Call for the Dead

George Smiley, Book 1

By: John Le Carré

Narrated by: Simon Vance

After an unremarkable interview, Circus agent George Smiley determines the subject of a standard security check—a civil servant in the Foreign Office named Samuel Fennan—poses no threat, nor presents any reason for suspicion of espionage.

Hours later, Samuel Fennan is found dead by suicide. Suddenly finding himself under intense scrutiny, Smiley realizes the Circus intends to blame him for Fennan's death. Rather than remain idle, Smiley begins his own investigation into the nature of the man's demise. What he finds is a tangled web of secrets that connects not only to East German activity in Britain, but also his own past.

The beginning of a body of work that The New York Times calls extraordinary in its breadth, consistency, generosity and wit, John le Carré's 1961 debut introduces one of the most esteemed and iconic spies in the literary canon: George Smiley.

©2012 John Le Carré (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Suffers only in comparison to what came after

John LeCarre was so influential in the genre, it is hard to appreciate this early novel appropriately. These were not standard tropes when he created Smiley. Actually nice to read such a short novel which does not overload the story just to hit an arbitrary required word count.

An Understated Adventure that keeps you wondering.

I really appreciate Lecarre’s conversational style of weaving a tale. His descriptions are captivating and make me feel like I am right there in the milieu.

Great story.

The story was great. The narrator was perfect for the book. Nicely done all around.

Classic

Le Carré is an O.G. of spy fiction. He was a primary founder of the genre, and this is the opening novel of the Smiley series. They are all winners, some better than others, and this one sits right about the middle of the pack.

Original Smiley Story

Short powerful story with usual sad Smiley tone but one of the most attractive ways to be made sad

Typical spy novel

Very well done but usual spy story. I generally like Simon Vance but this one kept putting me to sleep.

Good, short, intrigue and mystery from the beginnings of the modern era of espionage.

I decided to start on the writings of one of the creators of the modern spy genre. I was not disappointed. Being old enough to remember the cold war at its height and having learned enough history to understand the context, I found it a strong plot and good storytelling. LeCarre is clearly at the beginning of his career with this book, but already on solid footing.

Not anywhere near as good as Karla trilogy but fun to see how Le Carré started.

Not anywhere near as good as Karla trilogy but fun to see how Le Carré started.

Help

Some chapters are being skipped. How do I fix this? I is so very annoying and I can’t not figure out how to reach customer support.

Meh LeCarre is Still Really Good

Wonderfully read average story by LeCarre. Great characters and atmosphere. The plot moves along briskly but not my favorite by LeCarre.