The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

George Smiley, Book 3

By: John Le Carré

Narrated by: Simon Vance

The best spy novel of all time—Publishers Weekly

It’s the early 1960s, and the newly built Berlin Wall looms large. British intelligence officer Alec Leamas, caught in its shadow, feels the chill all too keenly: the preceding years have seen nearly every member of his Berlin spy network either murdered or captured. To him, the prospect of a desk job feels more like solace than purgatory. When he’s summoned to London by Control, it seems as though he’s finally being called home.

Control, however, still has other designs for Leamas: an assignment that’s equal parts dangerous and audacious. Leamas will get the chance to come home—but only after he’s gone deep undercover as a British turncoat in a bid to get revenge on Hans-Dieter Mundt, the counter-intelligence agent responsible for decimating his web of informants.

One last time, Alec Leamas steps out into the chill of East Berlin.

One of the most critically lauded and widely revered spy novels in literary history, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a tour de force that established John le Carré as a master of the genre.

©2012 John Le Carré (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

The Perfect Spy Novel

Slow burn is the best way to describe this book. Brought me back to my youth and all the talk and fear of the Cold War. I remember watching the wall come down, and I thought in my naivety, the way the world works will never be the same again. Now as a man north of 50, the words of this book, and the duplicity of both sides of any war (cold or otherwise) are just as true today as they were when the author wrote this wonderful novel.

As good as advertised

This is my first La Careé book I finished and it lives up to the reputation. The plot is a bit of a labyrinth, so the prose carry you through the middle until the ending when you see, all too late, that the story could only end in the way that it did. Tragically.

Good and better

A jaded spy, East German pomposity, corruption and meanness , British bumbling and a realistic portrayal of Britain and East Germany in the middle years of the cold war

Truly a Great Spy Story

Very entertaining, engaging, and well-narrated by Mr. Vance - one of my favorite narrators. Fans of Smiley, however, should understand that he is not the main character in this novel, unlike in the first two books of the series. He is 'present' but basically in name only. There is one scene in the book that refers to a conversation he has with Leamus, but either that scene was edited out of this audiobook (although it does say 'unabridged'), or that is the way the author intended it. Either way, it's a good listen and, I imagine, an excellent read for those who choose a hard copy of the novel. I've already purchased the next book in the series (again narrated by Simon Vance) and look forward to following the escapades of George Smiley.

Loved the theme of "cold."

Out of the Cold, out of spy life. Echoes of the Cold War. The forced coldness of a spy's life. Love, empathy secondary to the grisley mission.

This was the spy novel I was looking for

I've read some books in this series out of order but this is the one that I think really stands out. The pacing is a little slow at times (but appropriate in my opinion) in case you're looking for something more "Michael Crichton".

Not Sure Why I Hadn't Already Read This

Not sure why I hadn’t already read this book. I enjoy spy novels especially set during the Cold War. This story seemed straight forward until it was not. Compartmentalization is necessary and understandable in the spy world, but this story had several layers of deception. It was apparent that Leamas was going to get burned, but the question was who did it? I went into the novel not expecting everything to work out, but I didn’t expect the book to be as tragic as it was. I liked Leamas as a character. Liz not so much. She was naïve, too idealistic, and annoying at the end.

Overall, I thought it was 4.5 stars, but I rounded up to 5 stars because of the Afterward in this book. It was interesting to hear the author's perspective about the book in 1989, 26 years after it was first published. I still can’t believe he wrote this book in under 6 weeks even though it is not a long book.

It took me awhile to get used to the narrator, but halfway through it I thought he was capturing the characters moods well, especially Leamas.

Gripping

Read this on a whim cause my Dad was reading it as well and I was thoroughly impressed.
The pacing is near perfect at times and never below what is needed.
A must read for spy lovers

Perfect illustration of the intrigue endured by spies who are people .

This is my first book by LeCarre. I loved the reader and the story was fascinating. I have no idea if it is true or made up but I have the feeling it probably happened in bits and pieces in different spy accounts.

Dreadful AND Staggeringly Boring

What a sad and sorry waste of time - not one single character has an iota of interest or moral value.