The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carr? (2005-09-01)

My first le Carre. Loved it! Having read some of Lundlums Bourne stuff I wasn't sure what to expect. While not as action packed, this has a perfect balance of story telling and intrigue. I think what le Carre doesn't say is what makes this work so well! Definitely a new fan here!

Even though many consider this one of his best, I don't agree. Five stars is warranted, however, as JLC is a phenomenal author. Characters are developed, some more complex than others, and the dialogue between them is always enticing you to keep reading.

1) Plot (4 stars) - Long time spy Alec Leamus has one final mission left before he can retire. He is to infiltrate East Germany and bring down a counter spy. But as he ventures deeper into the mission, he realizes that he has not been told everything, and there is a much bigger game being played. It was a good plot, fast moving, and I appreciated how the narrative was pushed forward by psychological mystery as opposed to James Bond-like physical action.

2) Characters (3 stars) - Leamus is the grumpy old spy who has seen too much to believe in right and wrong anymore. Liz is the idealist female interest who tries to bring him back to the world of love and morality. The antagonists are a succession of German spies--starting with the naive, to the intellectual, to finally the hardened killer. All were done well and were believable, but I didn't feel especially attached or moved by any.

3) Theme (4 stars) - The Marxists in East Germany had their Grand March of History to justify the brutality of their spy game. But what did the British have for a justifying cause? Christianity? No. Capitalism? No. Hatred of Communism? Maybe. Wanting to win at a game? Probably. It's an interesting message about Western lack of idealism. Especially considering the time it was written in.

4) Voice (4 stars) - The writing was very readable, and even poetic and socially observant at times, which was an unexpected surprise for someone who thought they were picking up a thriller. Moreover, Le Carre does something I haven't seen before--in certain sections he tells the story of the protagonist from a distant 3rd character, almost like a reporter interviewing people Leamus ran into after the fact to piece together what happened--and it work wonders for keeping the protagonist a mystery, which is what a good spy is.

5) Setting (4 stars) - The dark, overcast, sparse world of the English lower class and the worker state of East Germany were done with great detail. I definitely felt like I was there. Though, strangely, I didn't feel as frightened as I would have if this was really happening. I'm not sure if that was purposeful on le Carre's part, or shows a certain missing skill in his writing.

6) Overall (4 stars) - I didn't love it. But I liked it, and would recommend it to a certain type of person who likes Cold War history or spy novels.

I have to figure from reading other Le Carre books that it's not going to be all action packed. He's looking for the realism that he experienced in the field. But this was pretty good. A lot of twists and turns with a bleak ending but it's how it goes in the field.

This book is a very neatly constructed thriller. Le Carre uses language economically and yet in a sophisticated manner. The story has relevance today as it did when written, perhaps is always the way with the work of espionage, not pleasant but necessary for the greater security of society as we have it. William Boyd's introduction, while giving away the end, was also useful in that it emphasized the need to read the book carefully, to understand the nuances of some seemingly innocent exchanges. I can understand how and why such an eminent writer as Mr Boyd said he had read the book many times. It is short but beautifully structured.

I thoroughly recommend this spy novel which I have reread after many years. This version has at the end a commentary by John Le Carre “fifty years later” which gives a fascinating background on the author, the novel and the divided Germany fifteen years after the war.

If you read spy fiction your really should read at least of few of le Carre's books. There's a quiet brooding style he has that really puts him in the literature class, as opposed to the Bond stuff. Also, le Carre really knows his stuff. Excellent novel.

Fifty-something years after first reading it, I went back and read it again in preparation for Le Carre’s latest novel, which apparently revisits those events.

Superbly crafted work, which brings back indelibly the feeling of those years.

Well written, tightly focused, and elegantly plotted. "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" sets a very high standard by which all other spy novels must be judged. The key to its appeal is that the author makes you care about protagonist Alec Leamus and his descent into what looks like an ever-tightening snare. After a standard set piece to establish the milieu, the plot unfolds slowly, with no attempt to make it into cliched "pulse-pounding thriller." The tension, therefore, is always increasing. The bad guys - if you can figure out who they are - are not caricatures but real people. And, thank goodness, the book clocks in at a succinct 225 pages (paperback). Too many novels these days are bloated and full of tedious filler, presumably to make the books look more substantial. People would buy more books if they weren't needlessly supersized! If you read just one thriller in your lifetime, make it this one.

My second time through this remains one of the most enjoyable espionage fiction pieces I know. A great read that doesn’t try to be more than it needs or shy away from the moral quandaries it touches.

This book carries quite a punch. There's little to feel hopeful about and certainly confirms a nihilist's view of the world but it probably portrays the world of intelligence better than any other novel that's out there. Really powerful and one of Le Carre's best.