Smiley's People

Product Description When a Russian émigré is found murdered on Hampstead Heath, Smiley is called out of retirement to exorcise some Cold War ghosts from his clandestine past. What follows is Smiley the human being at his most vulnerable and Smiley the case officer at his most brilliant, and it takes to a thrilling conclusion his career-long, serpentine battle with his great rival and nemesis, the enigmatic and ruthless Russian spymaster Karla. About the Author John le Carré was a member of the British Foreign Service from 1959 to 1964. He started writing novels in 1961, and since then has published twenty-one titles. From AudioFile The BBC's stunning dramatization of le Carré's works reaches a conclusion with SMILEY'S PEOPLE, the wrap to the trilogy that pits Smiley against Russian superspy Karla. The story begins with the death of the retired spy Vladimir, an event that drags Smiley himself out of retirement and sets him on a journey that will try his wits and will. Simon Russell Beale is nuanced and deft as Smiley, playing a hard and driven spy while revealing through internal monologue his vulnerable and uncertain inner self. Condensing such a rich novel into three hours is no small feat, and the BBC delivers with outstanding richness. A gem of the genre. F.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine