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A Murder of Quality (Abridged) cover art

A Murder of Quality (Abridged)

By: John le Carré
Narrated by: John le Carré
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Publisher's Summary

John le Carré's second novel, A Murder of Quality, offers an exquisite, satirical look at an elite private school as it chronicles the early development of George Smiley.

Miss Ailsa Brimley is in a quandary. She's received a peculiar letter from Mrs Stella Rode, saying that she fears her husband - an assistant master at Carne School - is trying to kill her. Reluctant to go to the police, Miss Brimley calls upon her old wartime colleague, George Smiley. Unfortunately, it's too late. Mrs Rode has just been murdered.

As Smiley takes up the investigation, he realises that in life - as in espionage - nothing is quite what it appears. His investigation raises a multitude of questions. Who could have hated Stella Rode enough to kill her? Why was her dog put down shortly before the murder? And what did Mad Janie see on that fatal night?

To discover the truth, Smiley must lift the lid on a world of hidden passions and dangerous hatreds.

George Smiley is one of the most brilliantly realised characters in British fiction. Bespectacled, tubby, eternally middle aged, and deceptively ordinary, he has a mind like a steel trap and is said to possess 'the cunning of Satan and the conscience of a virgin'.

©1962 le Carré Productions (P)2015 Hodder & Stoughton

Critic Reviews

"Beautifully intelligent, satiric and witty." ( The Daily Telegraph)

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The worst Bolinda book yet!

The sound quality on this recording is abysmal. It is obviously an old analogue recording, as there is a lot of hissing, crackling, and popping noises all of the time. Additionally, the audio level is inconsistent, meaning that the listener has to continually adjust the volume to get a comfortable volume. This recording should be removed from sale until such time as it can be prerecorded.

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