Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

John le Carré 1974

Devastation Rating

Emotionally Ruined
espionage Cold War betrayal loyalty

Our Take

George Smiley hunts a mole at the top of British intelligence with the patience of someone who has spent his career learning to distrust everyone. Le Carré makes the Cold War a story about aging, marriage, and the terrible intimacy of betrayal. The mole is the person you most trusted the longest.

This page contains affiliate links. If you buy a book through one of these links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure →