Recommendations from our site
“Everyone has read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, which I would say is unquestionably one of the greatest ever espionage novels, perhaps simply one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. Tinker, Tailor is a whodunit, essentially. It’s not literally a country house murder mystery, with a lineup of characters including Colonel Mustard. But there are four of them and it’s about finding out which one is the mole (a word which, I think, le Carré invented)—the Soviet traitor in the ranks of British intelligence. It’s such a great plot and it mirrors life very closely. It’s essentially about the Cambridge spy ring and the real-life traitors who worked for Stalin after the war.” Read more...
Five Classic European Spy Novels
Patrick Worrall, Thriller and Crime Writer
“I find the darkness in le Carré particularly interesting because it’s quite melancholic. It evokes a sadness about Britain and the establishment at that time. There’s a sense of the world closing in. He really captures that in the book.” Read more...
Andy Beckett, Journalist
“Le Carré has the ability to add drama and colour. For classic espionage in a little town in Germany, you can’t do better than le Carré.” Read more...
Robert Baer, Intelligence Agents & Analyst
“This is an example of the meticulously supreme thriller. John le Carré really is the master of the form, and any list of thrillers has to include that book. It’s a very emboldening book for thriller writers, because it teaches you not to underestimate the understanding of your reader. They can be pushed and pushed. It is an incredibly intricate plot and yet, if you write it well enough, as he does, readers will stay with you.” Read more...
Sam Bourne, Journalist
