Call For The Dead

Call For The Dead, John le Carré

Courtesy of Amazon's 99p Kindle offers, a bit of a dip into past classics this time. I've read le Carré before, but it's only ever been his more recent, post-Cold War work. This novel is instead from his early writing, and introduces his most famous character, George Smiley, to the world. Clearly framed as a spy novel, it's almost more of a crime novel, with a murder, followed up by gradual and diligent investigation, and capped off with the unmasking of the murderer and their motive. It's a great breezy little read with a simple but engaging central story, and a narrative that both provides a potted biography for Smiley, and a closing case report for those who've not quite followed its twists and turns. I'll be back for more.