John Le Carre passes away at 89, here is a list of some of his best novels

British writer David John Moore Cornwell, better known by his pen name, John le Carre has died at the age of 89, following a short illness. The cause behind the author's demise was pneumonia. Tributes poured in from the literary world with Stephen King calling him 'a literary giant and a humanitarian spirit'. John le Carre is survived by his wife of almost 50 years, Jane, and his sons Nicholas, Timothy, Stephen and Simon. A lot of his books were turned into films including The Constant Gardener, The Tailor of Panama and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, while the Night Manager became a successful BBC television series. Read on to know about John le Carre's best books to read.

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John le Carre's books 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 1974 spy novel, which was later turned into a film of the same name, in 2011. The novel follows the endeavours of taciturn, ageing spymaster George Smiley to uncover a Soviet mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service. The novel has been adapted into both a television miniseries and a film and remains a staple of the spy fiction genre.

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The Spy Who Came In From The Cold 

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold is a 1963 Cold War spy novel by the British author.  It occurs during the heightened tensions that characterized the late 1950s and early 1960s Cold War. The book depicts Alec Leamas, a British agent, being sent to East Germany as a faux defector to sow disinformation about a powerful East German intelligence officer. This novel was also turned into a film of the same name in 1965. 

Agent Running in the Field 

This novel is the last published piece of work by the renowned novelist, which was available for the readers on October 17, 2019. Agent Running in the Field is set in 2018 and depicts the relationship between Nat, a 47-year-old member of the British Secret Intelligence Service, and a young man he plays badminton with weekly. 

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Call for the Dead 

Call for the Dead is John le Carré's first novel, published in 1961. It introduces George Smiley, the most famous of le Carré's recurring characters, in a story about East German spies inside Great Britain, it also introduces a fictional version of British Intelligence, called the Circus because of its location in Cambridge Circus. The novel was later made into a film titled A Deadly Affair in 1966. 

Smiley's People 

Smiley's People is a spy novel that was published in 1979. Featuring British master-spy George Smiley, it is the third and final novel of the Karla Trilogy, following Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Honourable Schoolboy. George Smiley is called out of retirement to investigate the death of one of his old agents: a former Soviet general, the head of an Estonian émigré organization based in London. Smiley's People was also turned into a miniseries in 1982, by the BBC.

The Little Drummer Girl 

It is also a spy novel, which was published back in 1983. The story follows the manipulations of Martin Kurtz, an Israeli spymaster who intends to kill Khalil, a Palestinian terrorist who is bombing Jewish-related targets in Europe, particularly Germany and Charlie, an English actor and double agent working on behalf of the Israelis. This book was later turned into a film as well as a miniseries of the same name. 

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