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Karla's Choice

A John le Carré Novel

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Karla's Choice

By: Nick Harkaway, John le Carré
Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A gripping novel set in the universe of John le Carré's most iconic spy, George Smiley, written by acclaimed novelist Nick Harkaway

It is spring in 1963 and George Smiley has left the Circus. With the wreckage of the West's spy war with the Soviets strewn across Europe, he has eyes only on a more peaceful life. And indeed, with his marriage more secure than ever, there is a rumour in Whitehall – unconfirmed and a little scandalous – that George Smiley might almost be happy.

But Control has other plans. A Russian agent has defected in the most unusual of circumstances, and the man he was sent to kill in London is nowhere to be found. Smiley reluctantly agrees to one last simple task: interview Susanna, a Hungarian émigré and employee of the missing man, and sniff out a lead. But in his absence the shadows of Moscow have lengthened. Smiley will soon find himself entangled in a perilous mystery that will define the battles to come, and strike at the heart of his greatest enemy…

Set in the missing decade between two iconic instalments in the George Smiley saga, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Nick Harkaway's Karla's Choice is an extraordinary, thrilling return to the world of spy fiction's greatest writer, John le Carré.

©2024 Nick Harkaway (P)2024 Penguin Audio
Espionage Genre Fiction Political Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense War & Military Exciting Russia Fiction War

Critic Reviews

‘Is this new ‘le Carré’ novel even better than the master himself? Harkaway has done an extraordinarily good job with his father’s legacy. Karla’s Choice is note-perfect.’ (Jake Kerridge)
A loving tribute as well as an excellent novel in its own right (Anthony Cummins)
It is difficult to encapsulate what a remarkable achievement this novel is. Karla’s Choice is absolutely first rate, as both a homage to le Carré and as a work in its own right (Stuart Kelly)
Karla’s Choice breathes new life into the murky world of the Circus. If you haven’t read any Smiley books, then this wouldn’t be a bad place to start (David Mills)
Reads like a lost le Carrè. Smiley is back at the Circus in the safest of hands (Richard Osman)
A brilliant and almost uncanny incarnation of le Carré’s voice and world - and an exceptional espionage novel in its own right (William Boyd)
Karla’s Choice is a note-perfect tribute to le Carré that feels fresh and new, and yet fits seamlessly into the world of Smiley’s Circus in its heyday. (Mick Herron)
Le Carre’s legacy is in good hands - Smiley is back with a vengeance! (Ian Rankin)
Tense and atmospheric, meditative and moving. Fans of le Carré will have much to rejoice about (Tan Twan Eng)
The legendary Smiley’s return is a classic thinking person’s espionage thriller packed with more secrets, tricks and deceptions than a roomful of triple agents. We have witnessed the rebirth of an icon (Scott Mariani)
All stars
Most relevant  
This is a fantastic addition to the Smiley history. Brilliantly written, it is hard to believe it is not by Le Carre himself. While I lament the loss of Michael Jayston, Simon Russell Beale is a worthy successor.

The author does his legacy proud

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Fantastic prose and characterisations. Good to meet the folks at the Circus again as well as new faces. Many more women in the story, which was a wrlcome change. Not as intricately plotted as some John Le Carre. Unexpectedly humorous. I found the narrator muffled in places on my first listen.

Welcome back, George Smiley

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I came to the Smiley novels later in life, so I don’t have a lot of baggage about their literary history. Because of that, I feel pretty comfortable saying this is the Smiley novel. I love the most. It has all of the narrative urgency and literary polish of the original work, but Harkaway brings something else to it. Hindsight, I suppose will be the simplest answer. But also a couple more decades in our developing understanding of what novels can do and how language can work. I listened to it over the course of a couple of days and now I’m going to go back and read it in hardcopy.

Fantastic!

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Altogether better than I was expecting. The authorial voice both is and isn’t Le Carre. Smiley is a slightly different version of Smiley. This is to be expected and did not detract from the engaging and satisfying story. I hope Harkaway does another. Recommended.

A different kind of Le Carre.

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I think Harkaway can fake a Picasso better than Picasso. I love Smiley. Beautiful narration. Many thanks!

Brilliant

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I have been a big fan of Mick Herron for many years and was looking for a spy saga in that genre. Karla’s choice is a terrific spy saga. You can picture each of the characters as written and brilliantly brought to life by Simon Russel Beale the narrator. Highly recommend it.

Finely crafted story delivered brilliantly.

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Elegantly written, exquisite detail, deeply drawn characters. A delicious read, thank you, Nick Harkaway, and the excellent narrator Simon Russell Beale.

George Smiley lives on and the author’s father would be so proud.

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In every way gripping and surprising. The son of Le Carre continues the legacy that John Le Carre created

Son of Le Carre continues the Le Carre magic

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Unfortunately, this book is a shadow of the real John le Carrie books. I bought without understanding who really wrote it.

Disappointing

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