Karla's Choice

Reads like a lost le Carrè. Smiley is back at the Circus in the safest of hands – Richard OsmanA brilliant and almost uncanny incarnation of le Carré’s voice and world - and an exceptional espionage novel in its own right – William BoydKarla’s Choice is a note-perfect tribute to le Carré that feels fresh and new, and yet fits seamlessly into the world of Smiley’s Circus in its heyday. – Mick HerronLe Carre’s legacy is in good hands - Smiley is back with a vengeance! – Ian RankinKarla’s Choice is a glorious conjuration of a lost era. It’s a book as rich and complex as its cast of characters. But it’s also a feat of extraordinary literary alchemy. Harkaway has summoned Smiley, his colleagues, antagonists, and the dark moral machinations of their secret Cold War institutions back into existence with all the deft emotional precision of the best of Le Carré, but in so doing he has given us something wondrously new: a giddying, compulsively fierce novel that is very much his own. I read it twice in as many days and am about to pick it up and read it again.’ – Helen MacDonald, author of H is for HawkTense and atmospheric, meditative and moving. Fans of le Carré will have much to rejoice about – Tan Twan EngThe legendary Smiley’s return is a classic thinking person’s espionage thriller packed with more secrets, tricks and deceptions than a roomful of triple agents. We have witnessed the rebirth of an icon – Scott MarianiSmiley and his people are back, and thank god for that. Karla’s Choice is a beautifully rendered spy story full of familiar characters and authentic Cold War tradecraft. It’s the missing chapter of Smiley’s battle with Karla that we’ve always wanted, and Harkaway delivers. – David McCloskey, author of The Damascus StationGripping, clever, and full of tension, Karla’s Choice bridges the gap in the Smiley saga perfectly. Fans of John le Carré will not be disappointed. – Lisa HallEvery reader of John le Carré will love this brilliant book – Tony ParsonsIt’s thrilling to be back with old friends and enemies. Smiley’s tested, essential goodness sings through the pages. I couldn’t put it down. – S J BennettThe legendary Smiley’s return is a classic thinking person’s espionage thriller packed with more secrets, tricks and deceptions than a roomful of triple agents. We have witnessed the rebirth of an icon, – Scott Mariani, Number One Sunday Times Bestselling author of the Ben Hope seriesElegant as smoke, ruthless as steel, Karla’s Choice is a love letter to fans of Smiley, but it’s also got le Carre’s furious humanity and Harkaway’s playful intellect. A genuinely surprising treat. – Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls

Nick Harkaway (Author)

Nick Harkaway was born in Cornwall in 1972. Author of the novels The Gone-Away World, Angelmaker and Tigerman, he lives in London with his wife and two children.

John le Carre (Author)

John le Carre was born in 1931. For six decades, he wrote novels that came to define our age. The son of a confidence trickster, he spent his childhood between boarding school and the London underworld. At sixteen he found refuge at the University of Bern, then later at Oxford. A spell of teaching at Eton led him to a short career in British Intelligence (MI5 & 6). He published his debut novel, Call for the Dead, in 1961 while still a secret servant. 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 Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley’s People. At the end of the Cold War, le Carre widened his scope to explore an international landscape including the arms trade and the War on Terror. His memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel, was published in 2016 and the last George Smiley novel, A Legacy of Spies, appeared in 2017. He died on 12 December 2020. His posthumous novel, Silverview, was published in 2021.