A Legacy of Spies

John Le Carre Viking. Out now A new Le Carre always causes a buzz, and this elegant story deserves quite a fanfare. Our narrator is Peter Guillam, an elderly agent enjoying retirement in France, who is summoned back to London, where as the forced guest of a service he finds much changed, he’s interrogated about an operation from the 1950s that had fatal consequences. The narrative weaves between the two eras, lending it a melancholy flavour. But razor sharp insight from the battleweary Peter and fascinating glimpses into the murky spycraft of the height of the Cold War only add to the joy of this sublime thriller. DEIRDRE O’BRIEN