A Murder of Quality

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Mystery	4-week checkout	Due 05-13-2024

"The second George Smiley novel."
Originally published: Great Britain: Victor Gollancz, 1962.
Black candles -- The Thursday feeling -- The night of the murder -- Town and gown -- Cat and dog -- Holly for the devil -- King Arthur's church -- Flowers for Stella -- The mourners -- Little women -- A coat to keep her warm -- Uncomfortable words -- The journey home -- The quality of mercy -- The road to fielding -- A taste for music -- Rabbit run -- After the ball -- Disposal of a legend -- The dross of the river.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Summary / Annotation
Excerpt
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

a detective story with George Smiley in it submitted by camelsamba on August 3, 2017, 9:05pm Another review I read states: “Le Carre’s first book was not so much a spy novel as a detective story with spies in it, and [this] his second book is even less a spy novel: it is a detective story with George Smiley in it.” I completely agree with this assessment. Since I enjoy mysteries as well as spy novels, I didn’t mind that departure.)

George Smiley was contacted by Miss Ailsa Brimley, an old friend / co-worker, who now runs The Christian Voice. (Before I understood this was a mystery rather than a spy novel, I was convinced that The Christian Voice newspaper was going to be a cover for some kind of spy communications - it's not really a spoiler to say that is completely off the mark!) An letter from a worried reader – the wife of an assistant master at the distinguished Carne School – leads Smiley & Brimley to her murder. Carne has deep-seated church connections, and class-consciousness figures heavy in the plot (e.g. the “quality” in the title - so much focus on class, upbringing, ‘quality’). The plot is full of interesting twists and turns as Smiley unravels the string of clues leading to the culprit.