Somehow I missed this book by John Le Carré when it came out in 2010! I imagine I was waiting for the price to go down or for it to show up in my library queue. Whatever the reason it is always lovely to revisit a masterful writer telling an intriguing, intense story that keeps you guessing until the very end.

It all happened on a tennis court at a resort in Antigua. Perry and Gail, getting a way from grey, damp England, were there to soak up the sunshine and play tennis in the tournament that the resort was hosting. Dima, a large, intimidating but extroverted Russian and his large extended family and including bodyguards is also playing in the tournament. Perry and Dima are paired together and Perry wins through skill and finesse, but just barely fighting off Dima’s strength and size. Afterwords, Dima declares that Perry and Gail are his best friends for life and invites them for dinner at his beach house. There Dima confides that he wants to defect and he wants Perry to make arrangements with government officials in England to do so. Claiming that he doesn’t trust anyone but Perry, who he considers to be an honorable Englishman, he claims that he has valuable information about money laundering and the Russian oligarchs involved as well as shady connections within the highest levels of the British government.

When Perry and Gail return home they are interrogated by the British Secret Service who are suspicious of both Perry and Gail, and Dima’s tantalizing proffer of information. However, Dima was clear that he would trust no one but Perry and Gail and so the Secret Service decides to ask for their help to talk with Dima, evaluate his information before they commit to extracting him and his family.

What follows is a cat and mouse game, that Perry and Gail must play not only against the Russian government and the oligarchs but also with the British government itself where Russian money and influence has wormed its way in. Unfamiliar with the geopolitical political implications of what they are doing, and feeling like pawns being used in a game whose rules they do not understand, Perry and Gail must find a way to honor the trust that Dima and his family have put in them as well as protect themselves.

This is a great book, filled with great characters and the moral ambiguity that is a hallmark of Le Carré’s writing. Some questioned whether Le Carré would still be relevant, or have any stories to tell after the end of the USSR, but he has proved over and over again that he can find relevant stories even in the post communist era that are just as exciting and speak to the same human condition as his previous books. With Russian influence and dark money still very much a concern, this novel is very relevant, especially today. 

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

Recommend this book to: Keith Ken, Sharon and Marian

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in ebook format.