Author

John le Carré

Q: What should I read first by John le Carré?

Start with the Smiley versus Karla series and read it in publication order.

John le Carré has written 27 books across 1 series. Start with Smiley versus Karla.

John le Carré was the pen name of David Cornwell, an English author and former British intelligence officer (MI5, then MI6) who redefined the spy novel as morally compromised, bureaucratic, and true to life rather than glamorous. His breakthrough, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), remains one of the most acclaimed spy novels ever written, and his three-book Karla Trilogy -- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy, and Smiley's People -- built around the decade-long rivalry between his signature creation, the rumpled intelligence officer George Smiley, and his unseen Soviet counterpart Karla, is widely regarded as his masterwork.

After the Cold War, le Carré kept finding new targets for the same unsparing eye: pharmaceutical corruption in The Constant Gardener (2001), arms trafficking in The Night Manager (1993, later a hit BBC series with Tom Hiddleston), and the war on terror in A Most Wanted Man (2008). He continued writing new novels into his late eighties, publishing Agent Running in the Field in 2019, and died in December 2020. In 2024 his son, Nick Harkaway, published Karla's Choice, a new Smiley novel written with the le Carré estate's blessing -- the first authorized continuation of his fictional world after his death. New readers typically start with The Spy Who Came in from the Cold or the Karla Trilogy's opening volume, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Series: 1
Books: 27
First published: 1961
Best known for: Smiley versus Karla

Series by John le Carré

3books

Smiley versus Karla

John le Carré

espionage thriller

Standalone books

Read these in any order — each is a complete story.

Book —:
Call for the Dead
Novel1961
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Call for the Dead
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Book —:
A Murder of Quality
Novel1962
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Murder of Quality
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Book —:
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Novel1963
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
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Book —:
The Looking Glass War
Novel1965
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Looking Glass War
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Book —:
A Small Town in Germany
Novel1968
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Small Town in Germany
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Book —:
The Naive and Sentimental Lover
Novel1971
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Naive and Sentimental Lover
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Book —:
The Little Drummer Girl
Novel1983
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Little Drummer Girl
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Book —:
A Perfect Spy
Novel1986
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Perfect Spy
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The Russia House
Novel1989
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Russia House
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The Secret Pilgrim
Novel1990
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Secret Pilgrim
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The Night Manager
Novel1993
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Night Manager
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Book —:
Our Game
Novel1995
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Our Game
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The Tailor of Panama
Novel1996
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Tailor of Panama
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Single & Single
Novel1999
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Single & Single
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The Constant Gardener
Novel2001
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Constant Gardener
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Absolute Friends
Novel2003
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Absolute Friends
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Book —:
The Mission Song
Novel2006
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Mission Song
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Book —:
A Most Wanted Man
Novel2008
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Most Wanted Man
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Book —:
Our Kind of Traitor
Novel2010
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Our Kind of Traitor
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Book —:
A Delicate Truth
Novel2013
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Delicate Truth
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A Legacy of Spies
Novel2017
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Legacy of Spies
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Book —:
Agent Running in the Field
Novel2019
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Agent Running in the Field
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Book —:
Silverview
Novel2021
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Silverview
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Book —:
Karla's Choice
Novel2024
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Karla's Choice
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Frequently asked questions

What should I read first by John le Carré?

Start with the Smiley versus Karla series (first published 1974) and read it in publication order.