rameau's ramblings

This is the book that has its whole plot description in the back cover. The blurb reveals everything and yet, there's more. There's enough for le Carré to surprise me one more time.

Leamas is an old fox, a field agent a bit too old for his job, but who isn't fit for a desk job either. He's trying to hang on, but things go terribly wrong and he's brought back home and put on the shelf until retirement. He starts to drink, avoid his colleagues and have money trouble. His life becomes a slippery slope and he ends up in jail. It's just a bit too convenient according to some.

Leamas is close, closer than he's ever been, to exacting on the revenge on the man who cost him his ring of agents and informants, the man who cost him his job and life, Mundt.

There isn't that much action in this book. There is a flashback to a car chase and a brutal beating that happens off page, but other than that it's another boring, dry battle of intellects. It's about lying and packaging the truth in a way it'll be missed. And it's a sad story of a man who is terribly good at it.

I can definitely see why this book made le Carré famous but it isn't quite as good as Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. No, it's just a warm up for the big event.