1. "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (1974) - John Le Carré
Perhaps unsurprisingly John le Carré tops this list with his 1974 masterpiece "Tinker Tailor Solider Spy" - a book about espionage and the MI6 that truly captures the essence of what a classic spy novel should be. Once again featuring George Smiley, this time the now-retired agent is forced to come out of his new life and back into the old world of espionage in order to hunt down a Soviet mole in the "Circus". With Le Carré using his usual technique of starting "in medias res" - in the middle of a narrative - with the repatriation of a captured British spy, the rest of the story is told via flashbacks. With head of the Circus "Control" assigning five code names to senior intelligence officers at the Circus he suspects of possibly being the mole - "Tinker", "Tailor", "Soldier", "Poor Man" and "Beggar Man" - agent Jim Prideaux is shot in the back in Czechoslovakia while trying to uncover their identity and a diplomatic incident occurs, forcing Smiley and his boss into retirement. Smiley returns, however, in an attempt to find the Moscow Centre Mole who has burrowed deep into the Circus over 30 years - and this creates a story full of intrigue, suspense and suspicion. For those of you who have only ever seen the 2011 film or the BBC miniseries, they really do not do this book justice. It is a spy thriller that needs to be enjoyed over time so that its real intricacies and brilliantly-complex storyline can really take hold of you. A MUST read!
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
Perhaps unsurprisingly John le Carré tops this list with his 1974 masterpiece "Tinker Tailor Solider Spy" - a book about espionage and the MI6 that truly captures the essence of what a classic spy novel should be. Once again featuring George Smiley, this time the now-retired agent is forced to come out of his new life and back into the old world of espionage in order to hunt down a Soviet mole in the "Circus". With Le Carré using his usual technique of starting "in medias res" - in the middle of a narrative - with the repatriation of a captured British spy, the rest of the story is told via flashbacks. With head of the Circus "Control" assigning five code names to senior intelligence officers at the Circus he suspects of possibly being the mole - "Tinker", "Tailor", "Soldier", "Poor Man" and "Beggar Man" - agent Jim Prideaux is shot in the back in Czechoslovakia while trying to uncover their identity and a diplomatic incident occurs, forcing Smiley and his boss into retirement. Smiley returns, however, in an attempt to find the Moscow Centre Mole who has burrowed deep into the Circus over 30 years - and this creates a story full of intrigue, suspense and suspicion. For those of you who have only ever seen the 2011 film or the BBC miniseries, they really do not do this book justice. It is a spy thriller that needs to be enjoyed over time so that its real intricacies and brilliantly-complex storyline can really take hold of you. A MUST read!