I usually enjoy collections like similar to this book, but I realized I am just not a fan of the genre. No problem with the quality of writing, spy stories all sound the same to me.

A great collection of fantastic stories about espionage. There is a lot of good writing here. I really enjoyed this book, and have identified several authors that I want to read more from.

This is an excellent collection of stories about espionage, entertaining and gripping.
It made me discover new to me authors and read some new stories by authors I loved.
The essay at the beginning is informative and interesting, the story that covers different historical times are highly enjoyable.
A book that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

No one does an anthology better than Otto Penzler of the Mysterious Bookshop. His anthologies are filled with stories; this one is no exception coming in at over 800 pages. This may make it the perfect gift for someone that you know this holiday season. They will be immersed in tales that will keep them going for a while.

The book starts with an essay on espionage in its glamorous fictional guise. It is pointed out that the lives of real spies may be a bit more dull. Then come the stories. They are by writers well and less well known and cover historical eras including The Great War, World War II, “Other Terrors, Other Battles,” and The Cold War. Some of the many authors included are W. Somerset Maugham, John Buchan, Edgar Wallace, Eric Ambler, Erle Stanley Gardner, Joseph Finder, Sara Paretsky and Ian Fleming, among others.

This is a great book for you or someone on your gift list. Highly recommended.