Agent running in the field

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Le Carre delivers a tale for our times . . . a demonstration of the British spy thriller at its unputdownable best' Robert McCrum, Observer________________________________Nat, a 47 year-old veteran of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, believes his years as an agent runner are over. He is back in London with his wife, the long-suffering Prue. But with the growing threat from Moscow Centre, the office has one more job for him. Nat is to take over The Haven, a defunct substation of London General with a rag-tag band of spies. The only bright light on the team is young Florence, who has her eye on Russia Department and a Ukrainian oligarch with a finger in the Russia pie. Nat is not only a spy, he is a passionate badminton player. His regular Monday evening opponent is half his age: the introspective and solitary Ed. Ed hates Brexit, hates Trump and hates his job at some soulless media agency. And it is Ed, of all unlikely people, who will take Prue, Florence and Nat himself down the path of political anger that will ensnare them all. Agent Running in the Field is a chilling portrait of our time, now heartbreaking, now darkly humorous, told to us with unflagging tension by the greatest chronicler of our age. _______________________________'A rich, beautifully written book studded with surprises.

Narrative is a black art, and Le Carre is its grandmaster' Andrew Taylor, Spectator'Blisteringly contemporary . . . Each new book from le Carre is refreshingly different and uniquely compelling' Economist'Astute state-of-the-nation commentary' Guardian'Subtle, wry and seamless, it's an utter joy, from first page to last' Daily Mail'The master espionage novelist takes on Brexit and Trump in this tense and chilling portrait of today' Evening StandardTimes Books of the YearNew Statesman Book of the YearGuardian Books of the YearSunday Times Books of the YearTLS Books of the YearDaily Mail Books of the YearMail on Sunday's Best Books of the YearApple Best books of 2019