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Article: Bleak tale out of Africa; The Constant Gardener. By John Le Carre (Hodder and Stoughton, pounds 16.99). Reviewed by Simon Evans.(Books)
- Article from:
- The Birmingham Post (England)
- Article date:
- January 13, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Simon Evans
The Christmas re-run of John Le Carre's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy acted as a timely reminder of the great spy novelist's penchant for labyrinthine plots, memorable characters (none more so than the taciturn George Smiley) and, above all, that forensic eye for telling detail.
Le Carre also displayed, throughout his Karla trilogy (of which Tinker Tailor was part) a rare faith in the power of human reason; you had the feeling that, like Sherlock Holmes, Smiley could have solved any mystery from the comfort of his desk in Cambridge ...