A Murder of Quality (Mass Market Paperback)

by John Le Carre (Author)
Key Phrases: chapel duty, Miss Brimley, Stella Rode, Shane Hecht (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Sunday Telegraph (U.K.) Vastly entertaining. -- Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review
Daily Telegraph (U.K.)Beautifully intelligent, satiric and witty.

Sunday Telegraph (U.K.)Vastly entertaining. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (May 1, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553264435
• ISBN-13: 978-0553264432
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,621,272 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The George Smiley Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 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.

7 of 8 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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the earlier ones - but spellbinding!, May 19, 2006

By	Tuhin Chaturvedi (Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

I have just re-read a Murder of Quality - I read it for the first time last year in 2005. And, I have just read the reviews here on Amazon - which describe the book quite well. So, what will I add to them? Just the following points:

(a) This is a very slim volume - specially when you compare it to some of his other works - the Constant Gardner, Absolute Friends & the Tailor of Panama...

(b) It is one of his very early works - his second novel & published in the early 1960s. While reading it I understood that this was written just about 15 years after the end of the second world war in 1945 and one often comes across the shadow of the war, its events and effects...

(c) But it is gripping!!! The twists in the plot are great - each time one thinks 'Aha! So, she/he murdered her...' and each time there is a twist & the possible murderer changes... Reminiscent of a good Agatha Christie novel!

(d) The 1989 (?) introduction in the paperback edition is nice - one gets slightly closer to Le Carre & comes to know the author somewhat better.

(e) The school setting is great - it brings out very well the pettiness which one expects to find in a boarding school where masters stay on campus.

So, all in all a good read - not his best work & not comparable with his other more recent novels, but good nonetheless - it also gives a good sense of how his writing has evolved over the decades since a murder of quality was first published. My rating 3.5 to 4. Recommended, but only after one has read his other works...