Novel: The Opium Prince by Jasmine Aimaq
Although there isn’t a whiff of straight-up espionage to Jasmine Aimaq’s The Opium Prince (2020), it reminded me of a …
TV: Andor (Season 1)
I can’t be alone in my complicated relationship with Star Wars; the franchise did, after all, play a huge part …
Novel: Real Tigers by Mick Herron
Mick Herron makes this stuff look easy. Effortlessly read, fast-paced, and funny, Real Tigers (2016) is the third full Slough House novel …
TV: The Old Man (Season 1)
When the spy genre is on its game, psychologically speaking, it can turn the twists and turns of plot into …
Novel: Silverview by John le Carré
John le Carré’s final published novel, Silverview (2021), does not disappoint, a superb capstone to an illustrious career. It’s a …
Novel: Slow Horses by Mick Herron
It was time for some classic British spy fiction, and this time I stumbled randomly across Mick Herron’s Slow Horses …
Film: The Courier
Based on true events, The Courier (2020) isn’t an overwhelmingly successful dramatization of history, but it’s less prone to biopic …
Film: Let the Right One In
After helming a reasonably successful adaptation of John le Carré’s, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, I expected to see more high-profile …
TV: The Sleepers
I have a theory: that Tomas Alfredson’s 2011 adaptation of John le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy kicked off a …
TV: The Bureau (Season 1)
There’s nothing top secret about my mission to watch every great spy show ever made. I’ve logged many, many hours …
TV: The Little Drummer Girl
What a welcome trend it is watching John le Carré’s back catalogue gradually get adapted into lavish, compelling new TV …
Novel: Agent Running in the Field by John le Carré
Writers approaching their ninth decade surely shouldn’t still be this accomplished, should they? Yet here we have John le Carré’s …
Novel: Agent Running in the Field by John le Carré Read More »
Novel: A Legacy of Spies by John le Carré
With the publication of his autobiography The Pigeon Tunnel last year, John le Carré seemed to be wrapping up a …
Film: The Human Factor
The Human Factor (1979) has cachet to burn in its creative lineup: Otto Preminger’s last directorial effort is based on …
Film: The Sell-Out
Searching for obscure spy movie gems is one of my favorite hobbies; sometimes I’ll unearth an overlooked classic, more often …
Non-Fiction: The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carré
Subtitled “Stories from My Life,” John le Carré’s The Pigeon Tunnel isn’t the linear autobiography I was expecting; instead, it’s a …