Back when I was a newly-minted CIA officer, the Alec Guinness movie version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was played during new analyst training. Until then, I’d never been one to read spy thrillers. Of course, I had to read all the George Smiley books after that.
Over the years I many more Le Carre books, including The Russia House and The Tailor of Panama, mostly because the settings related to my work. But the Smiley books remained favorites.
So I was excited to learn that Nick Harkaway, John Le Carre’s son, was writing a new book to fill the gap in the Smiley continuum between The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Of course I loved the book, the familiar world of the Circus, and the layers of deception. I reviewed it for the Mystery Ahead newsletter. My review of Karla’s Choice appeared on this blog as well.
Differing reactions
Several friends read Karla’s Choice as well, but our reactions didn’t exactly line up.
While I was thrilled to view the book as the much-needed bridge between The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, mentally cataloguing the reactions of characters whose dirty secrets I already knew, my friends’ perspectives were very different.
Moral ambiguity?
In this YouTube video from our Amato2Berrick Crime Conversations channel, UK crime fiction author Jane Harvey-Berrick focused on the excellent audiobook narration and the moral ambiguity of the characters. Here’s the first part of our 2-part discussion.
vs authenticity
At the same time, thriller author L.M. Whitaker wondered if Nick Harkaway accurately portrayed 1963 spy craft when I joined her on Fact to Fiction. Here’s a snippet of our conversation.
Are you a Le Carre fan? What do you think about the newest George Smiley book?
