6.22.2016

Our Game, Le Carre - B

                                               This is a Le Carre from over twenty-years ago that I apparently missed.  Kindle offered it up, as I had purchased 'Night Manager', and this was next in line. It also is a novel where the author was fashioning his post-Cold War style.  Our protagonist is Tim Cranmer, a 47 year old whom the Office has sent off into retirement, as the services of the cold warriors were no longer required.  He's called back to London to discuss a few things when his protege and double agent, Larry Pettifer has gone missing, along with his former Soviet handler, Checheyev, and about $37m pounds.  Larry's also taken Tim's youthful love interest with him and some uninformed  police officials are trying to tag Tim with responsibility for participating in the scam. When the Office also suggests Tim is in on it, he packs up a .38 and his 'retirement' passport' and takes off after Larry. Larry's handler was actually Ingush and the money's been diverted to the Caucuses in the hope of throwing off the Moscow yoke. Tim and Checheyev go deep into the the mountains.  Larry has been martyred and Tim joins the cause. It is not LeCarre's greatest effort, but no one in the suspense business has ever written as well as him and thus, it's always a pleasure.

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