After a routine security check by George Smiley, civil servant Samuel Fennan apparently kills himself. When Smiley finds Circus head Maston is trying to blame him for the man's death, he begins his own investigation, meeting with Fennan's widow to find out what could have led him to such desperation. But on the very day that Smiley is ordered off the enquiry he receives an urgent letter from the dead man. Do the East Germans - and their agents - know more about this man's death than the Circus previously imagined? Le Carre ...
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After a routine security check by George Smiley, civil servant Samuel Fennan apparently kills himself. When Smiley finds Circus head Maston is trying to blame him for the man's death, he begins his own investigation, meeting with Fennan's widow to find out what could have led him to such desperation. But on the very day that Smiley is ordered off the enquiry he receives an urgent letter from the dead man. Do the East Germans - and their agents - know more about this man's death than the Circus previously imagined? Le Carre's debut novel, "Call for the Dead", introduced the tenacious and retiring George Smiley in a gripping tale of espionage and deceit. "Brilliant. Realistic. Constant suspense". ("Observer"). Intelligent, thrilling, surprising ...makes most cloak-and-dagger stuff taste of cardboard". ("Sunday Telegraph"). John le Carre was educated at the University of Berne (where he studied German literature for a year) and at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he graduated with a first-class honours degree in modern languages. From 1959 to 1964 he was a member of the British Foreign Service, serving first as Second Secretary in the British Embassy in Bonn and subsequently as Political Consul in Hamburg. He started writing novels in 1961, and since then has published twenty-one titles.
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Add this copy of Call for the Dead to cart. $1.31, fair condition, Sold by BookHolders rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gambrills, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Scribner Book Company.
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Fair. [ No Hassle 30 Day Returns ][ Underlining/Highlighting: SOME ] [ Writing: SOME ] [ Edition: First ] Publisher: le Carre Productions Pub Date: 1/1/1989 Binding: Paperback Pages: 144.
Add this copy of Call for the Dead to cart. $1.54, fair condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Bantam.
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Add this copy of Call for the Dead. John Le Carr to cart. $1.94, good condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Penguin Classics.
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May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Add this copy of Call for the Dead to cart. $2.21, very good condition, Sold by Jenson Books Inc rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Logan, UT, UNITED STATES, published 1982 by Bantam Books.
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Very good. A well-cared-for item that has seen limited use but remains in great condition. The item is complete, unmarked, and undamaged, but may show some limited signs of wear. Item works perfectly. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine is undamaged.
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Recently, I've hit a dry patch in my reading; everything is the 'same-old-same-old' or the dialogue is awful. So, I decided to reread some of my old favorites. I remember loving all of John Le Carre's George Smiley spy stories. Masterpiece Theatre's visual interpretations of the Le Carre stories were superb. It was time to turn back the clock to the Cold War -- when you knew who your enemies were!
What I love about this book is that Le Carre doesn't fill in all the dots, he makes the reader work to understand what is going on in the story. When I got to the story of Dieter, one of Smiley's war-time associates, I remembered the gist of the story. This in no way diminished my enjoyment of the novel.
This book is the opening salvo in a group of marvelous spy novels.
George Smiley Spy Novels
1. A Call for the Dead (1961)
2. A Murder of Quality (1962)
3. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963)
4. The Looking Glass War (1965)
5. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974)
6. The Honourable Schoolboy (1977)
