Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carré

Another Smiley story – in this book, Smiley has been ‘retired’, Control is dead and there is a new group in charge of the circus.  The top man, Percy, does not have the experience to really run the place.  His lieutenants, including one who had an affair with Smiley’s wife, go out of their way to be nice to Smiley, but tell him nothing.  Smiley is suspicious that there is a Soviet mole in the organization, feeding intelligence to a master spy back in Moscow.  The story is tough to get through because of how much negative introspection is involved – whether Smiley or someone else.  You have to read ¾ of the story to find the reference to the title – code names assigned by Smiley and those he can recruit for the possible suspects in the circus.  Eventually the mole is found, it’s the man who seduced Smiley’s wife, and deported to the Soviet Union, others are removed from their positions, Smiley is offered at least temporary command of the circus, and he is reunited with his wife.  The plot drags, though it ties stories together – I’m not so sure I agree it was Le Carré’s best work.