A Delicate Truth - John le Carré

A Delicate Truth

By John le Carré

  • Release Date: 2013-05-07
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Score: 4
4
From 311 Ratings

Description

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

"A novel that beckons us beyond any and all expectations."—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post

A counter-terrorist operation, code-named Wildlife, is being mounted on the British crown colony of Gibraltar.  Its purpose: to capture and abduct a high-value jihadist arms buyer. Its authors: an ambitious Foreign Office Minister, a private defense contractor who is also his bosom friend, and a shady American CIA operative of the evangelical far-right. So delicate is the operation that even the Minister’s personal private secretary, Toby Bell, is not cleared for it.

Three years later, a disgraced Special Forces Soldier delivers a message from the dead. Was Operation Wildlife the success it was cracked up to be—or a human tragedy that was ruthlessly covered up? Summoned by Sir Christopher “Kit” Probyn, retired British diplomat, to his decaying Cornish manor house, and closely observed by Kit’s daughter, Emily, Toby must choose between his conscience and duty to his Service. If the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing, how can he keep silent?

Reviews

  • Good but not Le Carre's best

    3
    By Matt742
    Fascinating topic full of rich detail and intrigue but somehow A Delicate Truth misses the mark. It's exceptionally slow in spots. I wonder if it would translate well on film...
  • Audio book version

    5
    By Gardner Boston
    I loved this story. It tackles the timely subjects of intelligence outsourcing and the dangers of whistle-blowing. The characters are wonderfully drawn, and the prose is beautiful as always. I wished it could have kept going for another chapter or two to let us know how things turn out. In the audio book version I was pleasantly surprised at the author's considerable skills as a narrator with spot on regional accents and an ability to thoroughly draw us into his world.
  • Superb

    5
    By SansPeurVJ
    The scary part is how realistic this story is. Something like this may well be happening somewhere even as I write. And the last sentence keeps you wanting more. Nothing beats a good le Carré.
  • Great new Le Carre

    4
    By 12greg88
    Love the British flair of spy novels that only Le Carré has truly mastered. Interesting ending that lets the reader decide. Ive read everyone of his books and hope there are more to come. Thank you Sir John!
  • Le Carre At His Best

    5
    By sjsla
    Hands down one of Le Carre's best. A bit of a departure from his other novels. Fast paced and engaging. And the dialog is amazing. A true treat for die-hard Le Carre fans.
  • A Delicate Matter

    3
    By Jean bridge
    Not up to leCarre's past novels. Plot much too simplistic, as are characters. An embarrassment after Tinker Tailor nd Drummer Girl. Still, at his worst he's better than many out there.
  • Negative

    1
    By ScubaDyer
    I agree. I read a great deal. This book remains a great disappointment. I doubt that I'll choose to finish it.
  • A Delicate Truth

    1
    By SPBerko
    I have read many Le Carre books, and most were good to very good. This book, A Delicate Truth, is terrible. Poorly written and not even a believable story line. It is one of the worse books that I have read in years, and I read, on average, 25 books per year. Le Carre should be ashamed of himself for even putting his name on the cover. I would like to demand my money back, as this book is not worth 5 cents.

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