Customer Reviews

Call for the Dead

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This is le Carre's first novel. It has the merit of brevity, and this brevity is coupled with a plot just complicated enough for the length.

It is an important book, but not for its contents. It introduces George Smiley, Peter Guillam, Mendel of Special Branch, and Mundt of East German intelligence. The latter was to play a pivotal role in The Spy WHo came in from the Cold; Mendel in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; Guillam in The Karla Trilogy; and Smiley? Well, Smiley is the key figure in le Carre's fiction - probably the most famous figure in all spy fiction. And it is for Smiley's introduction that the novel is important. Here, we find some of the history of his marriage to Lady Ann, we find some of his background, his work during the war, his time as an interrogator; and - a curiosity - Smiley as protagonist, a man of (occasional) action, rather than the deskbound thinker so familiar from later books.

The plot can be summarised simply. Smiley has interviewed an individual about allegations of spying. After the interview they die, apparently at their own hand, leaving a note which suggests that Smiley's interview led to the death. Smiley investigates whether this was suicide or murder? Was the deceased a spy? He is led to a confrontation with individuals from East German intelligence.

The writing style is workmanlike, although there is some foreshadowing of later le Carre obsessions. There are musings on the nature of betrayal (personal betrayal in a relationship, and public betrayal of a country); there is the conflict which rests at the heart of Smiley, a moral man acting in a way which may be immoral to achieve a greater objective.

Characterisation is perfunctory, only Smiley being adequately realised. But throughout this book and the later A Murder of Quality the characters seem ancillary to plot, and Smiley himself seems distant, cold. This reviewer did not care about the characters.

The novel is entertaining enough, but contrasted with the high standards set by le Carre's later fiction is disappointing.

This is one for le Carre completists. If you've not read le Carre before do not start here. The Spy who came in from the cold; and the Karla trilogy are as good as any post-war English fiction.

It is unfortunate that this great little book has fallen out of print, like so many of Le Carre's books. I can't help but wonder why. It marks not only Le Carre's entrance into fiction, but George Smiley's first step into our world. Here we have our introduction to The Circus, Smiley's odd relationship with Ann and the history thereof. Such small things that are in fact so important. Not to mention that is a great little murder mystery, which is how Le Carre began his literary career. Both this and the follow-up, "A Murder of Quality", find George Smiley involved in that greatest of literary traditions: the murder mystery. It was not until Le Carre's third novel, the classic "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold", that he broke George Smiley free from his confines and dropped him into the world in which he is now such a familiar fixture.

This little book (not even two hundred pages) forms the perfect introduction to Smiley, and though it is not an essential piece of the Le Carre library, it is not to be missed if you're a George Smiley fan. I encourage everyone interested to seek out a copy (which you can in fact order from Amazon's sister site: Amazon.co.uk, but be prepared to spend the extra few dollars for importing).

Recently I decided to buy nice new hardback copies of all of my favorite author, John LeCarre's books. When I did a quick search, I discovered that I not only didn't own his first novel, Call for the Dead, I had never read it. So, I bought it and what a pleasure it was to read when it arrived. Clearly, John LeCarre was a great genious from the very beginning. It introduces the reader to his greatest character, George Smiley, and fills in a lot of unknowns about his beginnings, his marriage to Ann and his odd and quiet character. Its an espionage novel which is almost a who-done-it, and it works beautifully on both levels. This recent publication of the book contains a new forward by P.D. James and a terrific forward by the author himself discussing how he came to be a writer. It is a very satisfying read, and, as always with LeCarre, I was sorry when I was finished reading. I think all of you will be, too.
Penny Blake, Chicago

This is John Le Carre's first book, originally published in 1961, and inevitably most of us come to it with a pre-existing sense of the author's importance: Le Carre is one of the finest living writers in the English language. However, if we read it without reference to his later works, "Call for the Dead" is well written and skillfully plotted. The plot is simple, more elegant perhaps than sparse. The characters are also presented in a very clean and careful manner; indeed the hallmark of this short book is its sparse and sharp line. It is an enjoyable read; a well crafted and skillfully told story.

But, of course, it is impossible to disentangle "Call for the Dead" from history and the subsequent literary corpus of this spectacular writer. For those of us acquainted with these later books, "Call for the Dead" is of great interest because right from the beginning we see the ill-at-ease George Smiley absent mindedly polishing his glasses on the lining of his tie. We realize that we are going to know this shy and awkward spymaster, to become intimately involved in his live and his future. It is a strange experience, all the stranger when we realize that our "knowledge" of George Smiley has come only from the creative genius of Le Carre. What a remarkable creation!

It has been suggested that this book might be a suitable first read for someone new to Le Carre. I cannot agree. In itself, this short and well-balanced story will probably NOT make you want to read more Le Carre. However, if you already are acquainted with Le Carre's work, this little book has all of poignancy of a newly discovered and unread journal of a dear friend. You want to read it to see find out more about this person that you have known for so long.

"Call for the Dead" is a pleasant and easy read but, for me at least, it is more significant for casting light on so much that I have subsequently read of Le Carre. I hope that you find this little book as pleasurable as I did, and I suggest that if you are new to Le Carre you try some of his later works ("Smiley's People" of "Honourable Schoolboy") first.

David S-G

John le Carre's _Call for the Dead_ is the book that introduced the brooding, conflicted British secret agent, George Smiley. Call for the Dead was first published in 1961. It is one of le Carre's shorter books but it is packed with all the elements that have made le Carre's subsequent Smiley novels so special: the ability to portray exquisitely the external and internal life of his characters; the ability to make the reader feel he/she is walking the dark and dangerous streets of London, Paris, Berlin, and points east; all the while writing a suspenseful novel.

The book begins with a chapter entitled "A Brief History of George Smiley". In one brief chapter we are presented with an almost fully-formed Smiley. In short order Smiley's university career, his discreet introduction into British Intelligence and his years in Germany in the 1930s and the early stages of World War II are set out. So too is his tortured marriage to the breathtakingly beautiful yet famously unfaithful Lady Ann. The first chapter ends as Smiley arrives by taxi to his office at 2:00 a.m.

The plot is straightforward. Agent Samuel Fennan has been found dead, the product of a suicide if one is to believe the signed suicide note found by his widow, Elsa Fennan. Fennan had been interviewed by the service after a typed note denouncing him for being a communist at University was sent in. Although he was assured at the end of the interview that his name would soon be cleared, Fennan's suicide note claims that his life and career were ruined by the investigation. Because Smiley was the agent that conducted the interview, and because of the internal politics of the agency (one of le Carre's specialties), Smiley was chosen to conduct the post-suicide investigation and file a report. It quickly becomes apparent to Smiley that the suicide is not quite as clear cut as it appears.

Smiley is embroiled quickly in intrigue, death, and the world of spy and counter-spy. He is presented with a jig-saw puzzle of characters including Ella Fennan, a German named Dieter (who worked for Smiley in the War), and a shifty London petty criminal. The story races to a conclusion. As with most of le Carre's work the resolution of the story is not what one would call a Hollywood ending.

The value of the book lies as much, if not more, in the introduction of Smiley and other recurring characters such as Mundt, the East German intelligence operative, and Peter Guillam. Call for the Dead is a small book in the sense that it comes in at about150 pages. But it sets the stage for virtually all of the rest of le Carre's body of work starting with the Spy Who Came in from the Cold and through the entire Smiley series. Call for the Dead is a great place to start for someone coming to le Carre for the first time or for anyone wishing to dip their toes into le Carre again. He is one of the few writers of this or any other genre worth going back for seconds, or thirds.

This edition contains a brief but valuable introduction by the marvelous P.D. James.

"Call For The Dead," was John Le Carre's first novel, and first George Smiley novel: it was an astonishing debut. In her Foreword to the 1961 reissue, P.D. James wrote,"The novel is a finely wrought and compelling mixture of three types of crime writing:...a thriller, the spy story...and the detective story...."

Much shorter than his great works to come,really novella length, the book works ingeniously on all three levels. We are, firstly, kept breathlessly guessing at what will come next. We are then fascinated by the spy craft, a subject Le Carre knows from his years in the intelligence-gathering business. We meet George Smiley, a character who will turn up in Le Carre's later, great spy stories, and also a handful of other characters who will turn up again too. We can, finally, follow the clues of the mystery well enough. The currently desk-bound, formerly assigned in Germany, British spy Smiley is sent to interview a just-promoted Foreign Service employee, Samuel Fennan, after an anonymous letter accuses the man of Communist leanings.

The interview goes pleasantly enough, spent in a London park watching the ducks and swans,and Smiley comes as close as he may to reassuring Fennan that his report will clear him. Nevertheless, Fennan apparently tells his wife that the interview was an ordeal, and commits suicide. The Foreign Service Officer supposedly leaves a note that reads, in part, "I cannot spend my remaining years under a cloud of disloyalty and suspicion. I realize that my career is ruined, that I am the victim of paid informers." Yet, many features of the crime scene, including an 8:30 wakeup call the dead man had requested for the next morning, do not ring right to Smiley: it calls out for further investigation. This investigation will, as is frequently the case, prove dangerous to many people, including Smiley, and will result in Smiley's once again crossing paths, and swords, with an extraordinary one-time German protege of his.

The book is beautifully written, long on wit, though short on the midnight mandarin meetings that will become a mainstay of Le Carre's later works. Characters are fully rounded, and treated with a compassion that will not always survive to his later books. Le Carre also here begins by flashing us his ability to open a book with a bang: a first chapter entitled "A Brief History of George Smiley" is enough to leave us hungry for more.

I've read most of John Le Carre's novels and enjoyed most of them. I came across A Call For The Dead at Amazon, and decided to order it. Frankly I was curious to see what his first novel was about and how well it was written.

Le Carre, the nom de plume for David Cornwell, is a man who understands the workings of intelligence services and the criminal mind, from his 5 year stint in the British Foreign Service. In 1961 he began his literary career with A Call For The Dead.


The tale begins with George Smiley being brought out of retirement and asked by a member of the Circus to do a quick followup interview with a man slated for promotion. Smiley, at loose ends and newly divorced from his wife, the naughty Lady Ann Sercombe is at loose ends. Bored and unable to deal with her defection, Smiley agrees to do the interview.

On a Monday, Smiley interviewed Samuel Fennan. Everything seemed to go extremely well, and Smiley was comfortable enough with Fennan to suggest the remainder of the interview be conducted in the park. There was no indication of anything awry between Fennan and himself. They parted amicably, Smiley finished his report, and returned home.

Wakened from sleep by the telephone, George is questioned by an Advisor named Maston, as to what if anything had Smiley done to antagonize Samuel Fennan. Sensing something's gone badly awry, Smiley questions why Maston is asking him these things, and discovers Fennan has been found dead.

From there, as Smiley arrives at a scene, where apparently Fennan committed suicide, warning bells are telling him all here is not what it seems to be. The body is lying at the foot of the stairs, with a cup of cocoa in the other room. A phone call, Smiley receives, was not obviously meant for him, and this single call, coupled with the crime scene, send him on a hunt that twists and turns it's way throughout the book.

The climax is a surprise, showing the potential for gifted writing Le Carre so vastly fulfilled. For a first book it's extremely well written, and contains enough suspense to keep you guessing right up to the end.

If like me, you've somehow missed reading this taut little suspense gem, I promise you, it's worth your time to buy it.

Most readers of John Le Carre know him for his more publicized stories; not as many have read back to the beginning. I started as many readers with the more modern day stories and then I went back and read the famous, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Comparing the earlier Le Carre to the later day author is night and day. So I decided to start at the beginning - Call for the Dead.

George Smiley is introduced to us in this book. He is not the supreme spymaster at this point that he becomes later. Some may argue this point, as his storied heroics from WWII are on display. But he is not so confident of his skills or his governmental position. His personal strife with the divorce of his wife Ann is described and this adds to his personality. Smiley is not the king of the Secret World at this point and his inexperience is fun to see.

The story is very short on pages, but not on important developments. At this stage of Le Carre's career, he could say much with few words. The characters are surprisingly well developed in 128 pages. The intricacies of the storyline are well thought out and the ending, if not totally surprising, is explained in detail - something that doesn't happen so often in Le Carre's later writings.

I found myself wired in to this story for no other reason that I felt I was watching the manifestations of some of the most famous spy characters in history - Mundt and Smiley. I can't say that the story is so twisted that the reader can't figure it out, but I will say that the writing is so well done, that you can't help but read every word. The reader can begin to see the mind of Le Carre as he takes a simple plotline and attempts to weave it a myriad of ways.

If you've liked the later books, treat yourself to this one - the creation.

Although the author has said that this book is a disappointment, and that George Smiley did not develop fully until he wrote The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, this book is a fine first effort. This is a must read book for anyone who wants to learn about Smiley's relationship with Anne, the origins of his career, and his physical characteristics.

This book is far superior to the follow-on murder mystery, A Death of Quality.

Unlike most people who rave about Le Carre's later books, I think his first two novels are very solid suspense tales and better than a few of his latter novels. Some of his latter novels were mediocre at best. A Perfect Spy was perfectly dreadful and I'm not high on The Russia House either.
But Call for the Dead is a dead solid spy tale. Other reviewers have described the plot. George Smiley conducts a brief check on a colleague and clears him but the next day he's found dead. Le Carre, even in his early days, was a very good writer and the plot is excellent. In many mystery and suspense novels - and 95 percent of movies - the plot cannot stand up to scrutiny. The plots just don't make sense. Not so with Le Carre's simple, yet craftsmanlike structure of his spy tales. "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" remains the classic Le Carre but his first two novels were very good too.