About the Author

John Le Carre is the author of The Spy Who Came In from the Cold; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Smiley's People; The Tailor of Panama; The Constant Gardener; and many other best-selling titles, including this most recent novel, Absolute Friends. He lives in Cornwall, England.

Reviews

"A finely wrought and compelling admixture of three types of crime writing: the novel of action and excitement that we commonly call a thriller, the spy story, and the detective story." --P. D. James, from the Foreword"A subtle and acute story of counter-espionage marked by restraint, indirection, and intelligence." --The New York Times Book Review"Intelligent, thrilling, surprising ... makes most cloak-and-dagger stuff taste of cardboard." --Sunday Telegraph (London)

A finely wrought and compelling admixture of three types of crime writing: the novel of action and excitement that we commonly call a thriller, the spy story, and the detective story. "P. D. James, from the Foreword" A subtle and acute story of counter-espionage marked by restraint, indirection, and intelligence. "The New York Times Book Review" Intelligent, thrilling, surprising ... makes most cloak-and-dagger stuff taste of cardboard. "Sunday Telegraph (London)""

"A finely wrought and compelling admixture of three types of crime writing: the novel of action and excitement that we commonly call a thriller, the spy story, and the detective story."-- P. D. James, from the Foreword

"A subtle and acute story of counter-espionage marked by restraint, indirection, and intelligence."-- "The New York Times Book Review"
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"Intelligent, thrilling, surprising ... makes most cloak-and-dagger stuff taste of cardboard."-- "Sunday Telegraph" (London)

The first le Carre novel is often dismissed as a minor work of interest only for introducing spymaster George Smiley, but it also serves as a template for later masterpieces such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Investigating whether the death of a Foreign Office official was the suicide it appeared to be, Smiley unravels a series of betrayals, both political and personal, that are all equally painful to those involved. As with his readings elsewhere in the Smiley series, Michael Jayston provides a nuanced narration that is as subtle as the unfolding events. VERDICT Because this tight, spellbinding thriller eschews the labyrinthine duplicities of later novels, while tackling the same themes, it serves as an excellent entree to le Carre's world.-Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.