Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Coldest Warrior | 2020 | Paul Vidich | Buy |
| 2 | The Mercenary | 2021 | Paul Vidich | Buy |
| 3 | The Matchmaker | 2022 | Paul Vidich | Buy |
| 4 | Beirut Station | 2023 | Paul Vidich | Buy |
Paul Vidich’s standalone spy novels take on different aspects of Cold War espionage, each set in a different time and place. The Coldest Warrior (2020) is inspired by real CIA drug experiments during the 1950s. The Mercenary (2021) follows a double agent in Moscow. The Matchmaker (2022) is set in Berlin just before the Wall falls. Beirut Station (2023) moves the action to 1980s Lebanon.
Vidich’s writing has drawn comparisons to John le Carre and Graham Greene for its focus on moral ambiguity and the psychological cost of intelligence work. His characters are not action heroes but professionals trapped between duty, conscience, and the realization that their own agencies may not be trustworthy.
These standalone novels complement his George Mueller series (An Honorable Man and The Good Assassin) and together form one of the strongest bodies of Cold War espionage fiction published in the last decade.