John Le Carre – A Most Wanted Man
Another Masterpiece From the Author of Smiley’s People
May 28, 2009
John Le Carre doesn’t just tell stories, he circles them time and again, viewing them from a variety of different angles, before letting the reader in on what they knew all along but hadn’t realised. Le Carre is a master of suspense and in A Most Wanted Man (published by Hodder and Stoughton), he follows the path first pursued in Absolute Friends by exploring the terrain of the new world of post-Cold War espionage which emerged after 9/11.
A Most Wanted Man: Characters and Plot
In this story the reader is introduced to a group of characters some of whom would not be out of place in a George Smiley novel including an expatriate Scottish banker whose family firm is somewhat down on its luck, spies (or spooks) from a variety of intelligence agencies, and people caught up more or less by accident in the murky world of money laundering and people smuggling. They are joined by the key figure, a suspect code-named Felix whose story it is that Le Carre tells from a variety of perspectives.
The book, published in 2008, is set in the German City of Hamburg in late 2007 (confirmed by references to the sub-prime crisis that sparked the global banking crisis of 2008 and 2009). Its early focus is on Issa, a very thin young man who may or may not be Chechen, and who may or may not be a Muslim, but who appears to have been maltreated and tortured by a number of intelligence agencies in the countries which made up the former Soviet Union for both of these identities.
Issa seeks out a recently widowed Turkish immigrant and her boxing champion son and, through them, is put in contact with a lawyer working with a charitable organisation which supports immigrants and asylum-seekers. This lawyer acts as a go-between, introducing Issa to the banker and becoming emotionally entwined with both, albeit in very different ways. Issa seeks to lay legitimate claim (or not as the case may be) to a large amount of laundered cash held by the bank, but seems not to want to actually get his hands on it.
Review of A Most Wanted Man
The post 9/11espionage world is explored thoroughly in this engaging book with Le Carre pointing out both the necessity and the insanities of the dark side of democracies in the way that only he can.
It would be invidious to say more about either the plot or the characters given that the whole point of a Le Carre novel is to keep the reader enthralled through the plot device of circling the story. Suffice to say that Le Carre’s existing fans will thoroughly enjoy this new novel from the master and that those unfamiliar with his work will find it a fascinating introduction to his work.
For those looking for a gift for a lover of spy stories and mysteries, John Le Carre’s A Most Wanted Man would make an excellent present.
