Promotional Information

John le Carre reads his new novel. The fiction event of the autumn from 'the essential voice of our time' - Daily Telegraph

About the Author

John le Carre was born in 1931. His recent novels include ABSOLUTE FRIENDS, THE MISSION SONG and THE CONSTANT GARDENER which was turned into an Oscar-winning film. A MOST WANTED MAN is his twenty-first novel.

Reviews

'The book breathes life, anger and excitement' -- Nigel Williams, Observer on ABSOLUTE FRIENDS 'Thoroughly gripping' -- Sunday Times 'Truly thrilling' -- Financial Times 'Exquisitely crafted' -- Daily Mail on THE MISSION SONG 'Le Carre's eye is undimmed, his passion for his craft as strong as it ever was. He delivers a tale that few could equal and none will surpass.' -- Observer on THE MISSION SONG 'A powerful, moving novel ... essential reading' -- Sunday Telegraph 'The master storyteller ... has lost none of his cunning' -- A. N. Wilson, Daily Mail on THE CONSTANT GARDENER

When boxer Melik Oktay and his mother, both Turkish Muslims living in Hamburg, take in a street person calling himself Issa at the start of this morally complex thriller from le CarrE (The Mission Song), they set off a chain of events implicating intelligence agencies from three countries. Issa, who claims to be a Muslim medical student, is, in fact, a wanted terrorist and the son of Grigori Karpov, a Red Army colonel whose considerable assets are concealed in a mysterious portfolio at a Hamburg bank. Tommy Brue, a stereotypical flawed everyman caught up in the machinations of spies and counterspies, enters the plot when Issa's attorney seeks to claim these assets. The book works best in its depiction of the rivalries besetting even post-9/11 intelligence agencies that should be allies, but none of the characters is as memorable as George Smiley or Magnus Pym. Still, even a lesser le CarrE effort is far above the common run of thrillers. (Oct.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.