"Fielding and Jebedee were dead, Steed-Asprey vanished. Smiley—where was he?" John le Carré's second novel, A Murder of Quality, offers an exquisite, satirical look at an elite private school as it chronicles the early development of George Smiley.Miss Ailsa Brimley is in a quandary. She's received a peculiar letter from Mrs. Stella Rode, saying that she fears her husband—an assistant master at Carne School—is trying to kill her. Reluctant to go to the police, Miss Brimley calls upon her old wartime colleague, George Smiley. Unfortunately, it's too late. Mrs. Rode has just been murdered. As Smiley takes up the investigation, he realizes that in life—as in espionage—nothing is quite what it appears.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
15 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Murder & The English Public School System
Oct 24 2012
By John Skilbeck
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A Murder of Quality is a mystery in the admirable tradition of English murder mysteries with the addition of an extra character, the English Public School System. Usually novels in the genre "English Murder Mystery" are full of quirky British characters and quaint English villages. To these Le Carre has added another hallmark of Britain, the institution of the British Public School. All the best people, particularly men, are products of these exclusive boarding schools, and for better and worse, they mold the character of their charges and leave life-long impressions.
The pleasure of this novel is the finely drawn characters it serves up. Le Carre is a master of revealing character with dialogue and descriptions that, in a sentence or two, say all that needs be said about the weakness and strength of a subject. This is an early novel in Le Carre's career. The skillful portraits of character drawn here are a preview of the genius later to be fully realized in his later works with George Smiley as the protagonist. While more direct, and less complex and subtle than his best works, it still delivers the pleasures of a good tale, memorable characters and a work prepared with craft and intelligence.
The pleasure of this novel is the finely drawn characters it serves up. Le Carre is a master of revealing character with dialogue and descriptions that, in a sentence or two, say all that needs be said about the weakness and strength of a subject. This is an early novel in Le Carre's career. The skillful portraits of character drawn here are a preview of the genius later to be fully realized in his later works with George Smiley as the protagonist. While more direct, and less complex and subtle than his best works, it still delivers the pleasures of a good tale, memorable characters and a work prepared with craft and intelligence.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Change of Pace in the George Smiley Series
Mar 13 2013
By Clint W. Cypert
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I have read several of John le Carre's novels and now I am reading his earlier novels from his George Smiley series. A Murder of Quality is very different from most of his books, because it really isn't a "spy thriller." Although the book centers around Smiley, he is investigating a murder for a friend rather than being involved in the international espionage game. Smiley travels to a prestigious school called Carne, a teacher's wife has been murdered. Many doors are shut to the local police due to the prestige of the school, so it is up to Smiley to break down some of these doors with the connections he has. This wasn't one of my favorite le Carre novels, but I still found it entertaining.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nice read
Dec 26 2012
By William S. Mauldin
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A dark look at an elite and historic English public school and its closed society and cast of supremely flawed characters.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
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