Agent Running in the Field

I'll be honest, some of le Carré's books I have found hard going and while I recognise his talent as a writer, some of his stuff just hasn't landed with me. In later years his anger at the state of the world bled into his novels and this can be a mixed blessing. In Absolute Friends, for instance, it destroyed an otherwise riveting novel with a crass, cartoonish ending. However, Agent Running in the Field is a different kettle of fish. In fact I'd say it's one of the best latter-day spy novels I have read.

Centring on Nat, a veteran of the Service, who thinks his agent running days are over as he's farmed out to be in charge of The Haven, a defunct substation of London General populated by a mix of low grade spies. In post-Brexit UK the goalposts have moved and shifting alliances mean new priorities. So when a young man called Ed tracks him down at his club and challenges him to a game of badminton Nat thinks nothing of it and the games become a regular fixture of his week. Ed is angry, railing at Brexit, Trump and the state of the world over a post-match pint and Nat listens patiently.

Meanwhile one of his agents, Florence, concocts a scheme to ensnare a Ukrainian oligarch, which might give Nat one last chance at glory and a career resurgence. But as ever, politics comes into play, betrayal amongst spies is nothing new and things start to spiral out of control. Has Nat been played? And by who? Is Ed who he seems to be, or something more sinister? And what deals are being made behind closed doors that will affect our long term relationship with Europe?

Le Carré keeps the pace moving along at quite a speed and, best of all, you are not sure how things will turn out until the very last pages of the novel. It's a quite brilliant balancing act, depicting a Service cosying up to Trump's America, while Brexit plays havoc with loyalties. The anger is there, but it never boils over into incoherent rage. Nat is telling the tale after the fact, and keeps us guessing at the outcome and we live the revelations with him as they unfold. For an “old school” spy he's quite a sympathetic character.

A page turner, as they say, and one of le Carré's best novels.

A British spy, Nat aka Nathaniel aka Anatoly, returns home to retire, only to find himself placed in charge of The Haven, a derelict sub-station managing a handful of Britain's double-agents and their handlers. Outside of work, he strikes up an unlikely acquaintance in the form and shape of a young, gangly Englishman, Ed Shannon, who challenges him to a game of badminton.
Over their post-game drinks, Ed - who believes Nat to be a harmless retired attache - lets loose with his verbal volleys against Brexit, Trump, and the British leaders who divorced the nation from Europe. It is the politics of post-Brexit Britain and pro-Russia Trump America that give rise to the events that unfold.
It is Nat who we follow for the entirety of the book. He's smart, polished, and over-confident, and makes for a compelling narrator. His family, wife Prue and daughter Steffi, also play a role, Prue playing a much larger role than the long-suffering spouses of spies in other novels. The only other female character of substance is Florence, Nat's young co-worker, also an idealist like Ed.
I had expected an intelligent but slow tale of espionage, but the events in this book develop with satisfying rapidity. They call into question to the meaning of loyalty, patriotism, and idealism. The different threads come neatly together and if there were parts that raised questions, it's to do with the narrator's inability to deal with emotional pain points as well as the hopeful, but abrupt, ending, which left me wanting for a couple more pages of narrative.
This was a solid read from beginning to end, allowing readers a glimpse into the world of modern espionage. Le Carre's genius in this book is the inter-weaving of big issues with individual actions, and the resultant - dangerous - dominos that fall.
Given the views espoused in this book and from what I have read of le Carre's own political views, I would imagine the author must have been relieved by the results of the recent US elections, even though the consequences of Brexit still remain for his country to sort out.