Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the first book in the Karla trilogy by John Le Carré and is the epitome of a spy novel. George Smiley is a forcibly retired spy who is spending his time debating about possible reconciliation with his estranged wife and about what to do with his abundance of free time. One day he is contacted by a former coworker, Laçon, who has been contacted by an agent named Tarr. Tarr has recently come under suspicion of defecting but has come to Laçon with possible information revealing he was betrayed by a spy hiding in the highest levels of their agency. They ask Smiley to start investigating only for him to quickly discover that if there is a spy it must be in the top levels and might just be related to the recent shake up that involved Smiley’s retirement and the death of the former head of the agency as well as the shooting incident that involved agent Jim Prideaux. Now Smiley must navigate the muddy waters of his own agency as he tries to track down who exactly the spy is and potentially set a trap that reveals the identity of the spy but also confirms his connection with Karla, a Russian agent suspected of having spies in England.
I had heard of this book off and on for years, who hasn’t for that matter, but only recently was I able to actually get my hands on a copy of it to read. First thing I want to say is that it lives up to the hype that’s for sure. The book did a great job of interweaving a masterful plot of intrigue into the everyday realistic life of a typical agent. I will say that the book does not come across as being remotely similar to many spy novels we might be familiar with. There is very little action and violence depicted in the story. That does not mean that there is a lack of tension as that is very much present and there is a frequent threat of possible violence even if there is a lack of actual violence. The plot is complex and intricate in all of the best ways that make it incredibly hard to figure out who is the actual traitor and it leaves numerous possible trails open until remarkably close to the end. I ended up just sitting back and watching as Smiley tried to untangle everything. He ended up doing a pretty good job though I was rather surprised by how complex the spy ring ended up being. It ended up being a pretty thrilling read and well worth my time. I am happy giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
A splendid example of the thriller novel and the spy genre. This would hold great appeal for readers who tend to prefer that type of work. I will mention that there is a lot going on in this novel so make sure to pay attention to the details as you read. Considering the topic but the overall lack of violence I would recommend this primarily to adult audiences and readers over the age of about fifteen or sixteen but not younger. A great read and one well worth considering. As always if you decide to try it feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.