The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le CarréMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A marvelous masterpiece! It is indeed an exciting spy novel full of intrigues, quite well-developed dialogues among characters, their description; hidden feelings, and unexpected behaviors. The whole plot leads easily the reader into the ambiance of espionage and counterespionage during the 60´s decade, the core of the Cold War in Britain, Germany, and The Netherlands; a detailed description that places all perfectly for a mind like a big screen movie.
The story unfolds Alec Leamas, who used to work as a spy for British intelligence, someone wanting to quit that job but to retire he must accept one last mission, a treason he shall commit for his country in the search for a way out; it will bring misfortune for him and his lover.
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold is a book to demonstrate how spies are not priests, saints, or martyrs but individuals who might follow orders of any kind by their superiors, even if they shall act against their principles. The title “..Coming in from the cold” is a metaphor about Leamas coming in not as a spy but as a person, someone who develops human empathy. Five stars.
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