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A Delicate Truth

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A Delicate Truth

By: John le Carré
Narrated by: John le Carré
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About this listen

A counter-terror operation, codenamed Wildlife, is being mounted in Britain's most precious colony, Gibraltar. Its purpose: to capture and abduct a high-value jihadist arms-buyer. Its authors: an ambitious Foreign Office Minister, and a private defence contractor who is also his close friend. So delicate is the operation that even the Minister's Private Secretary, Toby Bell, is not cleared for it.

Suspecting a disastrous conspiracy, Toby attempts to forestall it, but is promptly posted overseas. Three years on, summoned by Sir Christopher Probyn, retired British diplomat, to his decaying Cornish manor house, and closely watched by Probyn's daughter Emily, Toby must choose between his conscience and his duty to the Service.

If the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing, how can he keep silent?

'No other writer has charted - pitilessly for politicians but thrillingly for readers - the public and secret histories of his times, from the second world war to the 'war on terror'' Guardian

'The master of the modern spy novel returns . . . this is writing of such quality that - as Robert Harris put it - it will be read in one hundred years. John le Carré was never a spy-turned-writer, he was a writer who found his canvas in espionage, as Dickens did in other worlds. The two men deserve comparison' Daily Mail

'A brilliant climax, with sinister deaths, casual torture, wrecked lives and shameful compromises' Observer

'With A Delicate Truth, le Carré has in a sense come home. And it's a splendid homecoming . . . the novel is the most satisfying, subtle and compelling of his recent oeuvre' The Times

John le Carré was born in 1931 and attended the universities of Bern and Oxford. He taught at Eton and served briefly in British Intelligence during the Cold War. For the last fifty years he has lived by his pen. He divides his time between London and Cornwall.

Contemporary Fiction Espionage Genre Fiction Political Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Fiction Scary Inspiring

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Critic reviews

I think he has easily burst out of being a genre writer and will be remembered as perhaps the most significant novelist of the second half of the 20th century in Britain. He will have charted our decline and recorded the nature of our bureaucracies like no one else has. But that's just been his route into some profound anxiety in the national narrative. Most writers I know think le Carré is no longer a spy writer. He should have won the Booker Prize a long time ago. It's time he won it and it's time he accepted it. He's in the first rank. (Ian McEwan)
No other writer has charted - pitilessly for politicians but thrillingly for readers - the public and secret histories of his times, from the Second World War to the "War on Terror"
One of those writers who will be read a century from now (Robert Harris)
With A Delicate Truth, le Carré has in a sense come home. And it's a splendid homecoming . . . Satisfying, subtle and compelling
The perfectly paced, exquisitely cynical style that is le Carré's hallmark
The master of the modern spy novel returns . . . this is writing of such quality that - as Robert Harris put it - it will be read in one hundred years
A brilliant climax, with sinister deaths, casual torture, wrecked lives and shameful compromises
John le Carré has lost none of his ability in skewering the murkier foibles of the British Establishment. A tale of deception, greed, betrayal and ultimately, revenge . . . it is not until the last few pages that the full three dimensions of the plot are thrillingly revealed
A writer of towering gifts . . . le Carré is one of the great analysts of the contemporary scene, who has a talent to provoke as well as unsettle
John le Carré takes us back to his favourite scenarios: Whitehall, the secret services, the gentleman's clubs, dodgy bankers, corrupt public schoolboys and gruesome American neo-cons . . . revelling once more in that imaginary world of secrets and lies that is le Carré's gift to us
All stars
Most relevant

Would you consider the audio edition of A Delicate Truth to be better than the print version?

If I'm honest I preferred the read version because it is easier to go back through the book to check certain facts. I would highly recommend this version if you have already read the print book or simply want to get lost in many hours of quality espionage.

What did you like best about this story?

This is a very atmospheric listen. More so than the book. It's very easy to get lost in the narrative & emersed in the story. If you listen to this on a train you may well miss your stop.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

No scene particularly sticks out but like most well written thrillers you find yourself so immersed that you often have to rewind a chapter or two to get back into the story itself.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

When honesty sometimes is not the best policy

Any additional comments?

A good listen but not for the novice. You have to really enjoy this type of 'in depth' thriller & it would help if you are a fan of the author. Very easy to get lost in the narrative but if you are a Le-Carre fan & have read his works then you will enjoy. A book to be listened to when you are not going to be interrupted.

Read it, & then listen to it

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What did you like most about A Delicate Truth?

le Carrie writes a cracking story. A Delicate Truth is based around a fictious Operation Wildlife, a top-secret mission in Gibraltar, involving private spy companies , special forces, and a cast of spooks dodgy Ministers and Civil Servants.

Operation Wildlife was "an utter cock-up" in which an innocent Muslim mother and child, were killed and their deaths hushed up. Three years later , one of the soldiers involved reveals that the greater horror of the "cock-up" is the government conspiracy to cover it up, and bury the truth

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Delicate Truth?

The meeting of the old soldier with a conscience Geb and "paul" "Paul Anderson" a retired diplomat, who was involved , get reengaged but wants to do the honourable thing. Together with Foreign Office high-flyer Toby Bell, who has to put his career on the line.

Have you listened to any of John le Carré’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Very good performance.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

- "Outsourcing Honour"

Any additional comments?

Should be a follow up.

First Victim of War - a delicate Truth

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Any additional comments?

The many excellent reviews are well deserved! The story is clever and compelling. The narration of John le Carre a treat.

An Enjoyment

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Really good read throughout - kept you thinking - characters were well built up
Excellent

Kept You Gripped

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I liked the story, but for some reason audible downloaded the chapters back to front, so I listened to last half of the book first, followed by the first half.

It doesn't help that this is a story in main two parts, which added to the confusion.

Agreed, this wasn't my finest cognitive moment, but it's hard to tell this kind of stuff when you're driving along. Anyway, I feel like I've wasted a credit now, thanks audible.

A thriller with a twist added by audible.

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