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      The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

      by John Le Carre
      Published
      Jan 1963
      Main Genre
      Espionage / Spies / CIA Espionage
      Rating
      Buy on Amazon Book
      Series
      George Smiley Book 3

      About This Book

      From the New York Times bestselling author of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Our Kind of Traitor; and The Night Manager, now a television series starring Tom Hiddleston.

      The 50th-anniversary edition of the bestselling novel that launched John le Carré's career worldwide

      In the shadow of the newly erected Berlin Wall, Alec Leamas watches as his last agent is shot dead by East German sentries. For Leamas, the head of Berlin Station, the Cold War is over. As he faces the prospect of retirement or worse—a desk job—Control offers him a unique opportunity for revenge. Assuming the guise of an embittered and dissolute ex-agent, Leamas is set up to trap Mundt, the deputy director of the East German Intelligence Service—with himself as the bait. In the background is George Smiley, ready to make the game play out just as Control wants.

      Setting a standard that has never been surpassed, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a devastating tale of duplicity and espionage.

      Series Placement

      Book 3
      View full series order

      Genres & Themes

      Genres

      Suspense

      Subgenres

      Action Adventure Espionage / Spies / CIA Thriller

      Themes

      Small Town

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      Jan 1980 Bantam ISBN 0553225588
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      Jun 1984 Bantam ISBN 0553264427
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      Jul 2009 Penguin ISBN 0143171119
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      Aug 2010 Penguin (UK) ISBN 0141194529
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      Nov 2011 Penguin (UK) ISBN 0241962331
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      Jan 2012 Penguin ISBN 0143121421
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      Sep 2013 Penguin ISBN 0143124757
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      Aug 2016 Penguin (UK) ISBN 0241978955
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      Mar 2020 Penguin (UK) ISBN 0241330920
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      Jun 1978 Putnam ISBN 0698103505
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      Jun 1978 Putnam Pub Group ISBN 0698109163
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      Sep 2005 Walker & Company ISBN 0802714544
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      Jun 2006 Hodder & Stoughton (UK) ISBN 0340733594
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      Aug 2013 Penguin (UK) ISBN 0141194537
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      Jul 2019 Penguin (UK) ISBN 0241337135
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      Jun 2026 Penguin ISBN 024177103X
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      Dec 1985 Kights Press ISBN 0884329704
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      Dec 1976 Ulverscroft Large Print ISBN 0854564675
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