Just about 'done' with Le Carré

The most recent book I finished was Single & Single by John Le Carré. This has been one of my favorite authors. I really loved being taken into what I accepted as a realistic depiction of the true world of spies. For a while I made a point of devouring every new book he published. Part of this was driven by the brilliant mini-series for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People. But even after that, the books of that era struck me as intelligent and tense.

Lately I've become more disillusioned with each new book. Each protagonist seems to be less and less likable and less of a hero. That may be real, but I don't have to like them. The plots of Le Carré's earlier books always came off as intricate and demanding investment. Lately, they've become nearly opaque. I only made it to the end of this last one by gritting my teeth and vowing that I would not waste the time I had already invested. Much of my disappointment probably derives from the fact that this is more of a detective story than a spy novel. That's not what I signed up for.

Yes, I'm a couple of years behind on his books (just like this blog). But I do have the next one, The Constant Gardener, on the shelf and will give it a try. I'll probably wait until I get into or through that to decide if it's worth the effort to complete my quest for a remaindered copy of Absolute Friends. I believe these are supposed to get back to the world of spies. And many folks on Amazon.com are still giving John Le Carré glowing reviews. We'll see.

Next up: The library tells me that Star Wars: Labyrinth Of Evil by James Luceno is in. Time to get back into the the Star Wars universe before the next film debuts in less than three weeks.