Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is an engaging spy novel on the list of 1001 books you must read before you die. Although a bit confusing at first, I eventually settled into the story involving the upper echelons of the British Intelligence Service during the Cold War. George Smiley, swept into retirement after a botched operation, is called back to investigate when there is the suggestion of a mole—John le Carré is thought to have coined the term—among the leaders of the Circus. The prose, laced with a lot of jargon, builds much suspense along the way. This first installment of the Karla trilogy has me intrigued about the battle between Smiley and Russian spymaster Karla: I might read the whole series.