A Murder of Quality [Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

John Le Carre (Author), Michael Jayston (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1995

George Smiley was simply doing a favour for an old friend, Miss Ailsa Brimley, who edited a small religious newspaper. Miss Brimley had received a letter from a worried woman reader: 'I'm not mad. And I know my husband is trying to kill me.' The writer of the letter was one Stella Rode, wife to an assistant master at Carne School, Dorset, and by the time it arrived, she was dead. Carne was an ancient, self-regarding Church foundation, proud of its proper standards of social distinctions. George Smiley went there to listen, take sherry, ask questions and think. And thus uncover, layer upon layer, the complexities, skeletons and hatreds that comprised this little English institution.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

''Le Carre' is simply the world's greatest fictional spymaster.'' --Newsweek

''John le Carre' belongs in the select company of the best spy and detective writers. In all of his books, le Carre' shows how endowed he is with the art of storytelling.'' --Times (London) --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

About the Author

John le Carre was born in 1931 and was educated at the universities of Bern and Oxford. He has written seventeen highly-acclaimed novels. John le Carre lives in Cornwall. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Chivers Audio Books (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745140130
• ISBN-13: 978-0745140131
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,612,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Books on Cassette > Authors, A-Z > ( L ) > Le Carre, John

More About the Author

John le Carre was born in 1931. 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: Tinke, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honorable Schoolboy, and Smiley's People. His novels include The Little Drummer Girl, A Perfect Spy, The Russia House, Our Game, The Taileor of Panama, and Single & Single. John le Carre lives in Cornwall.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A first, faint glimpse of Smiley, January 25, 2005

By 

Kaye Barlow (Vancouver Island, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Murder of Quality (Paperback)

This slim book is fascinating as an introduction to le Carre's earliest writing. It was written in the 60's and preceded by "Call For the Dead." Both books feature George Smiley but are not of the spy venue, but are more classic mysteries. His unfortunate marriage is referred to and there is a hint of the work he had done and is perhaps still doing in the spy field. But we must wait for future works to get a true taste of Smiley.

A murder in the prestigious private school, Carne, propels Smiley into a search for the murderer. There are many twists and turns and a dramatic denouement at the end. The story in all is quite dated but one must remember that it was written in the 60's.

As a fan of the later le Carre, I found the book interesting and really quite a neat mystery story but when you compare with his later work, it is quite innocuous. I am indeed grateful that he swerved to go into the espionage field and give us so many truly fascinating books.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Read for Smiley's Character Development, January 13, 2007

By 

Happy Chappy "An Avid Reader." (Elk Grove, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Murder of Quality (Paperback)

Having first read Absolute Friends, by John LeCarre, I decided to go back to the beginning and read all of the author's works in chronological order. The first in the Smiley series was Call for the Dead. In that novel, we learn much about Smiley and get a glimpse into the world of spycraft. In the second Smiley novel, A Murder of Quality, spycraft takes a backseat to an average murder mystery. I look forward to reading the 3rd Smiley novel, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, because I expect that it will be continue in the same manner as Call for the Dead. I rated this book 3 stars as it is not a bad read. It is simply a read. Not great, not bad, but just a touch above average. This is not a knock on the author's style, as he is clearly gifted. This is more so a knock on a novel that lacks much suspense and intrigue. In a genre (the British Murder mystery) clearly dominated by the likes of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, P.D. James, Martha Grimes, and the like... this story pales in comparison. I would certainly suggest reading the book if you, like me, are interested in reading the entire Smiley series; however, I would temper your expectations if you are looking for an enthralling read.

A solid 3 stars.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Subtle Clues for early Smiley, May 26, 2000

By 

Bill Mac "hmcs_kenogami" (windsor, ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder of Quality (Audio Cassette)

A Murder of Quality is the second of LeCarre's novels that feature George Smiley. Unlike the others in the series this novel is not about the Cold War and espionage, at least not overtly. In this one; a woman with whom Smiley worked during the war contacts him. She publishes a small Christian paper and has a subscriber who fears that she will be murdered. Smiley investigates and eventually finds the murderer. It is a classic murder story but not a spy story or is it? I did find myself wondering why the paper was kept in business by the owners. Is it owned by British intelligence? There might be more to this murder mystery than meets the eye or perhaps not.

Smiley has to solve a murder and also face his wife's past. It's ironic that the basically decent and brilliant Smiley is considered unsuitable for his higher class but serially unfaithful wife. LeCarre includes much social comment about Britain as he leads Smiley to the solution of the crime.

Things are not what they seem and Smiley's investigations lead to truly nasty revelations. The twists, turns and betrayal that are LeCarre constants are present in A Murder of Quality. The reader gets to see the author as he is developing his craft.

A Murder of Quality is a murder mystery and perhaps LeCarre was considering pursuing this genre. Instead he reinvented the spy story incorporating seaminess and betrayal. A Murder of Quality shows us how deep his talents as a writer are.