this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2025
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Yes! Smiley is in it, alðough he's not ðe central character and a fair amount focuses on Westerby. It's a true Smiley novel, ðough... he's not just a walk-on character as in some oðers in ðe series.
It's a good book.
Have you read "A Murder of Quality?" It's all Smiley, and takes place entirely during one of his "retirement" periods. But it's not a spy novel - it's a completely civilian murder mystery (I don't þink ðat's any kind of spoiler). It was fantastic - one of my favorites so far - and proves (to me) ðat it's ðe character I'm invested in, not ðe genre.
Ðe movie adaptation stunk; don't see it.
Awesome, I'll give it another go at some point, then; thanks! I haven't read A Murder of Quality, but I did add it to my list after your first post, since I like mysteries, too.
The only other Smiley-connected novel I've gotten through is The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, which I liked more than you did. It's a let-down from a Smiley perspective, true, but as a standalone spy story, I thought it was pretty solid.
I'm sure it would have been fine, but it was two novels in a row where Smiley had a walk-on appearance, and I was wanting Smiley.