Cold War spy novel. The head of British intelligence in East Berlin is recalled to London after a double agent is killed. The bureau chief, Alec Leamas, agrees to stay on assignment for one more mission. Then he is fired in disgrace, and subsequently recruited by the East Germans.

This is a real period piece, although not as dated as "Darkness at Noon" (which is, by the way, mentioned in this novel). It gives a good feeling of the political atmosphere of the Cold War, particularly after the shock of the Berlin Wall going up. As a novel of intrigue, it is top notch. Its main defect, in my opinion, is that it gets preachy at the end. Definitely worth reading.

This edition includes an introduction by the author.

Trade paperback. Published by Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster).

I left this book as swag in the geocache called Cuyuna Country State Rec Area Aquatic Quest.

I am giving this book away as part of the Movie Books Release Challenge.

You think you know what you're getting with le Carre. It's a spy novel set in mid-twentieth century Europe. Must be like James Bond. Must be lots of exotic locales and gunfights and seductions. No. It's the real spycraft: lying, sussing out the truth, tailing subjects and shaking tails. It's cold work populated by cold, hard men and women, but le Carre does not fail to engage or deliver the emotional gut punch in the closing pages. I prefer Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but this is still good stuff.