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A review by houyhnhnm64
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré, John le Carré
4.0
I reread this book because I wanted to read A legacy of spies, the 'sort-of sequel' that LeCarre wrote some 50 odd years later.
I have rarely revisited the old terrain of spy novels, where I dwelt quite a bit when I was younger. And I must say, it was a great pleasure to make my way through these still faintly familiar pages. I had forgotten the plot, so I was once again awed at how well LeCarre plays his cards. Simply a very good spy novel. And, there are even Russians killing their opponents in London, which causes the main character, Alec Leamas, to say: 'You may be able to get away with assassination in the Balkans, but not London.' Well, that remains to be seen, even half a century later.
I have rarely revisited the old terrain of spy novels, where I dwelt quite a bit when I was younger. And I must say, it was a great pleasure to make my way through these still faintly familiar pages. I had forgotten the plot, so I was once again awed at how well LeCarre plays his cards. Simply a very good spy novel. And, there are even Russians killing their opponents in London, which causes the main character, Alec Leamas, to say: 'You may be able to get away with assassination in the Balkans, but not London.' Well, that remains to be seen, even half a century later.