Assassinations in Fiction - Novels

Novels

  • Judith (c. 800) — Old English poem based on the Book of Judith (c. 100 BC)
  • Edward Grim, Vita S. Thomae aka Life of Thomas Becket (1180) — eyewitness account of Thomas à Becket
  • Das Nibelungenlied (c. 1200) — German epic poem
  • Marko Marulić, Judita (1521) — Croatian epic poem
  • Alexandre Dumas, père, The Black Tulip (1850) — historical novel about Johan and Cornelis de Witt
  • Bolesław Prus, Pharaoh (1895)
  • Henryk Sienkiewicz, Quo Vadis: A Tale of the Time of Nero (1895) — historical novel about SS. Peter and Paul, Pisonian conspirators and Empress Poppaea, Emperor Nero
  • Anthony Hope, Rupert of Hentzau (1898) — adventure novel and sombre finale to The Prisoner of Zenda (1894)
  • J.M. Barrie, Better Dead (18??) — novella about a plot against Lord Randolph Churchill
  • Jack London, The Iron Heel (1908) — violent dystopian novel
  • Jack London, The Assassination Bureau, Ltd (c. 1910, published 1963) — novel half-written by London, completed by Robert L. Fish, possibly influenced by the J.M. Barrie novella, Better Dead.
  • Joseph Conrad, Under Western Eyes (1911)
  • Baroness Orczy, The Laughing Cavalier (1913) — historical novel about Maurice of Nassau
  • John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) — suspense novel about a Greek Prime Minister
  • André Malraux, Man's Fate (1933) — existential political novel
  • Robert Graves, I, Claudius (1934), Claudius the God (1935) — historical novels about Roman Emperors Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero
  • John Steinbeck, In Dubious Battle (1936) — social realist novel about a Communist labour organizer supporting a strike by fruit pickers
  • Geoffrey Household, Rogue Male (1939)
  • Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon (1940) — political novel about "Nikolai Rubashov" (Nikolai Bukharin, et al.)
  • Robert A. Heinlein, If This Goes On (serialized in 1940, published in the 1953 compilation Revolt in 2100)
  • Bart Lytton, Hangman's Village (1943?) — topical novel about Reinhard Heydrich
  • Pär Lagerkvist, The Dwarf (1944)
  • Robert Penn Warren, All the King's Men (1946) — political novel about a Southern governor (Huey Long)
  • Samuel Shellabarger, Prince of Foxes (1947) — historical novel about Cesare Borgia
  • Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time (1951) — historical novel about the Princes in the Tower
  • Ian Fleming, James Bond series (1953–1966) — spy novel series featuring a "licensed to kill" protagonist who is described as having carried out assassinations, but rarely actually does so in the books themselves
    • From Russia, With Love (1957) — references Andrés Nin
  • Philip K. Dick, Solar Lottery (1955) — science fiction novel with assassination as political system
  • Graham Greene, The Quiet American (1955)
  • Richard Condon, The Manchurian Candidate (1959)
  • Elie Wiesel, Dawn (1961)
  • Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) — science fiction novel about a Messianic character
  • Emeric Pressburger, Killing a Mouse on Sunday (1961) — filmed as Behold a Pale Horse
  • Manuel Mujica Laínez, Bomarzo (1962) — historical novel about Pier Francesco Orsini
  • Vassilis Vassilikos, Z (1967) — political novel about an opposition politician (Gregoris Lambrakis)
  • Mario Puzo, The Godfather (1969)
  • Frederick Forsyth, The Day of the Jackal (1971) — suspense novel about Charles de Gaulle
  • Loren Singer, The Parallax View (1972)
  • Trevanian, The Eiger Sanction (1972)
  • Michael Crichton (as John Lange), Binary (1972) — suspense novel about a US President
  • George Shipway, The Paladin (1972), The Wolf Time (1973) — historical novels about Walter Tyrell, the presumed assassin of King William Rufus in 1100
  • Trevanian, The Loo Sanction (1973)
  • Richard Condon, Winter Kills (1974)
  • Jack Higgins, The Eagle Has Landed (1975) — war novel about a plot by Himmler to capture Churchill
  • Sjöwall and Wahlöö, The Terrorists (1975) — suspense novel about a Swedish Prime Minister (not Olof Palme)
  • Gerald Seymour, Harry's Game (1975)
  • David Littlejohn, The Man Who Killed Mick Jagger (Little, Brown, 1977)
  • Matthew Eden, The Murder of Lawrence of Arabia (1979)
  • Trevanian, Shibumi (1979)
  • Stephen King, The Dead Zone (1979)
  • Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Identity (1980)
  • Mary Renault, Funeral Games (1981) — historical novel about Roxana, Alexander IV, and others
  • Harry Mulisch, The Assault (1982)
  • Alan Moore, V for Vendetta (1982–1988) — graphic novel featuring numerous assassinations of governmental and quasi-governmental officials by the eponymous character, V.
  • Jean Van Hamme (and William Vance), XIII (1984) — graphic novel about a US President
  • Tom Clancy, Patriot Games (1987) — suspense novel about the Prince and Princess of Wales
  • Don DeLillo, Libra (1988)
  • Roderick Thorp, Devlin (1988) — suspense novel about a New York mayoral candidate
  • Jack Higgins, The Eagle Has Flown (1991) — war novel about a plot by Himmler to assassinate Hitler, Rommel and Canaris
  • Jack Higgins, Eye of the Storm (1992) — suspense novel about an attack on John Major
  • J. C. Pollock, Threat Case (1992)
  • Tom Clancy, Debt of Honor (1994)
  • Frederick Forsyth, The Fist of God (1994) — factual novel about supergun designer Gerald Bull
  • Nicholas Shakespeare, The Dancer Upstairs (1995)
  • James Ellroy, American Tabloid (1995) — novel about John F. Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs invasion
  • Tom Clancy, Executive Orders (1996)
  • Vince Flynn, Term Limits (1997)
  • Vince Flynn, Transfer of Power (1999) — suspense novel about a US President and the White House
  • Boris Akunin, The State Counsellor (2000) — historical mystery novel about a Moscow governor
  • Tom Clancy, The Bear and the Dragon (2000)
  • Jack Higgins, Edge of Danger (2001) — suspense novel about a US President and a Russian Prime Minister
  • Günter Grass, Crabwalk (2002) — investigative novel about Wilhelm Gustloff
  • Lee Child, Without Fail (2002)
  • Tom Clancy, Red Rabbit (2002) — suspense novel about Pope John Paul II and Georgi Markov
  • Ismail Kadare, The Successor (2003) — novel about Mehmet Shehu
  • Barry Eisler, Hard Rain (2003)
  • Nicholson Baker, Checkpoint (2004) — political novel about George W. Bush
  • Jack Higgins, Dark Justice (2004) — suspense novel about a US President
  • Tim Green, Fourth Perimeter (2005)
  • Malay Roy Choudhury, Naamgandho (2005) — Bengali novel
  • Brian Josepher, What the Psychic Saw (2005)
  • Thomas A. Taylor, Mortal Shield (2008)
  • Brent Weeks, The Night Angel Trilogy (2008) — fantasy series
  • Jack Higgins, Sharp Shot (2009) — suspense novel about a US President
  • Jack Higgins, First Strike (2009) — suspense novel about a US President
  • Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna (2009) — novel about Leon Trotsky
  • Leonardo Padura Fuentes, El hombre que amaba a los perros (The Man Who Loved Dogs) (2009) — novel about Leon Trotsky
  • Nathan M. Farrugia, The Chimera Vector (2012) — technothriller featuring deniable operatives programmed to assassinate

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