I'd read this book over ten years ago, and always remembered it as being good, and having a twist which I spotted coming only a page or so before it happened.
So this time, I couldn't help myself thinking "what is the twist that I'm expecting?" and so I think that spoiled it a bit. But it was still a pretty great book. It does feel a bit dated now - I assume that the whole thing about the world of spying being anything but glamorous, and all the participants being fed up with the whole business, was pretty novel at the time but it doesn't feel so unusual now.
One thing I noted - someone at one stage says something to the effect that "when one person dies it’s a tragedy; 10,000 is a statistic". I'm not sure if this is a quote, but I noticed almost exactly the same sentiment being expressed in The Daughter of time a couple of weeks later.
I enjoyed this, perhaps I should try some more of Le Carre's Smiley books.
Completed : 12-May-2014 (audiobook)