Agent Running in the Field
A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick
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4.0 • 185 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
'The British spy thriller at its unputdownable best' Observer
SELECTED FOR BBC 2 BETWEEN THE COVERS
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Nat, a veteran of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, thinks his years as an agent runner are over. But MI6 have other plans. To tackle the growing threat from Moscow Centre, Nat is put in charge of The Haven, a defunct substation of London General with a rag-tag band of spies. His weekly badminton session with the young, introspective, Brexit-hating Ed, offers respite from the new job. But it is Ed, of all unlikely people, who will take Nat down the path of political anger that will ensnare them all.
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'A rich, beautifully written book studded with surprises. Narrative is a black art, and Le Carré is its grandmaster' Spectator
'Blisteringly contemporary' Economist
'Subtle, wry and seamless, it's an utter joy, from first page to last' Daily Mail
'A very classy entertainment about political ideals and deception . . . laced with fury at the senseless vandalism of Brexit and of Trump' Guardian
'A fine piece of storytelling' Times
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Yes, John le Carré has been writing about spies and spying since the height of the Cold War. But his sharp, globe-trotting novels remain perfect for today’s reality. Agent Running in the Field focuses on Nat, a late-career British intelligence agent assigned to whip into shape an office devoted to Russian surveillance. But with Brexit, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin throwing global relations into chaos, Nat finds that telling the heroes from the villains is harder than ever, even among his colleagues. Written in a tone as bracingly British as a gin and tonic, this taut thriller is full of dry wit, sharply drawn characters, and real-world suspense. The tension is visceral—at times, we found ourselves gasping for breath. Decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, le Carré remains the gold standard of spy novelists.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller le Carr 's first spy thriller to focus on the Trump era disappoints. Nat, a 25-year veteran of MI6, is afraid that he's about to be put out to pasture. Instead, he's offered the opportunity to take over the management of a derelict London intelligence substation, the Haven, "a dumping ground for resettled defectors of nil value and fifth-rate informants on the skids." Nat accepts, and advocates for a new subordinate's covert op aimed at a Ukranian oligarch code-named Orson, who has close links to "pro-Putin elements in the Ukranian Government." The straightforward operation against Orson ends up becoming complicated and includes an obligatory mole hunt. Meanwhile, Nat befriends Ed Shannon, an agent for another branch of British intelligence, who reveals himself to be a strident opponent of Britain's leaving the E.U. and a believer that Trump is leading the U.S. toward fascism. Le Carr (A Legacy of Spies) telegraphs the book's twist early on, and Nat is colorless compared with Magnus Pym and the author's other nuanced leads. This is a missed opportunity.
Customer Reviews
Another Le Carre masterpiece.
More top class prose from the master. Great storyline, dialogue full of humour and cutting wit.
Superb
As ever. A jolly good read.
Agent Running
On the basis of this one I suggest LeCarre has had his day. Silly comments about Brexit and Trump all of which are true just diminish the whole and turn the book into third rate emotional Guardian stereotypes. Pity.
I will not read his next but continue to enjoy his previous books.
Morley