John Le Carré has not lost his touch! This was a fascinating inside look into what it means to be a spy in the time of Brexit and Trump. As always, Le Carré creates characters that are interesting and complex and his plot lines are satisfyingly twisty and exciting.

Nat, at 47, has had a satisfying, if not stellar career at MI6. After returning to England, having served years abroad, Nat has been tasked with heading up a small branch operation of London General called The Haven. It is a posting that one might expect when being put out to pasture; a nice quiet job to end a career. The people at The Haven reflect the fact that they are no longer on the frontlines and are just going through the motions.

Except for Florence. Florence is young, committed, driven and on a mission.  She has befriended a Russian oligarch’s mistress and is hoping that through her they can finally turn the oligarch, mine him for information and use him against Putin.

Nat, who worked in the Russia section for many years supports Florence and her initiative, shepherding her proposals through the labyrinth of MI6 bureaucracy and hopes that they will approve the mission and thereby turn his own career around.

In the meantime, Nat begins to get reacquainted with his family, reconnecting with his wife Pru, a barrister of some repute and his wonderful but difficult daughter. He also now has time to indulge in his other passion; badminton.

At his club, he meets a young man named Ed, who challenges him to play several matches. Nat is good, but Ed is a challenge and soon they are playing regular matches every Monday after work. Over beers, after their match, Ed and Nat slowly get acquainted. Ed works for some media company and although he is intense and socially awkward, Nat finds himself drawn to Ed and his idealism.

But is Ed who he says he is? Because suddenly it is innocuous, inconspicuous Ed who is drawing Nat, Florence and even Pru into a world of political intrigue and danger.  It will take all of Nat’s intelligence and covert operations experience, the support and cooperation of his wife, Prue. and his ability to gain Florence’s trust to get them out of this mess alive and without serious criminal implications.

This is the first novel I have read in which Trump, Brexit and other current events played a prominent role in the story. It is strange to see how our current reality looks when you read about it in a novel;  the chaos, the loss of American influence, the pettiness of Trump and how that trickles down through diplomatic channels with our closest allies. But Le Carré weaves these political realities into the storyline seamlessly, and that reality gives added credence to the entire plotline. He is able to hit that sweet spot between being exciting but not sacrificing character development for thrills.           Le Carré is truly a master storyteller!

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 Out Of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marain, Keith, Sharon and Ken.

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in ebook format from the Public Library.