. Fans of gripping narratives and immersive worlds might find this novel particularly engaging.
If you enjoy Ben Creed’s stories set during turbulent historical times, Alan Furst might capture your interest too. His books are atmospheric and intense spy thrillers set around World War II.
In Night Soldiers, Furst introduces Khristo Stoianev, a young Bulgarian recruited into Soviet espionage after witnessing tragedy. Stoianev must navigate through secret plots, shifting alliances, and the threat of betrayal as Europe edges closer to war.
Furst’s skillful storytelling and vivid historical backdrop bring readers into the shadowy world of espionage, trust, and survival in uncertain times.
Joseph Kanon is an American author known for his atmospheric thrillers set during and after World War II. Fans of Ben Creed’s atmospheric and suspenseful depictions of Soviet-era intrigue might also enjoy Kanon’s historical spy novels.
A good place to start is The Good German, a tense thriller set in bombed-out, divided Berlin immediately after the war. The story follows American journalist Jake Geismar as he searches through the ruins of the shattered city for his former lover.
She is now entangled in a web of murder, espionage, and shifting loyalties. Kanon expertly captures the distrustful mood of postwar Berlin, a city divided by allies but united by secrets.
Simon Scarrow is an author known for vivid historical crime and thriller novels set against authentic backdrops. If you’ve enjoyed Ben Creed’s dark historical atmospheres, you might appreciate Scarrow’s Blackout, set in Berlin during the harsh winter of 1939.
Detective Inspector Horst Schenke faces enormous pressure to solve a brutal murder amid strict Nazi control and dangerous political tensions. The story doesn’t shy away from gritty detail, showing the sinister side of wartime Berlin.
Scarrow creates suspenseful twists that keep you fully engaged until the last page.
C.J. Sansom skillfully paints vivid historical landscapes filled with suspense and mystery. He expertly brings turbulent periods of history to life.
His book Dissolution immerses readers into the tense atmosphere of Tudor England, where lawyer Matthew Shardlake investigates a sinister murder at a remote monastery.
Shardlake faces hidden dangers and shifting loyalties that highlight Sansom’s talent for crafting intricate mysteries amid historical events.
Anyone fascinated with Ben Creed’s gripping depictions of dark historical settings and intense political intrigue will find plenty to appreciate in Sansom’s meticulous storytelling.
Readers who enjoy Ben Creed’s atmospheric crime stories set in tense political climates might appreciate Olen Steinhauer. Steinhauer is known for his skillful storytelling and realistic portrayal of espionage and intrigue during tumultuous historical periods.
His novel The Tourist introduces Milo Weaver, a weary CIA agent who works undercover as a tourist, moving discreetly across international borders with carefully forged identities.
Weaver wants out, but when a mission takes a dangerous turn, he’s pulled back into a world full of secrecy, betrayal, and shifting loyalties.
Steinhauer carefully builds tension and reveals the human side of intelligence work, capturing readers who enjoy Creed’s vivid historical settings and complex characters.
John le Carré is a master of espionage fiction known for his realistic portrayal of spy networks and the moral ambiguity faced by his characters. If you enjoy the atmospheric tension and historical backdrop of Ben Creed’s novels, consider le Carré's The Spy
Who Came in from the Cold. This novel features Alec Leamas, a British agent sent on one last undercover mission into East Germany during the Cold War. Leamas finds himself trapped in a ruthless double game where trust is scarce and alliances shift quietly in the shadows.
The gritty setting, intense psychological drama, and intricate webs of suspicion make it a standout spy thriller.
Sam Eastland is an author known for historical thrillers set during the Soviet era. Those who enjoy Ben Creed’s gritty depiction of Soviet Russia might find Eastland’s Inspector Pekkala series equally captivating.
Eye of the Red Tsar, the first in this series, introduces Inspector Pekkala, once the trusted investigator for Tsar Nicholas II. After years of exile in Siberia, Pekkala is summoned by Stalin himself to solve a decades-old mystery—the fate of the Romanov family.
The combination of authentic historical landscapes, vivid characters, and a gripping investigation offers an intriguing view of Russia’s turbulent history.
Jason Matthews is a former CIA officer turned thriller writer, famous for realistic espionage novels like Red Sparrow .
This book immerses readers in the tense, secretive world of espionage where Dominika Egorova, a talented Russian intelligence officer, is assigned to seduce an American CIA agent named Nate Nash.
As fierce loyalties clash with hidden agendas, their relationship evolves into a high-stakes game of deception and trust. Matthews provides intriguing insights into spycraft and intelligence methods, keeping readers guessing about each character’s motives.
Fans of Ben Creed will appreciate Matthews’s attention to historical detail, intense atmosphere, and characters caught in morally complex situations.
Books by Owen Matthews offer thrilling historical narratives set against intense Soviet-era backdrops.
In Black Sun, Matthews creates a bleak yet fascinating portrayal of 1960s Soviet Union, where Major Alexander Vasin investigates a gruesome murder at a secret nuclear research city.
The further Vasin digs, the more he encounters powerful influence, hidden secrets, and dangerous stakes in the shadowy world of KGB politics.
If Ben Creed’s dark and atmospheric Soviet mysteries captured your attention, Owen Matthews’ mix of intense suspense, historical depth, and complex characters will likely resonate too.