A review by mark_b
Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway

5.0

Nick Harkaway’s Karla’s Choice concerns Susanna Gero, a Hungarian refugee who works for a literary agent in London. The story takes place in 1963. Susanna’s boss doesn’t show up for work one morning, but a Russian assassin does appear; he confesses to Susanna that he was sent from Moscow to kill her boss, but now wishes to defect. This plunges Susanna into the world of Cold War espionage, where she meets British spy George Smiley, protagonist of ten John le Carre novels written in the 1960s and 70s. Karla’s Choice fits into le Carre’s chronology after The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, and before Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Many of the supporting characters in Karla’s Choice are taken from le Carre’s books: Peter Guillam, Connie Sachs, Toby Esterhase, Ann Sercomb, Bill Haydon, Control, and Millie McCraig. Karla is the mysterious Soviet spy who bedevils George Smiley in many of le Carre’s books, starting with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Author Nick Harkaway is John le Carre’s son, so this isn’t as odd as it might seem. In an introduction Harkaway explains his attempt to revive George Smiley. If, like me, you’re a fan of spy fiction, then Karla’s Choice is well worth reading. I can’t imagine a reader coming to this book without having read some of le Carre’s books. It’s not absolutely essential: Karla’s Choice stands on its own. However, without knowing about Bill Haydon’s treachery or Ann Sercomb’s unfaithfulness, a reader would miss some of the nuances written into Karla’s Choice. For all these reasons, highly recommended.