SYNOPSIS

JOHN LE CARRÉ’S 26th novel, published after his death in 2020, is set in a small seaside town in East Anglia where 33-year-old Julian Lawndsley has recently renounced a high-flying City career for the quieter occupation of running a bookshop.

It is not long before Julian meets Edward Avon, an old book-lover who lives in a house named Silverview.

Edward claims to have been at school with Julian’s father, a disgraced clergyman, but his past life seems rich in mystery. He is married to Deborah, a former intelligence agent, and it is not long before he asks Julian to deliver a letter to an enigmatic woman.

Meanwhile, a spy chief in London is investigating the source of a leak, whose origins seem to lead him to Julian’s town.

Silverview is a posthumous gem-like and masterful treat for many of his avid readers.

– Published by Penguin, 224pp