A Murder of Quality: A George Smiley Novel (George Smiley, 2)

A Murder of Quality is excellent. I had a hard time with Le Carre's first Smiley novel, "A Call for the Dead." Now in reading "A Murder of Quality" I can see that I either need to go back and re-read "Dead," or consider that it was a weak start for Le Carre. "A Murder of Quality" sucks you right in and takes you along excellently.

A lot of info is in the mixmaster near the end and that can be confusing. But as noted above, "we're just gettin' started" with Smiley on what we know will be a successful adventure over time. Le Carre's writing lights up your brain cinematically (which is also said of Graham Greene). The description of a tea tray just about anywhere in the literature of Great Britain is unparalleled on this earth. President-elect Trump may take Americans wherever he will on this forthcoming four (4) year adventure, but there will always be an England (Great Britain).

This is the second George Smiley novel (after Call of the Dead) and one can see that LeCarre is still trying to figure out the character. John le Carre worked for a short while as teacher at Eton, one of the great English public (that is private as opposed to royal) schools. It is clear that he found many of the traditions and notions to be wanting and that the quality of the education far from the stated ideals. Smiley is asked to look into an odd death at an English public schools, "one of the great schools", Carne - possibly a play on words for "meat"? It isn't a spy thriller. It has some of the same plotting elements. Smiley is asked to help out to clear up a problem by an old friend. He has to move among his social class (public school academics). For contemporary readers some of the details may seem puzzling - it is postwar England in the 1950's - as shown by a reference to Hungarian refugees (~1956). Cars are not ubiquitous. The economy is tight and many men and women live lives of quiet desperation. One has to speculate if some of the characters are drawn from personal experience - did le Carre ever know a woman so venal as to be deserving (as he intimates) the horrible manner of her death?

An interesting book - completists will want to read this to see how George Smiley evolves. He is a bit more plodding and doesn't seem to exhibit the "cunning of satan" but does seem already to have the "conscience of a virgin". For those searching for the international espionage gritty thrillers - better to start with Call of the Dead and then skip ahead to the great The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and the very good The Looking Glass War to see Smiley come into clear focus. That will clear the palate for the Karla Trilogy (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy, and Smiley's People).

A Murder of Quality is John Le Carré’s second novel as well as the second (of seven) in which ex-spook George Smiley plays a role. When the wife of a tutor at a prestigious public school is murdered, a friend of Smiley’s asks him to look into the case. Smiley’s attention—and everyone else’s, including the reader’s—is focused on a suspect until the very end when the truth comes out. Le Carré describes A Murder of Quality as “a flawed thriller redeemed by ferocious and quite funny social comment” in the Introduction to this edition, and the book is that, although I wouldn’t say it is fully redeemed.

I should explain my review title as this is not Le Carre's first book, nor apparently the first appearance of Smiley. No, this is my introduction to Le Carre. While I have seen films based on Le Carre's writing, I've not read any of his novels.

I went into this knowing that many consider it a lesser work and that it is not his usual spy fiction (though it does star a spy as the protagonist). All I can say is that if this a lesser work, I greatly look forward to my future reads. I found this a good mystery, a cleverly set plot and with just the right amount of clues that the reader can solve it before the final chapter.

The story is your fairly basic locked door mystery set-up. Ailsa Brimley is working for a magazine answering letters sent in by readers, when she receives a letter from a subscriber who thinks her husband is going to murder her, she contacts an old friend, George Smiley, to look into the matter. Before Smiley can make a phone call, the woman is dead. Smiley decides to proceed with an investigation, and as you can probably already guess, nothing is really as it seems.

Smiley is a great character. While he's known for the later novels which star him, I found that he was well developed here and that there is still plenty to explore about his past and future. Le Carre managed to make Smiley a character we can relate to, despite leaving us with many questions about him.

I found this to be an entertaining introduction, even if it is greatly different than Le Carre's other books. I would suggest this to fans and newcomers alike.

This early le Carre novel (his second) is like an Agatha Christie drawing-room mystery, and thus rather silly -- preposterous plot gimmicks that one is supposed to think "How clever!", and so on. Yes, here's early George Smiley (always a good thing) and le Carre;s grand picture of the snooty English upper class and academia, but at the end, a C- at best.

I recently took it upon myself to read all of the Smiley books.

It's been a wonderful journey. The biggest surprise was Call for the Dead, an excellent early novel. All of the other major highlights have lived up to their reputation. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold has gained in its reputation due to the recent Legacy of Spies.

The last Smiley titleI managed to read was Murder of Quality. It's a real disappointment. I felt compelled to read it since Call for the Dead was also little more than a detective novel and was so strong, but this does not live up to the LeCarre brand. Smiley himself is a bore and I really don't care for any of the other characters. No one will sympathize with either the killer or the victim. The identity of the murder was rather obvious and the solution not all that brilliant either. He ends up restating the facts over and over again in case we don't catch the clues, a habit he abandons in his later works.
There are only two revelations in the novel worth mentioning. First, it's clear that LeCarre was in the end much more gifted when writing about his characters' psychologies rather than limiting himself to crime novel procedurals. The contrast between this novel and his very best works is striking.
There is one passage in particular, though, when Smiley reflects on how his life as a spy has forced him into self-effacement as a survival strategy, that we gain an incite into his character that puts later novels in perspective.
So, if you are looking to complete the cycle, or have a day or two to invest in a lesser novel, have at it. But there are more worthwhile books out there to be enjoyed.

This is a murder mystery, not a spy novel, however, the characterizations and descriptions of events are some of the best writing I've encountered, from the modern era.

I was surprised and delighted to come across a recommendation for this novel in a blog devoted to Golden Age (1920s - 1940s, mostly British) mysteries. I've always felt a bit guilty because I really don't like le Carre's novels, though I can see that he writes well. Espionage just doesn't appeal to me. So it was a special pleasure to read this classic whodunit set at Eton (disguised as "Carne") and featuring a plucky London spinster worthy of Sayers's Miss Climpson!

This spinster, known as Brim, edits a small Christian magazine, and the mystery begins when she receives a letter, in her capacity as a Dear Abby-like advice giver, from a young woman of good family who confides that her husband is trying to kill her. Brim doesn't hesitate to call on her old friend George Smiley, who decides to make inquiries. Before he can even pack a bag for Carne, however, he learns that the young woman has indeed been murdered -- and the husband couldn't have done it! The mystery is launched.

Full of period details and great atmosphere, A Murder of Quality is richly satisfying for readers who have savored other school whodunits such as Who Killed Calloway?, Gaudy Night, and the more recent Well-Schooled in Murder. The writing is understated and elegant, the clues satisfying, and the characters decently sketched. Highly recommended.

i didnt like this book; its a typical british mystery story, without a hint of tradecraft, or eastern europeans lurking in the dark; no long introspection by smiley, etc. coming fresh from 'call of the dead' its quite a letdown. unlike 'call', there's no development of smiley; there's a brief, almost parenthetical reference to ann's background, but imo, not worth the time i spent struggling through this one.

the whole thing is basically dialog. the setting is an english public school; from the author's introduction (pocket books ed.) i gather that this type of upbringing/environment was something he had to get off his chest. all i can say is we should be glad he did.

I have read several of John le Carre's novels and now I am reading his earlier novels from his George Smiley series. A Murder of Quality is very different from most of his books, because it really isn't a "spy thriller." Although the book centers around Smiley, he is investigating a murder for a friend rather than being involved in the international espionage game. Smiley travels to a prestigious school called Carne, a teacher's wife has been murdered. Many doors are shut to the local police due to the prestige of the school, so it is up to Smiley to break down some of these doors with the connections he has. This wasn't one of my favorite le Carre novels, but I still found it entertaining.