The Spy Who Came in from the Cold Audiobook By John Le Carré cover art

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

George Smiley, Book 3

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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

By: John Le Carré
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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The best spy novel of all time—Publishers Weekly

It’s the early 1960s, and the newly built Berlin Wall looms large. British intelligence officer Alec Leamas, caught in its shadow, feels the chill all too keenly: the preceding years have seen nearly every member of his Berlin spy network either murdered or captured. To him, the prospect of a desk job feels more like solace than purgatory. When he’s summoned to London by Control, it seems as though he’s finally being called home.

Control, however, still has other designs for Leamas: an assignment that’s equal parts dangerous and audacious. Leamas will get the chance to come home—but only after he’s gone deep undercover as a British turncoat in a bid to get revenge on Hans-Dieter Mundt, the counter-intelligence agent responsible for decimating his web of informants.

One last time, Alec Leamas steps out into the chill of East Berlin.

One of the most critically lauded and widely revered spy novels in literary history, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a tour de force that established John le Carré as a master of the genre.

©2012 John Le Carré (P)2024 Dreamscape Media Espionage Historical International Mystery & Crime Mystery Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense England
Masterful Writing • Intriguing Plot Twists • Expert Narration • Captivating Spy Thriller • Realistic Portrayal
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Slow burn is the best way to describe this book. Brought me back to my youth and all the talk and fear of the Cold War. I remember watching the wall come down, and I thought in my naivety, the way the world works will never be the same again. Now as a man north of 50, the words of this book, and the duplicity of both sides of any war (cold or otherwise) are just as true today as they were when the author wrote this wonderful novel.

The Perfect Spy Novel

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LeCarre brings the Cold War into direct view with masterful writing and intriguing plot twists that, while stunning, somehow ring true.

A fascinating read, narrated expertly.

Captivating, stone cold spy thriller

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Excellent narration and a good story, once you get past Le Carre’s sad disdain for the USA.

Timeless and accessible

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A jaded spy, East German pomposity, corruption and meanness , British bumbling and a realistic portrayal of Britain and East Germany in the middle years of the cold war

Good and better

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Very entertaining, engaging, and well-narrated by Mr. Vance - one of my favorite narrators. Fans of Smiley, however, should understand that he is not the main character in this novel, unlike in the first two books of the series. He is 'present' but basically in name only. There is one scene in the book that refers to a conversation he has with Leamus, but either that scene was edited out of this audiobook (although it does say 'unabridged'), or that is the way the author intended it. Either way, it's a good listen and, I imagine, an excellent read for those who choose a hard copy of the novel. I've already purchased the next book in the series (again narrated by Simon Vance) and look forward to following the escapades of George Smiley.

Truly a Great Spy Story

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For me, the mark of a great audiobook narrator is the ability to make me forget that I'm listening to an individual reading a story. This performance succeeds at that and matches the material perfectly.

Gripping Story, Superb Narration

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I've read some books in this series out of order but this is the one that I think really stands out. The pacing is a little slow at times (but appropriate in my opinion) in case you're looking for something more "Michael Crichton".

This was the spy novel I was looking for

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Out of the Cold, out of spy life. Echoes of the Cold War. The forced coldness of a spy's life. Love, empathy secondary to the grisley mission.

Loved the theme of "cold."

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Great narration and story, books aren't written like this anymore! The book is especially interesting given how the Cold War, and the brutalities of socialist ideologies, are beginning to be glossed over.

intrigue!

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Not sure why I hadn’t already read this book. I enjoy spy novels especially set during the Cold War. This story seemed straight forward until it was not. Compartmentalization is necessary and understandable in the spy world, but this story had several layers of deception. It was apparent that Leamas was going to get burned, but the question was who did it? I went into the novel not expecting everything to work out, but I didn’t expect the book to be as tragic as it was. I liked Leamas as a character. Liz not so much. She was naïve, too idealistic, and annoying at the end.

Overall, I thought it was 4.5 stars, but I rounded up to 5 stars because of the Afterward in this book. It was interesting to hear the author's perspective about the book in 1989, 26 years after it was first published. I still can’t believe he wrote this book in under 6 weeks even though it is not a long book.

It took me awhile to get used to the narrator, but halfway through it I thought he was capturing the characters moods well, especially Leamas.

Not Sure Why I Hadn't Already Read This

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