A Murder of Quality

A bloody and apparently senseless murder had been committed at Carne School, one of the oldest and most glittering ornaments in the British public school system. George Smiley, whose connections with Carne were complicated by sentiment, had had a curious forewarning of the crime and, in a private capacity, pursued its investigation. Without his espionage-trained insight into the workings of the human mind, Smiley might never have solved the case. But logic and insight were hardly enough to spare him the emotional aftermath of a conclusion he did not want to face.

John le Carré made his literary debut in America on Walker & Company’s first lists, in 1962 and 1963, introducing his famous character, George Smiley. Now, as part of our 45th anniversary, we are proud and excited to re-issue these two early masterpieces in new hardcover editions, with introductions by the author and forewords by P. D. James and Otto Penzler.

John le Carré has been called “simply the world’s greatest fictional spymaster” (Newsweek) and “one of the half-dozen best novelists now working in English” (Chicago Sun-Times). “No other contemporary novelist has more durably enjoyed the twin badges of being both well-read and wellregarded,” wrote Scott Turow. He has created many memorable characters, but none with more worldwide acclaim than George Smiley, the bland, paunchy, yet deadly British Secret Service agent.