A Most Wanted Man
By John le Carre
(Scribner, Hardcover, 9781416594888, 336pp.)
Publication Date: October 7, 2008
Other Editions of This Title: eBook, Paperback (August 4, 2009), Large Print (November 2008), - Abridged (October 7, 2008), Compact Disc (October 7, 2008)
Categories: Espionage/Intrigue, Suspense
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Selected by Indie Booksellers for the October 2008 Indie Next ListNew spies with new loyalties, old spies with old ones; terror as the new mantra; decent people wanting to do good but caught in the moral maze; all the sound, rational reasons for doing the inhuman thing; the recognition that we cannot safely love or pity and remain good "patriots" -- this is the fabric of John le Carré's fiercely compelling and current novel A Most Wanted Man.
A half-starved young Russian man in a long black overcoat is smuggled into Hamburg at dead of night. He has an improbable amount of cash secreted in a purse around his neck. He is a devout Muslim. Or is he? He says his name is Issa.
Annabel, an idealistic young German civil rights lawyer, determines to save Issa from deportation. Soon her client's survival becomes more important to her than her own career -- or safety. In pursuit of Issa's mysterious past, she confronts the incongruous Tommy Brue, the sixty-year-old scion of Brue Frères, a failing British bank based in Hamburg.
Annabel, Issa and Brue form an unlikely alliance -- and a triangle of impossible loves is born. Meanwhile, scenting a sure kill in the "War on Terror," the rival spies of Germany, England and America converge upon the innocents.
Thrilling, compassionate, peopled with characters the reader never wants to let go, A Most Wanted Man is a work of deep humanity and uncommon relevance to our times.
John le Carr - was born in 1931. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, secured him a worldwide reputation, which was consolidated by the acclaim for his trilogy: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honorable Schoolboy, and Smiley's People. His novels include The Little Drummer Girl, A Perfect Spy, The Russia House, Our Game, The Taileor of Panama, and Single & Single. John le Carr - lives in Cornwall.
"Le Carré's ... secret agents exist in a world of stalemate, moral compromise, ambiguity and betrayal... Like his books, le Carré is a mix of unblinking realism and hopeful humanism."-- Jill Lawless, Associated Press
"What le Carré has always done terrifically is to capture the nuances of the spying game. His spooks are wonderful... In A Most Wanted Man you are, unlike the modern world, in thrillingly deft, safe hands."-- The Guadian (UK)
"Highly recommended."-- Library Journal
"This is le Carré's strongest, most powerful novel... Extraordinary."-- Alan Furst, New York Times Book Review (cover review)
"Astounding, nearly perfect ... beautifully paced, awesomely crafted ... desperately readable"-- John Freeman, San Francisco Chronicle
"Intricately plotted, beautifully written, propulsive, morally engaged, but timely as today's headlines.... The protagonists are brilliantly drawn."-- Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times
"An instant classic... A provocative and incendiary ending that only le Carré, the master, can pull off."-- USA Today
"As sharp as he ever was.... Le Carre ... remains a class above his neighbors on the bestseller list."-- Jeffrey Westhoff, Chicago Sun-Times
"Breaks notable new ground... Le Carré's dialogue has snap, rhythm and wit... immaculate timing."-- Peter Wolfe, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Turn the pages slowly, because an era is passing, and with it, an illuminating view of the troubled keepers of an uneasy peace."-- James F. Sweeney, Cleveland Plain Dealer
This book is on these lists:
F Suspense & Political by HazelthymeMlowery's Wish List by mlowery
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