The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré

I finished The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and it was not what I had expected.

What comes to mind when you think of a spy novel? Action? James Bond gadgets and iconic villains with plans for world domination? Explosions and murder in the dark?

le Carré writes perhaps the complete opposite of the James Bond style spy story. It is realistic, intriguing, clever, and most importantly you have to think about it. The plots and plans are subtle and in depth. The way real intelligence agencies might plan something, the way a real spy might have to act.

I love when an author doesn’t act like I’m an idiot, or too stupid to understand something. It is very refreshing in these days of simplistic popcorn action stories where the slightest twist has to be agonizingly explained for the people who spent half of it scrolling through their phones.

I was very impressed by this book and am going to pick up another le Carré book for my next read.