Smiley Culture

An auspicious start to both Smiley and le Carre's careers and, unlike the second book A Murder of Quality - which is more of a murder mystery - this is vintage spy stuff, crammed with Sixties tradecraft and with a chilly, gloomy atmosphere from the start. Inspired by the kind of vetting the author actually undertook on behalf of MI5, the plot revolves around the mysterious suicide of one of Smiley's interviewees. Or was it suicide after all? Also great to see Smiley at odds with his employers and indeed the spy trade in general from the very beginning, a theme that le Carre goes on to explore in later books. It also introduces us to a couple of characters that become Smiley staples in later books. If you like classic Cold War espionage, you'll love this.