Single & Single Books

Pros: It's John Le Carre, at the top of his form
Cons: none

From the first brilliant paragraphs of John Le Carre's latest novel, "Single & Single", the reader knows something special is in store:

quote
This gun is not a gun.

Or such was Mr. Winser's determined conviction...

Pros: Expected LeCarre Quality
Cons: just not as inspired or exciting

...I wouldn't be so hooked to reading the author as I am. I did enjoy reading the book, the story just didn't draw me in as deeply as other LeCarre novels I've read. I hope that, unlike other of his novels, this book is single and not a series.
...

Pros: Always worth reading Le Carre
Cons: Far from his best work

I cook, and I am gratified that every time I cook, I am not expected to have cooked a better meal than the one before. On the other hand, my meals are generally free, and sometimes aren't approached with reverence or barely suppressed joy. (Especially...

Pros: Classic LeCarre style, character depth; no one character is purely heroic, nor purely malicious.
Cons: Locales shift a bit quickly for the plot pace,

Single & Single is still a classic LeCarre novel; some may say, just less so.

I had cause to dislike 'The Perfect Spy' years ago when I read it...it rang with something so deeply personal to the writer and what I'd felt at the time was...

Pros: action character geopolitics relevancy spies
Cons: not everyone is ready for the new world as it is

"Le Carre" is once again a decade ahead of us all. That has confused even the best critics, most of whom cannot awaken to the new realities in a transitional world. To be sure, the center of gravity of the world has shifted. So what? We...

Pros: Excellent plot, strong narrative voice, interesting characters
Cons: Perhaps a little complicated

John LeCarre’s most recent novel, Single & Single, is another engrossing tale from one of the finest novelists writing today. This tale of shady dealings in the emerging post-Soviet republics is, of all things, a page-turner, and presents an...

Pros: Interesting insights on Russian organised crime
Cons: Nothing else really new from this old master

I have to place S&S rather low overall among le Carre's works, although that doesn't mean it's not still a very good read.

One reviewer even dropped the name of John Grisham to convey the predictability of the basic plot structure-- timid...

Pros: His latest is truly inspired
Cons: Absolutely none

Tiger Single runs the London based investment firm, SINGLE AND SINGLE. His company handles millions made from the international sales of drugs and arms. Especially lucrative to the firm is the former Soviet states, whose criminal elements have an ally in...