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A Murder of Quality (George Smiley Adventures)
by John Le Carre (Narrator: Michael Jayston)
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Chivers Audio Books (1995-08)
ISBN: 0745140130
EAN: 9780745140131
Audio Cassette
SKU: 01LB-046-7-0408
Condition: G-
Comments: UNABRIDGED; EX-LIBRARY with typical stickers and markings; 4 audiocassettes in library packaging, includes original artwork as loose board panel banded to new case); Everything appears to be in order; While we cannot test our thousands of hours of media, we guarantee them to play well. Narrated by Michael Jayston. *International Buyers Welcome!* (except for prohibitively heavy items, as noted) - Satisfied customers in over 40 countries! We ship quickly and guarantee satisfaction. Your purchase helps support a U. Chicago student
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
John le Carré's classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international esionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge, and have earned him -- and his hero, British secret Service Agent George Smiley -- unprecedented worldwide acclaim.George Smiley was simply doing a favor for Miss Ailsa Brimley, and old friend and editor of a small newspaper. Miss Brimley had received a letter from a worried reader: "I'm not mad. And I know my husbad is trying to kill me." But the letter had arrived too late: it's scribe, the wife of an assistant master at the distinguished Carne School, was already dead. So George Smiley went to Carne to listen, ask questions, and think. And to uncover, layer by layer, the complex network of skeletons and hatreds that comprised that little English institution.
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Customer Reviews
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An unexplained death.
Rating  (3)
Date: 2008-05-07
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
A Murder of Quality is John Le Carre's second published novel and also the second to feature his best known character, George Smiley.
The first, Call for the Dead is an intelligently crafted murder mystery which plays out against the backdrop of Cold War espionage. A Murder of Quality is also a murder mystery or "whodunit" but the backdrop is a boy's school for Britain's uppercrust located in the pastoral English countryside far away from London or any other city of any size.
Smiley's background in British intelligence is alluded to and does play a small role in the storyline. But this is not a spy novel. The book's plot would not have been significantly altered had Smiley's background been in police work, the military, journalism or a host of other occupations.
Briefly stated, A Murder of Quality is about the mysterious, violent death of one Stella Rode, the wife of a junior faculty member at the aforementioned boy's school. The book's value lies not so much in the mystery it presents as in Le Carre's evocative description of British academic life and the conflicts, prejudices and arcane customs inherent to such an environment. Of interest to anglophiles, especially those fascinated by England's institutions and it's finely tiered class system.
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Letter from the Dead
Rating (3)
Date: 2008-02-26
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
The book begins with the talk of the schoolboys at Carne School which tells about their life. The conversation among the teachers presents another side of school days. Fielding reflects over his career with cynicism. Then a letter arrives at the 'Christian Voice'. Stella Rode wrote to the advice column about her fear of being killed. Miss Brimley took the letter to George Smiley. When they called a friend at Carne they learned Stella had been murdered after her letter was mailed! Smiley will take the letter to the Carne police. There were footprints leading into the house, but not leaving (a recent snowfall). The background descriptions tell about life in a country town. Smiley meets Fielding, the brother of an old dead friend. The conversations tell about the teachers at Carne. There was a curious incident with Stella's dog - it had been destroyed just before the murder. When Smiley looked over the Rode's house he saw Janie - with an old overcoat!
The small talk among the people at Carne tell about their lives and carry the story forward. This brings out facts about the murdered Stella. Smiley asks Miss Brimley to check a parcel sent to London; she finds some clothing (Chapter XIV). A student went missing, then was found dead. Smiley learns something about the student's scholarship. Chapter XIX has new revelations about this case! The last chapter wraps up the loose ends of this case.
You may note the improvements in the plot since his first novel. It has a surprising ending that seems to contradict the earlier chapters. Most murders are for love or money. This story combines the motives.
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Good Read for Smiley's Character Development
Rating (3)
Date: 2007-01-13
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
Having first read Absolute Friends, by John LeCarre, I decided to go back to the beginning and read all of the author's works in chronological order. The first in the Smiley series was Call for the Dead. In that novel, we learn much about Smiley and get a glimpse into the world of spycraft. In the second Smiley novel, A Murder of Quality, spycraft takes a backseat to an average murder mystery. I look forward to reading the 3rd Smiley novel, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, because I expect that it will be continue in the same manner as Call for the Dead. I rated this book 3 stars as it is not a bad read. It is simply a read. Not great, not bad, but just a touch above average. This is not a knock on the author's style, as he is clearly gifted. This is more so a knock on a novel that lacks much suspense and intrigue. In a genre (the British Murder mystery) clearly dominated by the likes of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, P.D. James, Martha Grimes, and the like... this story pales in comparison. I would certainly suggest reading the book if you, like me, are interested in reading the entire Smiley series; however, I would temper your expectations if you are looking for an enthralling read.
A solid 3 stars.
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Hmm, Not What I Was Hoping For...
Rating (3)
Date: 2007-01-13
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
Having first read Absolute Friends, by John LeCarre, I decided to go back to the beginning and read all of the author's works in chronological order. The first in the Smiley series was Call for the Dead. In that novel, we learn much about Smiley and get a glimpse into the world of spycraft. In the second Smiley novel, A Murder of Quality, spycraft takes a backseat to an average murder mystery. I look forward to reading the 3rd Smiley novel, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, because I expect that it will be continue in the same manner as Call for the Dead. I rated this book 3 stars as it is not a bad read. It is simply a read. Not great, not bad, but just a touch above average. This is not a knock on the author's style, as he is clearly gifted. This is more so a knock on a novel that lacks much suspense and intrigue. In a genre (the British Murder mystery) clearly dominated by the likes of Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, P.D. James, Martha Grimes, and the like... this story pales in comparison. I would certainly suggest reading the book if you, like me, are interested in reading the entire Smiley series; however, I would temper your expectations if you are looking for an enthralling read.
A solid 3 stars.
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Smiley is the new Holmes
Rating  (5)
Date: 2006-08-30
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Its a wonderful read! This George Smiley book is of the classic mystery genre. Although the mystery and story itself are quite subdued, there is a lot more to the book than the plot itself. Le Carre is severly critical of the English private school organization and to me it read more as a diagnostic of problems with the organization with a very finely crafted story as the veneer.
If you end up liking this one "Smiley's People" is one you will enjoy even more...perhaps his best work.
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