The espionage novel is one of the most popular types of literary entertainments.

With its formula of complicated intrigues and scenes of violent action, The Cardinal of the Kremlin resembles many such works.

A suspenseful page-turner from beginning to end, the novel nevertheless has greater emotional and thematic depth than the usual espionage novel. In this it resembles the novels of John le Carre, whose works often concentrate more on character than action. For instance, in Smiley's People (1980), le Carre portrays the sad and often sordid lives of spies who are not quite sure of who their real enemies are. In that novel, as in The Cardinal of the Kremlin, a Soviet spy master defects to the West.