Esther asked:

Do I need to read the other 2 proceeding books first?

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9 years ago
4 answers

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Stephen Sanders You don't have to. The events of his first book, Call for the Dead, are frequently referenced in the Spy Who Came in from the Cold, but are summarized so you don't need to have read it. However, it's a solid mystery and a quick read so there's no reason not to read it first. It's also interesting to see how Le Carre's style evolved between the two books.

Le Carre's second novel, A Murder of Quality, on the other hand, is a mediocre mystery novel with a plot that has no relation to this book. Definitely skip it.

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Galen You don't have to, but it helps to have read at least Call for the Dead, which introduces George Smiley and Peter Guillam, and gives some background for the German setting in which this book takes place. It also references a few events from Call for the Dead. That said, it can be read as a standalone book. Though as mentioned by another, it would help to have some exposure to LeCarre's writing style; This is one of his two masterpieces, and I would recommend reading it for all it's worth to get the most out of it.

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