The latest offering from John Le Care isn't a classic, Rob Kidd finds.
A LEGACY OF SPIES
John Le Carre
Penguin Random House
By ROB KIDD
Le Carre is a legend of the spy fiction genre, there is no doubt.
Ardent fans will love this book, which takes part of the plot from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, fills in some gaps and weaves in a new storyline.
The problem is, it is just a bit boring.
Protagonist Peter Guillam, former protege of the infamous George Smiley, is summoned back from his rural French abode to the bussle of London.
The Secret Intelligence Service is facing a legal battle with the disgruntled children of former spies who were killed during the Cold War.
Guillam is there to review secret files in a secret house with the not-so-secret hope that he will be able to provide context and a legal defence that might help the Government avoid a multi-million-pound bill and a huge reputational blow.
The narrative flits between past and present, using old dossiers and the man's memory to construct the story, which culminates in the deaths of two important players in the covert network.
Though retired, Guillam is as evasive as ever, much to the annoyance of his handlers.
Le Carre is at his best when his characters are engaged in verbal jousting.
It can be a little disconcerting for the reader, as you navigate your way through the inevitable twists and turns, but I suppose that's part of the charm.
Guillam faces more problems than simply the quizzing by the legal team while he is in London, but aside from a fleeting brush with violence there is little to get the pulse racing.
Le Carre shows his typical deft touch in nudging the characters forward and adding intrigue through dialogue but that is about it.
It may be a generational thing but I just wanted more to ... well ... happen.
There are moments of tension but for an author with such pedigree, I reckon it is fair to expect a bit more.
In the twilight of his career, critics will no doubt wax lyrical about Le Carre's ``contribution'' to literature and that should in no way be downplayed.
But of his 21 works being published as Penguin Modern Classics next year, this will not be one.
Rob Kidd is an ODT court reporter.
