Read-alike Guides - The Hunt for Red October

If you liked The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy, you might enjoy one of these books:

The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins
One-time British Army soldier Higgins introduces Liam Devlin, an IRA gunman, poet, scholar, and anti-hero. Devlin is one of various spies who assists a small force of German paratroopers when they land on the Norfolk coast in 1943 and attempt to kidnap Winston Churchill. This is a convincing alternate history with detailed characters.

Fade by Kyle Mills
Directed to re-recruit a former agent who was shot in the line of duty, Homeland Security associate director Matt Egan faces a difficult task. The agent, known as “Fade,” becomes a fugitive in a dangerous act of revenge. Fade is a new kind of hero—a tough, loyal American agent and former Navy SEAL of Arab ancestry. Mills has written an exciting terrorism thriller with a twist.

Flight of the Intruder by Stephen Coonts
Coonts often uses themes and plot devices similar to Clancy’s, as well as accurate technical details. In the first novel of this series, Jake Grafton is an A-6 Intruder pilot during the Vietnam War. Enraged at his bombardier’s meaningless death, Jake’s anger and bitterness grow until he decides to do things his own way, which leads him to the riskiest mission of all.

Flight of the Old Dog by Dale Brown
In the first novel featuring Patrick McLanahan, Pat navigates a B-52, attempting to survive waves of Soviet surface-to-air missiles and MiG fighters in order to drop a bomb on a laser installation in Siberia. A former USAF captain, Brown knows his airborne and naval high-tech equipment, as well as the cockpit bantering of crews.

I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter
Hunter's signature blend of cinematic language, action-packed suspense, and multifaceted characters is evident as retired Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger fights to clear the name of a fellow soldier-in-arms. Swagger faces off against one of his most ruthless adversaries yet—a sniper whose keen intellect and pinpoint accuracy rivals his own.

More Than Courage by Harold Coyle
When the members of his special forces unit are captured and scheduled for execution deep in enemy territory, Lieutenant Colonel Harry Shaddock is charged with going behind enemy lines to rescue his men and complete their mission. Coyle, a VMI graduate and army veteran, is a master of characterization and accurate detail.

Rolling Thunder by Mark Berent
Three Air Force pilots go to Vietnam in 1965 and face the horrors of the jungle, but when they return home they face the hostility of Americans against the war. Former USAF pilot Berent, who served three tours in Vietnam, writes nonstop action with convincing technical details and military jargon.

Semper Fi by W.E.B. Griffin
The first of The Corps series tells of the Marines between the World Wars, as they were about to become America’s first line of defense after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. While heavy on action and suspense, Griffin also manages to create lifelike characters and provide detailed description of the culture, relationships, history, and traditions of men at war.

Targets of Opportunity by Joe Weber
Elements of espionage and mounting suspense, high-tech details, action, and adventure are common in Weber’s work. Here, Marine pilot Brad Austin uses a North Vietnamese MiG-17 to fly into Vietnam and infiltrate the Air Force, but once there, he has a difficult additional assignment. A former Marine pilot himself, Weber writes the pilot's perspective realistically.

The Threat by David Poyer
Military details, adventure stories out of today's headlines, and series characters that readers can root for make Poyer’s books great. So great, in fact, that some are used as textbooks at the United States Naval Academy. In The Threat, Medal of Honor recipient Dan Lenson is assigned to serve in the White House, where he uncovers a horrific terrorist plot to smuggle a dirty bomb into the U.S.

Also by Tom Clancy:

Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit
Clancy offers a unique inside view of the Marines, including their history, recruitment, training, arms, equipment, and strategies. His main focus is the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). The USMC maintains seven MEUs, rapid-response units that patrol the sea while waiting for the president to send a "911" call for armed intervention. Clancy’s vivid detail works just as well in nonfiction.

Into the Storm
Clancy traces the organizational success story of the U.S. Army's rise from the slough of Vietnam to the heights of victory in the Persian Gulf. He analyzes the art of modern warfare as seen through the eyes of General Frederick M. Franks, Jr., an armor and infantry commander during the Gulf War. Franks is a man of great courage, integrity, and thoughtfulness. This is a great read.

The Teeth of the Tiger
The most recent Jack Ryan novel actually features Ryan’s son, Jack Jr. When a terrorist leader and a drug warlord form a dangerous alliance, FBI agent Dominic Caruso, his Marine captain brother Brian, and their cousin Jack Ryan, Jr. encounter unexpected dangers. Clancy writes with the exceptional realism and cutting-edge authenticity that are his hallmarks.