A Perfect Spy

Magnus Pym, a British spy, disappears to write his memoir after attending his father's funeral, and the Service is looking for him. Much of the story in this BBC Radio adaptation is moved forward through conversation and interviews, a structure that can occasionally make it bog down. Even so, the unfolding reminiscence about the friendship that developed between Pym and an operative from the other side is an interesting one that will hold listeners' interest. The drama is presented as eight half-hour episodes, a format that is suited to listening a section at a time rather than all at once. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine


Top British intelligence officer Magnus Pym has gone missing. THE PERFECT SPY is two intertwined stories: the race of Pym's handlers to track him down and Pym's chronicled life since childhood, which he is writing while secretly holed up. Michael Jayston's powerful enthusiasm surges throughout as he dramatically portrays the tense, frantic, backtracking spy craft to discover Pym's whereabouts. His narration is also passionate in depicting the emotive forces behind Pym's account of how he became the spy that he is. Jayston masterfully captures the layers of psychological motivations that are le Carré's stock in trade. Jayston has performed many of le Carré's novels, and in A PERFECT SPY both author and narrator are in top form. F.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

March 4, 1986
Le Carre's new novel overshadows The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and his other bestsellers. The author's intense feelings, linguistic artistry and stinging wit draw the reader into the story of Magnus Pym, traitor. Epic in scope and length, the narrative moves backward and forward in time, recording crises-ridden events from the viewpoints of numerous characters. Primarily, the revelations are in an epistle Pym addresses to his young son Tom. The writer is holed-up in a remote country cottage where he tries to explain his crimes to the boy before pursuers find him. For years a trusted agent in British Intelligence, Pym has been giving England's and America's vital secrets to a contact in Czechoslovakia. Now Jack Brotherhood, the spy's mentor in the honorable organization, sadly agrees with colleagues that Pym is guilty. The proof is his disappearance, coincidental with data gushing from CIA computers and sent by U.S. agents to their opposite numbers in London. Determined to minimize the damage of Pym's treachery and create a coverup if possible, Brotherhood takes charge of a team searching for the betrayer. As the lives of everyone involved in this netherworld of espionage become tragically immediate to the reader, Le Carre again masterfully chronicles the dangerous game-playing world of international espionage. 350,000 first printing; BOMC main selection.

Taut, intricate, and urbane--this BBC/Scotland radio adaptation captures the sound and feel of the British-grey atmosphere and cold war imagery of John le Carr�'s 1986 masterwork. The story focuses on a spy who seems to be a friend and confidant to all who suddenly disappears. With a tone that moves between hope and a feeling of lost chances, British character actor Julian Rhind-Tutt dives deep into the motivations of the perfect spy--Magnus Pym. The plot twists include a number of flashbacks, so it is left to the wonderfully naturalistic performances by the entire cast to keep the story immediate and grounded. It's not often that a spy novel can be described as heartbreaking, but that's just how close to the bone and well told this spy story is. B.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine