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Oh, the joys of reading the master of the understated spy thriller! To quote a theme song from a movie based on a book by a very different spy novelist, "Nobody Does It Better".

Here we have Smiley fully developed as a character, out of the shadows, front and center in the plot. Not only do we observe Smiley's cautious unveiling of the mole at the very top levels of The Circus, the British spy agency, but we meet for the first time Russian spymaster Karla who will become his nemesis through two succeeding volumes.

These books bear close reading - or listening, in my case. Nuances of plot and character are presented quietly as the story unfolds, the tone a reflection, perhaps, of Smiley's diffident personality. le Carré has Smiley weave together, through the carefully elicited recollections of others, the bits and pieces of an ill-fated venture which led to his own downfall (though he had no awareness of it at the time it occurred). We must pay careful attention to the subtext of each of Smiley's discoveries as they are related if we are to keep up with the subtleties of his mind.

Each of the individuals who populate Smiley's world of spies is richly drawn. No character placeholders here, these are people with depth of personality, even if they aren't on the stage for long. This is essential since often it is the relationships among these characters that determine the events and the outcome of the story.

Such a satisfying read. BTW, I haven't yet acquired an audio copy of the next Smiley, The Honourable Schoolboy, but I hope I can find one with the same narrator. Frederick Davidson was superb.