Somewhat nostalgic if resentful recreation of our hideous public school system, where most of the staff and their wives deserve to be the murder victim. Unfortunately, only one gets it.Le Carré is a great spy thriller writer, but a rather average murder mystery hack. George Smiley plods his way through the vile cast of suspects, mildly scrutinising their eccentric and sociopathic characters, until finally, and rather hesitantly, he gets his man.
still outside the Circs.This crime novel precedes the spy stories for which Le Carré is widely known and highly appreciated. It already features George Smiley still outside the Circus. II is a public school with all its strange characters and snobbish habits which is chosen as a locale. As usual with Le Carré, social criticism plays as large a part as the intricacy of the plot. Everyone is a suspect while the real murderer is kept secret until the last moment. This novel ìs an exercise for those to come.