Meet Jonathan Pine, night manager of a luxury hotel in Cairo, his job is to provide is to provide his wealthy guests with whatever they require, to be servant, best friend and confidant. One night, Sophie, a beautiful female guest asks him to safeguard some documents. Reading though them, Pine passes the documents to British Intelligence and, despite Pine's best efforts, Sophie is murdered. A year later, a guilt-stricken Pine is working in a hotel in Switzerland, when he comes face to face with charismatic, multi-millionaire arms dealer Richard Roper, the man who ordered the murder. Seeking revenge, Pine comes into contact with Leonard Burr of British Intelligence, and accepts a deadly assignment. Pine destroys his old life to create a new one, and enters a murky world of betrayal and espionage where no-one can be trusted, to bring down Richard Roper, the "worst man in the world".
Published in 1993, this was le Carre's first post-Cold War novel and is one of his most full on entertaining works. A beautifully written, involving thriller, full of glamorous high-living this globe-trotting tale focuses more on psychological complexity than conventional thriller action and violence. It was adapted into a BBC miniseries earlier this year starring Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie.
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