Smiley's People, LeCarre- B +

    Three years after the events in Tinker, George is once again summoned to the Circus. Vladimir, a former Soviet general, Estonian, and one of George’s agents, is murdered in London. George is told that Vladimir asked for him, insisted on “Moscow Rules,” and claimed to have important information on the Sandman. George is asked to sweep things up. A few days later, an old émigré, Ostrakova—whose situation had piqued Vladimir’s interest—is attacked in Paris. She had been contacted by Russians with an offer to obtain a visa for the daughter she left behind in Moscow two decades earlier. After seeing the photo for the visa, she realized the offer was fraudulent and contacted the general.

    George walks through the murder site and finds a cigarette packet with film that Vladimir had disposed of just before he was shot. He speaks with two of Vladimir’s cronies, Toby Esterhase, the former leader of the Lamplighters, and Connie Sachs, the Circus’s keeper of old memories. He concludes that Vladimir had discovered Karla had created a legend to help someone escape to the West. There had even been rumors that Karla had an illegitimate daughter with mental health issues.

    Acting entirely on his own, George flies to Germany to contact another of Vladimir’s men, only to find him murdered. He then goes to Paris and convinces Ostrakova that she is in grave danger and should hide in a safe place far from the city. Back in London, he meets with Saul Enderby, the new C. Saul backs his plan to rein in Karla with funding but tells George he cannot officially sponsor the effort.  George travels to Switzerland and persuades Grigoriev—the man Karla tasked with delivering weekly cash payments to the institution where his daughter is treated—to defect and provide evidence to bring Karla down. Grigoriev sends a long, handwritten letter by George to Karla in Moscow. In it, George instructs the man he has battled for three decades—the man who ruined his career and marriage—to cross from East to West Berlin at 11 p.m. on a specified night.

    At the appointed hour, George watches Karla slowly cross the bridge and realizes he doesn’t even know the man’s real name. Peter Guillam says quietly, “George, you won.” In classic understated style, Smiley replies, “Did I? Yes. Yes, well, I suppose I did."