So Much for Smiley’s Peace

We brought you news in November that Nick Harkaway, the son of legendary espionage-fiction author John le Carré, has composed a new novel starring George Smiley, his late father’s long-running protagonist (introduced in 1961’s Call for the Dead). Now, thanks to Shane Whaley’s Spybrary blog, we have plot details about that work, which will be released in October under the title Karla’s Choice:

Set in the spring of 1963, the narrative picks up with George Smiley, the British intelligence officer known for his wits and unassuming demeanor, [walking] away from the covert operations of the British Secret Service, famously referred to as the Circus. Smiley yearns for a tranquil life, far removed from the clandestine battles between the West and the Soviets. With his marital life finally finding steady ground, whispers of Smiley's newfound contentment begin to circulate within the corridors of power in Whitehall.

However, the peace is short-lived. Control, the enigmatic head of the Circus, draws Smiley back into the fold with a seemingly innocuous mission: to interview Szusanna, a Hungarian émigré entangled in the affairs of a defected Russian agent and a missing London target. What starts as a straightforward task quickly spirals into a perilous journey, leading Smiley back to East Berlin and into the heart of a conspiracy tied to his most formidable adversary.

Set in the missing decade between two iconic installments in the George Smiley saga, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Nick Harkaway’s Karla’s Choice promises to be an extraordinary, thrilling return to the world of spy fiction’s greatest writer, John le Carré.

You’ll find a bit more information about all of this here.