AUDIO

Call for the Dead: A George Smiley Novel

by John le Carré
4 CDs. retail ed. unabridged. 5 hrs. Penguin Audio. 2012. ISBN 9781611760972. $29.95; 4 CDs. library ed.; digital download. MYS
COPY ISBN
The first le Carré novel is often dismissed as a minor work of interest only for introducing spymaster George Smiley, but it also serves as a template for later masterpieces such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Investigating whether the death of a Foreign Office official was the suicide it appeared to be, Smiley unravels a series of betrayals, both political and personal, that are all equally painful to those involved. As with his readings elsewhere in the Smiley series, Michael Jayston provides a nuanced narration that is as subtle as the unfolding events.
VERDICT Because this tight, spellbinding thriller eschews the labyrinthine duplicities of later novels, while tackling the same themes, it serves as an excellent entrée to le Carré's world.
Reviewed by Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. , Mar 01, 2013
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