The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
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4.6 • 325 Ratings
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
Alec Leamas is tired. It's the 1960s, he's been out in the cold for years, spying in Berlin for his British masters, and has seen too many good agents murdered for their troubles. Now Control wants to bring him in at last - but only after one final assignment.
He must travel deep into the heart of Communist Germany and betray his country, a job that he will do with his usual cynical professionalism. But when George Smiley tries to help a young woman Leamas has befriended, Leamas's mission may prove to be the worst thing he could ever have done.
In le Carré's breakthrough work of 1963, the spy story is reborn as a gritty and terrible tale of men who are caught up in politics beyond their imagining.
With a new introduction by William Boyd and an afterword by Le Carré himself.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Long before he wrote The Night Manager, John Le Carré wrote the shockingly authentic The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Le Carré's third novel was conceived while the author served briefly in British intelligence during the Cold War. Accordingly, his intricate narrative webs are spun with airstrike precision, and there’s a sober detachment to his writing that perfectly suits his world of double-crossing espionage. Sardonic British spy Alec Leamas is the razor-sharp and deeply wary spy at the centre of the British Secret Service’s moves against communist East Germany, and his fate becomes more gripping with each passing page.
Customer Reviews
Stunning
One of the best books I have ever read. It's dark portrayal of the SIS, stark compared to the Hollywood glitz of 007. A slightly disturbing and at times uncomfortable read until it reaches an inevitable conclusion. Truly brilliant.
The Spy
What more can be said about this book?
I just recommend that , at the end, the afterword 50 years later, is read and so the preceding articles and interviews are corrected!
Genuine page turner
An absolute classic. If you are a fan of Cold War espionage then look no further.