A Delicate Truth

A Novel

By: John le Carré

Narrated by: John le Carré

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times best-selling author of A Legacy of Spies. John le Carré’s new novel: Agent Running in the Field.

A counter-terrorist operation, code-named Wildlife, is being mounted on the British crown colony of Gibraltar. Its purpose: To capture and abduct a high-value jihadist arms buyer. Its authors: An ambitious Foreign Office Minister, a private defense contractor who is also his bosom friend, and a shady American CIA operative of the evangelical far-right. So delicate is the operation that even the Minister’s personal private secretary, Toby Bell, is not cleared for it. Three years later, a disgraced Special Forces Soldier delivers a message from the dead. Was Operation Wildlife the success it was cracked up to be - or a human tragedy that was ruthlessly covered up? Summoned by Sir Christopher “Kit” Probyn, retired British diplomat, to his decaying Cornish manor house, and closely observed by Kit’s daughter, Emily, Toby must choose between his conscience and duty to his service. If the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing, how can he keep silent?

©2013 John le Carré (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A novel that beckons us beyond any and all expectations." (Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post)

What a Thriller Should Be

Any additional comments?

Just another great thriller by a master writer. The fun part is that John le Carre is the narrator and does a fantastic job. He cracked me up a number of times.

repetitious detail

Great story, as is Le Carre's rendition. the narration does drag on though. much too expensive.

By George, He's Got It

If you could sum up A Delicate Truth in three words, what would they be?

Unfortunately too believable

What did you like best about this story?

It stays with you after it's over

Which character – as performed by John le Carre – was your favorite?

He does them all well, which a quite a feat for an author. I had no idea he had such skill. He avoids the pitfalls of doing women's voices as an impersonator rather than an inhabiter.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Who really is our own worst enemy?

Any additional comments?

The silken elegance offsetting the horror and suspense are terrific.

British, Smooth, and Fully Armed

How can you go wrong with a John le Carre novel. That's it in a nutshell, folks. I don't want to bore you with a 50 line exegesis, just buy and enjoy!

Breathtaking and beautifully written and read

The best Le Carre yet, revealing the impenetrable moral equivocations of the corporate ascendancy in politics and war. The author reads with such simplicity and depth.

Le Carre at his brilliant best

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Would and did.

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

For me, the most memorable moments are when Le Carre puts you in the midst of a terrifying and crucial moment, and slows time down to the point where you can smell, hear and feel the environment in which that moment exists.

What does John le Carre bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Le Carre is a SUPERB narrator. One of the best. I would always, always prefer to hear him read his own books (or anyone's book, for that matter). He has everything - a craftsman's acting talent, a beautiful voice, the gravitas and subtlety necessary to convey the material without ever overplaying it. And I have to say that he is in the peak of form here - one of his best narrating jobs, and that's saying a lot.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This book, perhaps because of the extent of the author's human experience at this stage of his life, is extremely moving on some very subtle levels, but possibly the most moving character of all is Jeb. Wonderful character. If he weren't so beautifully and honestly fleshed-out as a character, his storyline might be melodramatic. But he is sketched out with such plain truth, and in such simple lines, that he rings absolutely true and is therefore ten times more tragic.

Any additional comments?

This is, to my mind, Le Carre at his very best. I love him as an author, but some of his most recent books have not hit home for me as deeply as his some of his earlier work. With this one, he returns triumphantly in his finest form and it makes me so happy. I could not be more delighted.

Great story!

Great story, beautifully narrated, with a marvelous vocabulary that we in America sometimes pronounce in different ways.
Looking forward to the next of his stories on
Audible. Please......for us.

If you like happy endings don't read John le Carré

After having listened to multiple John le Carré audiobooks, I've come to the conclusion that his one major theme is power always wins.

Delicate indeed

A pleasure to hear the author narate....enjoyed the experience. The mood and detail are good too.

Good plot/story, tough listen

If you could sum up A Delicate Truth in three words, what would they be?

Rich, layered and interesting.

What did you like best about this story?

The normality of the characters.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of John le Carré?

Another Brit?

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

The audio was tough to listen to as every "s" was a sibilant whistle in my ear. It was a significant distraction from the story. This was a problem on 2 of 3 audio devices I tried.