George Smiley is an unremarkable man. His plain complexion and pudgy features compliment his plesant demeanor. But underneath this unassuming persona lies a sharp mind and agressive intellect. In Call for the Dead, this British intelligence officer is pitted up against a murder mysteries with international consequences. Living in the shadows of World War II lies the conflicted life of a murder. This dark horizon catches up with Smiley as his time as a German spy catches up to him in the Capitol of the United Kingdom. John le Carre has created a masterful murder mystery on the stage of international espionage. His characters are deep and human and the reader is drawn into their conflicted lives as spies. Each chapter says enough without ever saying too much and the plot is simple and complex at the same time. Le Carre is an excellent author and this book is a great example of showing the reader a story instead of simply telling it.

I would recommend reading this book. It is a short read that is worth every second of reading. Each page and chapter is richer and fuller than many contemporaries of greater length. Grab a copy today and prepare to flip through to the very end before putting this book down.