In literature, as in boxing, great champions have compromised their
reputations by going on too long. But entering the ring for the 24th
time, at the age of 86, John le Carré remained an unmatched heavyweight.
A Legacy of Spies (Viking) also showed off some new punches, ingeniously recasting an earlier masterpiece, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. In stingingly topical style, the behaviours of its characters six decades ago, including George Smiley, are examined by the modern forces of political correctness.
The long and enduring power of Le Carré leaves British espionage fiction a cramped space for newcomers. Mick Herron
has carved out his own distinctive territory by focusing on a squad of
failed spooks whom Sir George would never tolerate. They are known as
the “slow horses” of their HQ Slough House, which Herron imagines as an
MI5 naughty step for alcoholics, incompetents and possible traitors. In Spook Street (John Murray), this stable of unstable spies deal..
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