Get Your Free Audiobook
-
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
Non-member price: $45.30
People who bought this also bought...
-
The Honourable Schoolboy
- The Karla Trilogy, Book 2
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Smiley has become chief of the battered British Secret Service. The betrayals of a Soviet double agent have riddled the spy network, and Smiley wants revenge. He chooses his weapon: Jerry Westerby, "The Honourable Schoolboy", a passionate lover, and a seasoned, reckless secret agent. Westerby is pointed east, to Hong Kong. So begins the terrifying game.
-
-
The honourable schoolboy
- By dave on 11-01-2016
-
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alec Leamas has ended his time in Berlin. Or his time has ended him. The last of his Eastern agents has been killed, like the others, by the Abteilung. Back at the Circus, Leamas is put on the shelf. He turns to drunkenness and dishonesty and finally disappears from view, a seemingly broken man. But unknown to anyone except George Smiley and his master, Control, Leamas has been given his toughest mission ever. He will have to be himself but more so.
-
-
Third reading and listening ....still most brilliant.
- By david x kelly on 09-03-2016
-
Smiley's People
- The Karla Trilogy, Book 3
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Smiley was summoned from his dubious retirement by two seemingly unconnected events - an old woman in Paris is promised the return of a daughter she will never see, and a handover is to take place on a steamer in Hamburg.
-
-
A satisfying conclusion to a great series
- By David Robinson on 15-07-2015
-
The Looking Glass War
- By: John Le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once, the distinctions were clear: the Circus handled all things political while the Department dealt with matters military. But over the years the power and influence had passed to the Circus. Now suddenly the department had a job on its hands. Uncertain evidence suggested Soviet missiles being put in place near the German border, while vital film had gone missing and a courier was dead.
-
-
Bleak but compelling, fantastic narration
- By B L Cornwell on 19-06-2020
-
A Perfect Spy
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 20 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Magnus Pym, counsellor at the British Embassy in Vienna, has suddenly vanished, believed defected. The chase is on for a missing husband, a devoted father, and a life-time secret agent. Pym's life, it is revealed, is entirely made up of secrets. The race is on to find the perfect spy.
-
-
Tedious
- By Mark on 17-01-2021
-
Call for the Dead
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This novel, set in London in the late 1950s, finds George Smiley engaged in the humdrum job of security vetting. But when a Foreign Office civil servant commits suicide after an apparently unproblematic interview, Smiley is baffled. Refusing to believe that Fennan shot himself soon after making a cup of cocoa and asking the exchange to telephone him in the morning, Smiley decides to investigate – only to uncover a murderous conspiracy.
-
-
Enjoyable first book in the series
- By Bevan Lewis on 22-10-2015
-
The Honourable Schoolboy
- The Karla Trilogy, Book 2
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Smiley has become chief of the battered British Secret Service. The betrayals of a Soviet double agent have riddled the spy network, and Smiley wants revenge. He chooses his weapon: Jerry Westerby, "The Honourable Schoolboy", a passionate lover, and a seasoned, reckless secret agent. Westerby is pointed east, to Hong Kong. So begins the terrifying game.
-
-
The honourable schoolboy
- By dave on 11-01-2016
-
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alec Leamas has ended his time in Berlin. Or his time has ended him. The last of his Eastern agents has been killed, like the others, by the Abteilung. Back at the Circus, Leamas is put on the shelf. He turns to drunkenness and dishonesty and finally disappears from view, a seemingly broken man. But unknown to anyone except George Smiley and his master, Control, Leamas has been given his toughest mission ever. He will have to be himself but more so.
-
-
Third reading and listening ....still most brilliant.
- By david x kelly on 09-03-2016
-
Smiley's People
- The Karla Trilogy, Book 3
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Smiley was summoned from his dubious retirement by two seemingly unconnected events - an old woman in Paris is promised the return of a daughter she will never see, and a handover is to take place on a steamer in Hamburg.
-
-
A satisfying conclusion to a great series
- By David Robinson on 15-07-2015
-
The Looking Glass War
- By: John Le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once, the distinctions were clear: the Circus handled all things political while the Department dealt with matters military. But over the years the power and influence had passed to the Circus. Now suddenly the department had a job on its hands. Uncertain evidence suggested Soviet missiles being put in place near the German border, while vital film had gone missing and a courier was dead.
-
-
Bleak but compelling, fantastic narration
- By B L Cornwell on 19-06-2020
-
A Perfect Spy
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 20 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Magnus Pym, counsellor at the British Embassy in Vienna, has suddenly vanished, believed defected. The chase is on for a missing husband, a devoted father, and a life-time secret agent. Pym's life, it is revealed, is entirely made up of secrets. The race is on to find the perfect spy.
-
-
Tedious
- By Mark on 17-01-2021
-
Call for the Dead
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This novel, set in London in the late 1950s, finds George Smiley engaged in the humdrum job of security vetting. But when a Foreign Office civil servant commits suicide after an apparently unproblematic interview, Smiley is baffled. Refusing to believe that Fennan shot himself soon after making a cup of cocoa and asking the exchange to telephone him in the morning, Smiley decides to investigate – only to uncover a murderous conspiracy.
-
-
Enjoyable first book in the series
- By Bevan Lewis on 22-10-2015
-
A Murder of Quality
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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'. 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.
-
-
excellent
- By Amazon Customer on 15-11-2020
-
The Secret Pilgrim
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Berlin Wall is down, the Cold War is over, but the world's second oldest profession is very much alive. Smiley accepts an invitation to dine with the eager young men and women of the Circus' latest intake; and over coffee and brandy, by flickering firelight, he beguilingly offers them his personal thoughts on espionage past, present, and future. In doing so, he prompts one of his former Circus colleagues into a searching examination of his own eventful secret life.
-
-
Alright, I guess.
- By Shawn Pickard on 04-07-2018
-
The Russia House
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the third summer of perestroika. Niki Landau, philanderer and travelling rep, attends the first Moscow audio fair and is asked by beautiful young Katya to take a parcel back to England. It’s addressed to Barley Blair, jazz-player and drinker, and contains information vital to the defence of the West. But times and heroes are changing. And Barley Blair is a man who makes his own rules of engagement.
-
-
Enjoyable listening
- By Anonymous User on 02-02-2018
-
A Small Town in Germany
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The British Embassy in Bonn is up in arms. Her Majesty's financially troubled government is seeking admission to Europe's Common Market just as anti-British factions are rising to power in Germany. Rioters are demanding reunification, and the last thing the Crown can afford is a scandal. Then Leo Harting - an embassy nobody - goes missing with a case full of confidential files. London sends Alan Turner to control the damage, but he soon realises that neither side really wants Leo found - alive.
-
-
Poor Le Carré, great Jayston.
- By Anonymous User on 18-03-2020
-
A Legacy of Spies
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Tom Hollander
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Peter Guillam, staunch colleague and disciple of George Smiley of the British Secret Service, is living out his old age on the family farmstead in Brittany when a letter summons him to London. The reason? His Cold War past has come back to claim him. Intelligence operations that were once the toast of secret London and involved such characters as Alec Leamas, Jim Prideaux, George Smiley and Peter Guillam himself are to be scrutinised under disturbing criteria by a generation with no memory of the Cold War.
-
-
Another le Carre masterpiece
- By barry on 01-06-2020
-
The Constant Gardener
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The beautiful Tessa Quayle is murdered near Lake Turkana in northern Kenya, the birthplace of mankind. And her putative African lover and travelling companion has vanished from the scene of the crime. Tessa’s husband, a career diplomat and amateur gardener at the British High Commission in Nairobi, sets out on a personal odyssey in pursuit of the killers and their motive. On his way he meets terror, violence and conspiracy, but his greatest discovery is the woman he barely had time to love.
-
-
Fascinating story
- By Paddington on 26-02-2016
-
The Tailor of Panama
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harry Pendel is the charismatic proprietor of Pendel and Braithwaite Limitada of Panama, through whose doors everyone who is anyone in Central America passes. Andrew Osnard, mysterious and fleshy, is a spy. His secret mission is two-pronged: to keep a watchful eye on the political manoeuvrings leading up to the American handover of the Panama Canal on 31st December 1999; and to secure for himself the immense private fortune that has until now churlishly eluded him.
-
Agent Running in the Field
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: John le Carré
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nat, a 47-year-old veteran of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, believes his years as an agent runner are over. He is back in London with his wife, the long-suffering Prue. But with the growing threat from Moscow Centre, the office has one more job for him. Nat is to take over The Haven, a defunct substation of London General with a rag-tag band of spies. The only bright light on the team is young Florence, who has her eye on Russia Department and a Ukrainian oligarch with a finger in the Russia pie.
-
-
It's a Cracking Yarn
- By Kirsty on 22-10-2019
-
The Complete George Smiley Radio Dramas
- BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: full cast, Simon Russell Beale
- Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The complete collection of acclaimed BBC Radio dramas based on John le Carré's best-selling novels, starring Simon Russell Beale as George Smiley. With a star cast including Kenneth Cranham, Eleanor Bron, Brian Cox, Ian MacDiarmid, Anna Chancellor, Hugh Bonneville and Lindsay Duncan, these enthralling dramatisations perfectly capture the atmosphere of le Carré's taut, thrilling spy novels.
-
-
A product Of it's time
- By Jeremy on 28-10-2017
-
Absolute Friends
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The friends of the title are Ted Mundy, British soldier’s son born 1947 in a new independent Pakistan, and Sasha, refugee son of an East German Lutheran pastor and his wife who have sought sanctuary in the West.
The two men meet first as students in riot-torn West Berlin of the late 60s, again in the grimy looking-glass of Cold War espionage and, most terribly, in today’s world of terror. Spanning 56 years, Absolute Friends is a savage fable of our times.
-
The Night Manager
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The night manager is Jonathan, a veteran of clandestine operations. In flight from a failed marriage and his own past, he has taken refuge in the luxury hotel trade. Yet he finds no escape from his demons. Driven by a desire for atonement and by an inherited patriotism, Jonathan allows himself to be recruited as a British secret agent with a mission to expose the murderer of the woman he himself betrayed. His odyssey takes him across Britain and Canada to the Caribbean and the jungles of Panama. But there are more treacherous jungles still in Whitehall and Washington.
-
-
Lost at Sea
- By Anna Spencer on 07-11-2017
-
Our Game
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 48, Tim Cranmer is a secret servant in retirement, free to devote himself to his manor house, his vineyard and his young mistress, Emma. But a rival in love disappears with Emma, and Tim sets off in pursuit.
-
-
John le Carre excels. Again.
- By Anonymous User on 19-07-2019
Publisher's Summary
More from the same
What listeners say about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- barry
- 15-05-2020
Never too late !
I’ve only really just discovered Le carre in recent months but he has changed completely my view on writing style . I thought de Silva had nailed it in recent times and he is terrific but Le carre has this ability to turn absolutely purile , grey people into personalities of great interest within a fantastic and believable plots. Only an Englishman of his vintage and experiences could introduce us in such an unapologetic way to the so English class laced commentary of each of his characters . I am reading all his books and rereading the pigeon hole to get it all back in perspective and then going to Graeme Green for comparison but fear I might be disappointed . Let’s hope there is more to come from Le carre . Do We really need a new Cold War to get more from him ?, But that might not be all that far off anyway ? Please Sir Cornwell don’t get older just continue writing !
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- j
- 13-01-2021
Sigint and comint
Real espionage in an accurately realised init... not overdone, not overperformed, measured and mesmerising novel, beautifully presented
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Canarylampshade
- 10-02-2017
Best espionage novel I've ever read and heard.
Great story, great writing, and the perfect narrator.
It is phenomenal. And, piqued my interest in the real world Cold War spy scandals.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- ella
- 11-05-2015
Absolutely fantastic - loved it!
A wonderful tangled Web-skillfully and delicately wrought. Kept me enthralled from start to finish. Michael Jayston gets every voice to a tee, building a full and mysterious picture for the reader- especially Smiley. I am sure to listen to this again - goes straight to the top of my tree and will take an awful lot of beating.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- M. Viner
- 19-03-2015
Classic
The wonder of this novel is that it always seems fresh, fascinating and engrossing. After the TV series, the film and, of course, the book, one might assume the story has become stale. Not a bit of it. It's a wonderful tale which, by leaving much unsaid or implied, allows the audience to take something new from every visit.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 07-02-2015
A totally British spy story!
Exactly how I imagine the world of Cold War spies was run. Le Carre writes with understated perfection of Smiley's slow, careful, precise search to uncover the story of betrayals, lies, and courageous loyalty that had almost destroyed his life in the London Circus. Only behind his words, spoken by the main characters, can one feel the fear, loneliness and pain of the life of the spy.
The narrator, Michael Jayston is perfect here, through his voice he adds to the various characters in the book without drawing attention to himself. This book, although written a while ago is very relevant today.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- pan
- 03-12-2014
Best Spy Thriller
Where does Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
John Le Carre is the undisputed master of the genre and Tinker tailor is his masterpiece. Every Character in the book, from the slow-burning, quiet Protagonist Smiley to the Rakish Guillam are wonderfully fleshed out and memorable. John le Carre is excellent in evoking the 70s of the cold war, a time of general paranoia and institutional green paint on linoleum walls. The plot may be a little hard to follow but it is a nice change from your usual espionage thriller where intelligence involves shooting up a large number of foreign cars.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy?
The opening chapter that partially reveals Jim Prideaux's identity, half-seen through the eyes of the Bill Roach is one of the most nuanced sketches ever written
Which character – as performed by Michael Jayston – was your favourite?
All of the characters were wonderfully performed, but especially the continental . Unlike certain other audiobooks who shall not be named, he goes easy on the accents and avoids giving esterhazy or max ludicrous james-bond style voices.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- John Derek
- 25-07-2018
Adult book with no sex and no swearing. Brilliant.
Excellent narration. Never get tired reading of the intricate web of lies and deceit of the espionage games. Proves masterpieces don't need to be filled with sex and bad language to keep the the new generation of readers interested.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Craig Mowbray.
- 02-06-2015
Genius
Wonderfully bleak and grey, perfectly reflecting the sad sense of greatness lost and misplaced loyalty. Read the book, saw the BBC series and this is equal in experience.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Liz
- 18-10-2015
Superb Performance from Mr Jayston
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes - absolutely. I have to admit that I have tried to read the novel and watch the BBC series, and the first defeated me and the second completely baffled me. This is the first version of 'Tinker Tailor' I've actually got through and completely understood.
Who was your favorite character and why?
George Smiley is one of the great characters in fiction, and the tension of the relationship with his wife (who only appears fleetingly at the end of the novel) adds another dimension to an already complex and beautifully drawn character. However, this is a novel of great characters, so Tarr, Prideaux and the marvellous Connie also need an honourable mention, and the 'absent' characters (Anne and Karla) are as well drawn through the main characters' commentary as the characters who are present.
Which character – as performed by Michael Jayston – was your favourite?
Smiley, without a doubt. In s subtle way, Jayston channels the spirit of Alec Guiness in his performance, which is both appropriate to the character and makes it easier to distinguish Smiley's voice from the other characters.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It may have been better, as one tends to lose track if there are gaps between listening to parts of the novel.
Any additional comments?
As Jayston played Guillam in the original BBC series, he has an understanding of all of the dynamics and allows the listener to readily make sense of the complex plot - highly recommended.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Idlewildthing
- 04-10-2018
Trying and hard to finish
Just couldn't get into it as it felt that nothing was ever happening. The narrator simply wasn't for me and had me confused a lot of the time.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 02-11-2019
started well but got tedious
a bit too much oxbridge boys club for me after a while .. well read though
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- lynn clough
- 13-11-2014
Clasic
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
yes I would indeed I have. Great story very well written
What did you like best about this story?
The calm undertone to a very edge of your seat story
Have you listened to any of Michael Jayston’s other performances? How does this one compare?
He is just a fantastic narrator. He is always fantastic.
Any additional comments?
Your library is incomplete without this book
4 people found this helpful
20 Best Fantasy Audiobooks
This genre is so full of talent, it can be difficult to know what to listen to next — so look no further than this list to get you started.



20 Best Nonfiction Audiobooks
From the entire history of humanity to astrophysics, to our gut and mental health, dig into this list and learn something new.



Best Australian Podcasts on Audible
Audible Original Podcasts are free for Audible members. Check out this list of home-grown content, from binge-worthy true crime to self-help.


