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A Legacy of Spies

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A Legacy of Spies

By: John le Carré
Narrated by: Tom Hollander
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About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of A Legacy of Spies by John le Carré, read by Tom Hollander.

Chosen as a Book of the Year in The Times Literary Supplement, the Evening Standard, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, The Times

'A brilliant novel of deception, love and trust to join his supreme cannon' Evening Standard

'Vintage le Carré. Immensely clever, breathtaking. Really, not since The Spy Who Came in from the Cold has le Carré exercised his gift as a storyteller so powerfully and to such thrilling effect' John Banville, Guardian


Peter Guillam, former disciple of George Smiley in the British Secret Service, has long retired to Brittany when a letter arrives, summoning him to London. The reason? Cold War ghosts have come back to haunt him. Intelligence operations that were once the toast of the Service are to be dissected by a generation with no memory of the Berlin Wall. Somebody must pay for innocent blood spilt in the name of the greater good . . .

'Utterly engrossing and perfectly pitched. There is only one le Carré. Eloquent, subtle, sublimely paced' Daily Mail

'Splendid, fast-paced, riveting' Andrew Marr, Sunday Times

'Remarkable. Vintage John le Carré. It gives the reader, at long last, pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that have been missing for 54 years. Like wine, le Carré's writing has got richer with age. Don't wait for the paperback' The Times

'Perhaps the most significant novelist of the second half of the 20th century in Britain. He's in the first rank' Ian McEwan

'One of those writers who will be read a century from now' Robert Harris

Espionage Fiction Psychological Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Exciting Crime Thriller England Law Military

Critic Reviews

He can communicate emotion, from sweating fear to despairing love, with terse and compassionate conviction. Above all, he can tell a tale. Formidable equipment for a rare and disturbing writer
I have re-read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold over and over again since I first encountered it in my teens, just to remind myself how extraordinary a work of fiction can be (Malcolm Gladwell)
He's one of those writers who will be read a century from now (Robert Harris)
The best spy story I have ever read (Graham Greene on The Spy Who Came In From The Cold)
Perhaps the most significant novelist of the second half of the 20th century in Britain. He will have charted our decline and recorded the nature of our bureaucracies like no one else has. He's in the first rank (Ian McEwan)
A literary master for a generation (Observer)
All stars
Most relevant
Two artists, an author and an actor, combine to deliver genius. It’s gripping, clever. Get it!

Legacy of spies

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Very well written, as one expects from Le Carre, and a welcome return of some well known characters. The book gives interesting depth to the character of Peter Guillam. However, the modern day spies are drawn fairly harshly and are a bit caricatured.

The narration is excellent.

Excellent Reprise of Cold War Characters

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Always a masterful story with Le Carre. You are there with him on every page.

Up to standard

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A cutting , sad but inciteful insight into the murky world of the smiley era ,and of its many victims but also of the shining light eminating from those who refused to be totally drawn into the quagmire .

I had really never given much serious thought from my totally isolated antipodean viewpoint to anyone actively being a post WW2 Europeanist . This to me was perhaps finally the lost part of the jigsaw for understanding the justification and motivation behind the whole thing .

We maybe had a window of chance with Russia post glasnost Gorby but methinks that bird has well and truly flown now plus Brexit and so we wait for perhaps another George to try to fit the pieces together once more .

I wish there could be more books like it

Another le Carre masterpiece

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I like John Le Carre books but Tom Hollander’s reading truly brings them to life .

Perfect !

Tim Hollander - Brilliant reader

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