Editing Spy fiction (section)

===Second World War===
The growing support of fascism in Germany, [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]] and [[Francoist Spain|Spain]], and the imminence of war, attracted quality writers back to spy fiction.

British author [[Eric Ambler]] brought a new realism to spy fiction. ''[[The Dark Frontier]]'' (1936), ''[[Epitaph for a Spy]]'' (1938), ''[[The Mask of Dimitrios]]'' (US: ''A Coffin for Dimitrios'', 1939), and ''[[Journey into Fear (novel)|Journey into Fear]]'' (1940) feature amateurs entangled in espionage. The politics and ideology are secondary to the personal story that involved the hero or heroine. Ambler's [[Popular Front]]–period ''œuvre'' has a left-wing perspective about the personal consequences of "big picture" politics and ideology, which was notable, given spy fiction's usual [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] tilt in defence of [[The Establishment|establishment]] attitudes. Ambler's early novels ''Uncommon Danger'' (1937) and ''Cause for Alarm'' (1938), in which [[NKVD]] spies help the amateur [[protagonist]] survive, are especially remarkable among English-language spy fiction.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

''[[Above Suspicion (Helen MacInnes novel)|Above Suspicion]]'' (1939) by [[Helen MacInnes]], about an anti-Nazi husband and wife spy team, features literate writing and fast-paced, intricate, and suspenseful stories occurring against contemporary historical backgrounds. MacInnes wrote many other spy novels in the course of a long career, including ''Assignment in Brittany'' (1942), ''Decision at Delphi'' (1961), and ''Ride a Pale Horse'' (1984).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Smith|first=Kyle Wishart|date=2015|title=Pre Cold War British spy fiction, the "albatross of self" and lines of flight in Gravity's Rainbow.|url=https://orbit.openlibhums.org/article/id/448/|journal=Orbit (Brighton, England)|volume=3|issue=1|pages=1–43}}</ref>

[[Manning Coles]] published ''Drink to Yesterday'' (1940), a grim story occurring during the Great War, which introduces the hero [[Thomas Elphinstone Hambledon]]. However, later novels featuring Hambledon were lighter-toned, despite being set either in [[Nazi Germany]] or Britain during the [[World War II|Second World War]] (1939–45). After the War, the Hambledon adventures fell to formula, losing [[Literary criticism|critical]] and popular interest.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The events leading up to the Second World War, and the War itself, continue to be fertile ground for authors of spy fiction. Notable examples include [[Ken Follett]], ''[[Eye of the Needle (novel)|Eye of the Needle]]'' (1978); [[Alan Furst]], ''Night Soldiers'' (1988); and [[David Downing]], the Station series, beginning with ''Zoo Station'' (2007).{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}