A masterful and gripping story about spies, the bureaucracy of spying and the long term consequences of clandestine decisions. Peter Guillam is recalled to London from his farm in France to explain his part in a log ago covert operation. A legal case is proceeding that is causing a considerable problem for the British Secret Service, sometimes called the Circus. If the issue cannot be smothered by a Parliamentary inquiry then it is probable that Peter Guillam may find himself left holding the can. The story unfolds the background to the operation and the present day maneuverings of the Circus to escape liability. The reveals are superbly staged and the story unfolds with tremendous confidence and control as the past comes to a reckoning in the present.
This superb story works as a straight stand alone story about the business of spying and the human cost for the non professionals that get involved by choice or accident in it. An opportunity presents itself to the Circus and they exploit it with thorough professional competence until it starts to unravel. The final consequences of that are felt in the present and the damage that was done is given its due with care and deep sympathy. The resolution is a treat, unexpected and utterly logical and fitting.
For any reader who is familiar with John Le Carre’s other Circus novels this is a masterclass in how to use continuity to create a new story and enhance other related stories. All the way through the story the past from other books is visible to those who can see it. No prior knowledge is required for the story to work, it is all in the reader.
Peter Guillam is a engaging lead, he is not surprised at the reckoning however much he may have hoped to escape it. He smartly demonstrates that it is not a matter of luck he is a living retired spy, he understands the currents in the secret world and moves carefully within it. The staff of the Circus that Peter Guillam encounters should be caricatures, the chief legal office is a loud, almost chummy operator who is verging on an upper class professional cliche, the ruthlessness that is not at all disguised gives him a a weight and credibility. He is a shark in a suit and he will be straight with you only as long as it serves his purposes and undermines yours. The History chief is not quite as successful, tough , ambitious and very capable she does not entirely come to life as the rest of the cast do.
John Le Carre never misses the brutal necessity of spying, he gives a human dimension to strategic and operation decisions in a system that is based on deception and betrayal and is pursued by honorable people. Unmissable.
