The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: A George Smiley Novel

From the New York Times bestselling author of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Our Kind of Traitor; and The Night Manager, now a television series starring Tom Hiddleston.

The 50th-anniversary edition of the bestselling novel that launched John le Carré’s career worldwide


In the shadow of the newly erected Berlin Wall, Alec Leamas watches as his last agent is shot dead by East German sentries. For Leamas, the head of Berlin Station, the Cold War is over. As he faces the prospect of retirement or worse—a desk job—Control offers him a unique opportunity for revenge. Assuming the guise of an embittered and dissolute ex-agent, Leamas is set up to trap Mundt, the deputy director of the East German Intelligence Service—with himself as the bait. In the background is George Smiley, ready to make the game play out just as Control wants.

Setting a standard that has never been surpassed, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a devastating tale of duplicity and espionage.

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Published Sep 3, 2013

240 pages

Average rating: 7.64

47 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Norfolk bloke
Jul 29, 2025
8/10 stars
Top level spy shit dawg
Nigel Thornberry
Jul 08, 2025
9/10 stars
A thrilling tale, which keeps the reader guessing. Watch out for those soviets.
crabbyabbe
Jan 22, 2023
9/10 stars
Wow! What a book. I couldn't put it down. The story reminded me of ATOMIC BLONDE in many ways, but obviously, the book is better! le Carre doesn't flinch from the brutal reality of the spy business and the atrocity that was the Berlin Wall, and both sides are equally to blame. What an excellent book to teach point-of-view. Author Graham Greene said of this 1963 novel, that it was “the best spy story I have ever read.“ I have to agree.

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