Our Kind of Traitor - John le Carré

Our Kind of Traitor

By John le Carré

  • Release Date: 2010-10-12
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Score: 4
4
From 432 Ratings

Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of A Legacy of Spies. 

In this exquisitely told novel, John le Carré shows us once again his acute understanding of the world we live in and where power really lies.
 
In the wake of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and with Britain on the brink of economic ruin, a young English couple takes a vacation in Antigua. There they meet Dima, a Russian who styles himself the world’s Number One money-launderer and who wants, among other things, a game of tennis. Back in London, the couple is subjected to an interrogation by the British Secret service who also need their help. Their acquiescence will lead them on a precarious journey through Paris to a safe house in Switzerland, helpless pawns in a game of nations that reveals the unholy alliances between the Russian mafia, the City of London, the government and the competing factions of the British Secret Service.

Reviews

  • Awful

    1
    By Farmboy Jim
    Horrible ending, why did I waste my time reading this.
  • You can't point to his worst

    1
    By mchamber4
    Book; they're all serviceable and fit for duty, if a bit scruffy and hung-over. Mejor dicho, after thirty years of decline and indulgence: alarmingly unkempt and perhaps still a little drunk in the light of day. More and more he resembles an old colonial administrator going to seed, whatever he once believed entombed in cynicism, contempt, and cliche. I've read them all, hoping against experience he'd regain a step or two. But no. I suspect what failed him was his courage, a long time ago, even before he could face the dark eyes open. So he never did, pity.
  • Very good, very British, very hard to read for an American

    4
    By JJ bbghtf
    Perhaps I'm not smart enough. Or British enough. Either way there many words not known to apple's dictionary nor mine so i was often pausing to look up. Even with an ipad this took a good deal of time away for me personally and unknown words and sayings left me lost at times. Other than that it was a very good story. Imaginative, compelling, believable and very intelligent.
  • Very poor

    1
    By marsden88
    Difficult to follow to a point where you don't bother. Confusing to a fault.
  • Our Kind of Traitor

    4
    By Palawaycj
    Le Carre brings us to the human side of agency work and we learn that there is no calm cool 007 in the real world. Bureaucratic bickering, ego and turf wars, the stuff of everyday life, are not left at the front gate. His characters become so well known one will miss them once the end is reached and here, the reader is left to create the ending using imagination. You can find more intense action threads from other writers bye Le Carre delivers a believable slice of life with the mundane and the suspense. A great read.
  • Our Kind of Traitor

    2
    By KenaiPaul
    Was left wanting at the end. The end was like dropping out of a marathon at mile 22. Why bother in the first place then?
  • Grating...

    2
    By Le Beau!
    John Le Carre began using a style of narration in "The Little Drummer Girl" that has become his hallmark. I find it grating and difficult to stay with, so am abandoning the book halfway through. The plot is very slow, & the devices distracting.
  • Our kind of traitor

    3
    By Jedi357930
    Relatively entertaining, but I had really hoped for more after a good NYT review
  • Great Read

    5
    By sjsla
    I am a longtime fan of Le Carre and this book is one of his best. Right up there with Favorite Spy and Night Manager. I generally do not write reviews of books I have read, but this book was that good that I made an exception. Will not disappoint Le Carre fans.
  • Great read

    5
    By Eurekapotamus
    Our Kind Of Traitor is my kind of book. A look into the present day state of affairs in the spy trade through the thoughts of those guilty and not. Per usual, Le Carre spins an intoxicating tale without getting drunk on his own prose. It is always a pleasure to read the words of one so comfortable with the English language. A clever writer who's not tempted to be even a bit too clever. The story itself follows a young English couple as they innocently step into the web of a Russian mobster. Were that not dire enough, they soon find them ensnared by English intelligence service. Sadly, the novel ends like all Le Carre novels...leaving me depressed that it will be at least another year or two before I can pick up, or download, his next jewel.

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