The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John Le Carre

Although quite a few novels have passed under the bridge since I last posted anything, I recently discovered this classic Cold War thriller. Written by one of the most under-rated of modern novelists (a couple of years ago, I was given a copy of his The Constant Gardener for Christmas and had read it by my birthday four days later!), the book is set in Berlin (one of my favourite cities) and features one of the great twists in modern spy fiction. Ian Fleming - the man behind Bond - reckoned Le Carre was the real deal. You can see why here.

Passed over Berlin operative, Alec Leamas (think a shabby, clinically depressed Alex Rider) faces some tough questioning when his East German spy network is first betrayed and then systematically murdered. He takes up drinking and his life seems to fall apart. Sacked from MI6 for petty thievery, humiliated into working in a decrepit library and finally banged up for assaulting a greengrocer, Leamas seems intent on self-destruction. Consolation comes in the form of Liz, who works alongside him at the library. Might this shy and lonely young woman point the way to some kind of redemption for Leamas? When Leamas defects to his opposite numbers in the Eastern block, it seems unlikely.

However, this being a spy novel, things are not what they seem. There are plenty of red herrings and blind alleys before the Iron Curtain finally descends - trapping both Leamas and Liz. It is easy to sense the fear and paranoia of the very different times described in the novel. A frantic chase ends things. Having visited the remnants of the Wall when in Berlin, the desperation and tension of these closing chapters really catches in the throat.

I really recommend you check out this brilliant book - especially if you're amongst the Year 10 students visiting Berlin for the first time in the New Year. It has everything you would expect from a spy thriller - and then some!

Mr Mudd

Trivial Pursuit The book features an early appearance by Le Carre's great spycatcher George Smiley (as immortalized in the best-selling Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy).