Do you love spy stories as much as I do? I used to visit my cousins’ lake house every summer and the only books in the house were spy novels—Neville Shute, Ian Fleming’s James Bond books, John le Carré. When I’d finished devouring my own books, I would start on these. In recent years, I’ve also found some terrific spy thriller series on television. Here are just some of the fantastic shows I’ve enjoyed. Let me know if you have any to add to the list!   The Americans   This edge-of-the-seat Cold War spy thriller series is about two agents who were infiltrated into America to live like a normal suburban married couple while undertaking dangerous undercover missions for the Soviets. They live this way for decades, even have children together, before things start to unravel when an FBI agent moves in across the road. Brilliant performances by Keri Russell (of Felicity and Austenland fame) and Matthew Rhys.   Homeland   Carrie Mathieson is a bipolar CIA agent engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with a returned American prisoner of war she believes was turned by Al-Qaeda. Carrie’s manic episodes, which allow her to think laterally and come up with…

MANHATTAN ENGINEER DISTRICT The Continental comes to a stop in front of a twenty-eight-story white brick building across the street from New York’s City Hall. “Here you go, sir. Two-seventy Broadway,” Johnson announces. Nathan takes another look at his orders. “Manhattan Engineer District. Eighteenth floor.” He grabs his bag and holds out his hand. “Thanks for the ride, Bill. And for the company.” “Good luck to you, sir,” Johnson replies. “I hope everything works out for you and for your family.” Nathan enters the lobby and is immediately stopped and questioned. He shows his orders to the uniformed security guard and is directed to the elevators. When doors slide open on the eighteenth floor, Nathan is surprised to see what looks like an ordinary office hallway. At one end, a uniformed officer is stationed outside a glazed door that reads army corps of engineers, manhattan engineer district. He reviews Nathan’s orders, nods, and opens the door. Nathan enters the office on tentative steps, unsure of what surprises will happen next. There is a young lady sitting at the reception desk and she smiles at him sweetly. Her light brown hair is permed. She has a white poplin blouse and a…