Also, day off! I am getting my car checked out (leaky tire?) and reading the next Smiley at the cute local coffee shop I should really patronize more. Other exciting plans for the day are buying a broom and neverending laundry.
pickA Murder of Quality is a British spy novel by John le Carré. The narrative unfolds through multiple perspectives, primarily focusing on the investigation into the murder of Stella Rode at a prestigious English boarding school, Carne. Suspicion initially falls on her husband, but the investigation reveals a complex web of secrets and relationships within the school's faculty and community...
pickAs with the first George Smiley novel, Call for the Dead, this is a murder mystery, not the Cold War spy stories for which Le Carre became famous. It's a good mystery, plenty of English Murder Village style secrets, and it's tinged with sadness. Smiley always seems to disappointed, although not surprised, when people do bad things, and you can't help but walk away with a bit of that same melancholy. (Cont.⬇️)
pick“Karla's Choice“ is a must-read for fans of le Carré and anyone who enjoys intelligent, suspenseful fiction with a touch of moral complexity. It's a story that will stay with you long after you turn the final page, prompting reflection on the choices we make and the sacrifices we are willing to endure in pursuit of what we believe in.
The full Deep Dive review of this book can be watched from our YouTube channel...
https://youtu.be/b8LOb80yE2w
pickAfter reading Karla‘s Choice, I had to go back to the original Smiley stories, starting with this first one. It‘s definitely more murder mystery than espionage story, but it introduces a character who will become significant in later Smiley books (and I‘d totally forgotten about that!). This is at least my 3rd time reading this one. It‘s safe to say I love it still.
so-soAudiobook. This is one I probably should have picked up and read physically rather than listened to for greater comprehension. I didn't really get it, and why the author deviated from the spy intrigue to use his starring spy to serve as a private investigator in a case a woman who knew him as a colleague of others approached. But the characters of all involved were interesting, as well as Smiley's conversations with them over brandy or sherry.
pickWas I nervous about anyone, even Le Carre‘s son, taking on my favorite fictional spy? Yes. I needn‘t have been. Harkaway captures the heart of the original, while still keeping his own style and cadence. I loved being in his version of the Circus, revisiting old friends, and getting a new, deeper backstory to the cold war that exists specifically between Smiley and Karla.
