Karla's Choice: A John Le Carré Novel

Description

It is spring in 1963 and George Smiley has left the Circus. With the wreckage of the West's spy war with the Soviets strewn across Europe, he has eyes only on a more peaceful life. And indeed, with his marriage more secure than ever, there is a rumour in Whitehall - unconfirmed and a little scandalous - that George Smiley might almost be happy.But Control has other plans. A Russian agent has defected in the most unusual of circumstances, and the man he was sent to kill in London is nowhere to be found. Smiley reluctantly agrees to one last simple task- interview Susanna, a Hungarian emigre and employee of the missing man, and sniff out a lead. But in his absence the shadows of Moscow have lengthened. Smiley will soon find himself entangled in a perilous mystery that will define the battles to come, and strike at the heart of his greatest enemy...Set in the missing decade between two iconic instalments in the George Smiley saga, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Nick Harkaway's Karla's Choice is an extraordinary, thrilling return to the world of spy fiction's greatest writer, John le Carre.

Reviews

Reads like a lost le Carre. Smiley is back at the Circus in the safest of hands -- Richard Osman A brilliant and almost uncanny incarnation of le Carre's voice and world - and an exceptional espionage novel in its own right -- William Boyd Karla's Choice is a note-perfect tribute to le Carre that feels fresh and new, and yet fits seamlessly into the world of Smiley's Circus in its heyday. -- Mick Herron Le Carre's legacy is in good hands - Smiley is back with a vengeance! -- Ian Rankin Karla's Choice is a glorious conjuration of a lost era. It's a book as rich and complex as its cast of characters. But it's also a feat of extraordinary literary alchemy. Harkaway has summoned Smiley, his colleagues, antagonists, and the dark moral machinations of their secret Cold War institutions back into existence with all the deft emotional precision of the best of Le Carre, but in so doing he has given us something wondrously new: a giddying, compulsively fierce novel that is very much his own. I read it twice in as many days and am about to pick it up and read it again.' -- Helen MacDonald, author of H is for Hawk Tense and atmospheric, meditative and moving. Fans of le Carre will have much to rejoice about -- Tan Twan Eng The legendary Smiley's return is a classic thinking person's espionage thriller packed with more secrets, tricks and deceptions than a roomful of triple agents. We have witnessed the rebirth of an icon -- Scott Mariani Smiley and his people are back, and thank god for that. Karla's Choice is a beautifully rendered spy story full of familiar characters and authentic Cold War tradecraft. It's the missing chapter of Smiley's battle with Karla that we've always wanted, and Harkaway delivers. -- David McCloskey, author of The Damascus Station Gripping, clever, and full of tension, Karla's Choice bridges the gap in the Smiley saga perfectly. Fans of John le Carre will not be disappointed. -- Lisa Hall Every reader of John le Carre will love this brilliant book -- Tony Parsons It's thrilling to be back with old friends and enemies. Smiley's tested, essential goodness sings through the pages. I couldn't put it down. -- S J Bennett The legendary Smiley's return is a classic thinking person's espionage thriller packed with more secrets, tricks and deceptions than a roomful of triple agents. We have witnessed the rebirth of an icon, -- Scott Mariani, Number One Sunday Times Bestselling author of the Ben Hope series Elegant as smoke, ruthless as steel, Karla's Choice is a love letter to fans of Smiley, but it's also got le Carre's furious humanity and Harkaway's playful intellect. A genuinely surprising treat. -- Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls

Author description

Nick Harkaway (Author) Nick Harkaway was born in Cornwall in 1972. Author of the novels The Gone-Away World, Angelmaker and Tigerman, he lives in London with his wife and two children. John le Carre (Author) John le Carre was born in 1931. For six decades, he wrote novels that came to define our age. The son of a confidence trickster, he spent his childhood between boarding school and the London underworld. At sixteen he found refuge at the University of Bern, then later at Oxford. A spell of teaching at Eton led him to a short career in British Intelligence (MI5 & 6). He published his debut novel, Call for the Dead, in 1961 while still a secret servant. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, secured him a worldwide reputation, which was consolidated by the acclaim for his trilogy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People. At the end of the Cold War, le Carre widened his scope to explore an international landscape including the arms trade and the War on Terror. His memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel, was published in 2016 and the last George Smiley novel, A Legacy of Spies, appeared in 2017. He died on 12 December 2020. His posthumous novel, Silverview, was published in 2021.