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A Murder of Quality

George Smiley, Book 2

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A Murder of Quality

By: John Le Carré
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Beautifully intelligent, satiric and witty—Daily Telegraph

For Alisa Brimley, editor of the small magazine Christian Voice, receiving a letter from a longtime subscriber might otherwise be a perfectly normal occasion—except Stella Rode, the reader in question, writes that her husband is planning to kill her. Brimley calls upon an old wartime friend to help her investigate: retired Circus spy, George Smiley.

Before Smiley can begin, Rode is found murdered, and Brimley asks Smiley to venture to the small town of Carne, home of the elite Carne School where Rode's husband is a public school junior master. Once there, he sets about peeling back the layers of pretense and artifice that cloak both town and institution, and discovers that there's more to Rode’s murder than a simple crime of passion.

John le Carré’s second novel finds George Smiley in a classic whodunnit-style mystery. Trading the international intrigue of the Circus for the small village of Carne, A Murder of Quality is a deft examination of another uniquely British institution: the elite public school.

©2012 John Le Carré (P)2024 Dreamscape Media Crime Fiction Mystery Women Sleuths Witty
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I love these books, The Looking Glass War is still probably my favorite of the series, but damn. Each one is so excellent. Fantastic story telling, amazing narrator. Give it a listen.

a great mystery

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Wonderful narrator, intriguing plot, great characters. I love that George Smiley is a pure detective here!

Great mystery

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Excellent narration by Simon Vance of John LeCarre's murder mystery with George Smiley as an unassuming character in the story who solves the murder. It is reminiscent of a P. D. James mystery.

George Smiley the Detective

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Smiley Lives On / Early Smiley at School

This gives us a glimpse of George Smiley's school days, and the background that gives rise to the future man he will become.

Excellent narration by Michael Jayston.

Smiley Lives On

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Getting to like Simon Vance for the Smiley stories. This is another murder mystery not even dressed up as a spy story. But Quiet pensive George Smiley has his bit to do along with all the others.

Old Story, New Teller

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Narrator’s amazing way of voicing characters in the story! Few narrators are as skilled as Vance

Skillful narrating!

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the narrator kept this book flowing and captured all of Smiley's nuances well. I will listen to anything Vance narrates.

exceptional narrator

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Not my favorite Smiley mystery. These early short ones never quite do the trick for me.

Meh

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A bit out of the ordinary for Smiley fans. Not as good as most other Smiley books. I'm glad Le Carre stayed away from murder mysteries and kept to espionage for most of the Smiley books.

Decent

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