Blackford Oakes Series by William F. Buckley Jr.

When the Queen’s life is threatened, it takes a remarkable CIA agent to save her Blackford Oakes has never been afraid of obeying orders. During the war, it’s what kept him alive. When he leaves the air force for Yale, Oakes is studious, temperate, and polite. He knows how to follow rules—but he also knows the secret to breaking them: Never tell a little lie when a big lie will do. He’s exactly the man the CIA is looking for... moreWhen the Queen’s life is threatened, it takes a remarkable CIA agent to save her Blackford Oakes has never been afraid of obeying orders. During the war, it’s what kept him alive. When he leaves the air force for Yale, Oakes is studious, temperate, and polite. He knows how to follow rules—but he also knows the secret to breaking them: Never tell a little lie when a big lie will do. He’s exactly the man the CIA is looking for.   Just before Oakes graduates, an old friend recruits him to work for the Company. His military background, knowledge of French, and family in London make Oakes a perfect choice for the most glamorous role the CIA has to offer: deep-cover agent. When his 1st assignment reveals Soviet espionage inside Buckingham Palace and a plot against the young Queen, Oakes will throw the rulebook out the window.  Saving the Queen is the 1st book in the Blackford Oakes Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. less

Stained Glass offers an intricate plot involving the restoration of war-damaged windows in a fabled German chapel. When Blackford Oakes takes a sabbatical from his work as a CIA spy, he ends up in the arms of a beautiful KGB agent -- and on the horns of a dilemma. He must betray her or pull the switch on an old friend who is rallying support for a reunited Germany.

The celebrated author of Tucker's Last Stand and Stained Glass offers a chilling story set against the backdrop of the cold war space race. Blackford Oakes heads a mission to kidnap a pair of extraordinary Russian scientists who can put the U.S. ahead in the race for space, unaware that KGB spymaster Bolgin is hot on his trail.

Master of espionage fiction and National Book Award winner William F. Buckley Jr. brings us another in his best-selling series starring the intrepid CIA agent Blackford Oakes. When a shadowy Russian mole threatens to undermine the free world's defenses by infiltrating President Eisenhower's National Security Counsel, CIA super-secret agent Blackford Oakes is called in to unmask the imposter... moreMaster of espionage fiction and National Book Award winner William F. Buckley Jr. brings us another in his best-selling series starring the intrepid CIA agent Blackford Oakes. When a shadowy Russian mole threatens to undermine the free world's defenses by infiltrating President Eisenhower's National Security Counsel, CIA super-secret agent Blackford Oakes is called in to unmask the imposter. Then, Oakes turns the tables on the Communists by piloting a U-2 spy plane on a Gary Powers-style one-way mission behind the Iron Curtain. Sentenced to death and trapped in the depths of the Lubyanka prison, Oakes may have turned his last trick. Or has he? less

The year is 1954, and Joseph Stalin is dead. As the ruthless Laurenti Beria, head of the KGB, plots to succeed him, another drama is taking place in a distant part of the Soviet empire. United States and British commandoes have begun a mission to overthrow the Soviet-controlled government of Albania, but it is doomed to failure from the outset--jinxed by a traitor... moreThe year is 1954, and Joseph Stalin is dead. As the ruthless Laurenti Beria, head of the KGB, plots to succeed him, another drama is taking place in a distant part of the Soviet empire. United States and British commandoes have begun a mission to overthrow the Soviet-controlled government of Albania, but it is doomed to failure from the outset--jinxed by a traitor.In the aftermath of the disaster, CIA super spy Blackford Oakes pursues his adversary from a covert camp for training murderers to Buckingham Palace, from a KGB hideout in Stockholm to the very doors of the Kremlin. The result is a satisfying tale that brings this episode in the conflict between the West and the Soviet Bloc to a summary conclusion. less