“A Delicate Truth” by John Le Carre – A Tragedy Lost in Time

A Delicate Truth by John Le Carre begins as a secret counter-terrorist operation is being prepared in Gibraltar, with its purpose being the capture of a high-level jihadist target. The main participants of the plot are a foreign office minister, a private defense contractor, and a shady CIA operative. 

The operation is so secretive and sensitive that even Toby Bell, the minister’s own secretary, is not allowed in on it. Everything goes without a hitch, the heroes return home and all is well… until three years later, when a disgraced special forces operative comes back to haunt everyone, bringing up the possibility that rather than being a success, the operation was a complete disaster and a tragedy, one that has been carefully covered up. 

As Toby Bell is summoned to a manor house by a retired British diplomat, he must make the ultimate choice: does he prevent the triumph of evil, or does he stick to his duty?

I have to say that I started reading this book without really expecting much, but Le Carre’s style really hooked me in from the start; he is extremely talented at making the plot advance through dialog. As a result, the story moves at a smooth and fast pace, with the characters never aimlessly diddling about.

Though the ending did come as a bit of a disappointment, I think it had more to do with the expectations I developed while reading the book; I was expecting to be blown away by something new and original, but instead I got a good ending that wrapped things up nicely. The plot is full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge right up until the end, making this the perfect reading for those occasions when you need to pass the time with a good distraction.

All things considered, I have to say that even though A Delicate Truth doesn’t manage to raise the bar in terms of originality, it remains a very solid piece of writing and avoids becoming too convoluted for its own good, which happens all too often with books in this genre. If you are looking for a quality piece of entertainment centered on a military operation and political cover-ups, I can do nothing but recommend this book.

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John Le Carre John Le Carre is a British author who has a knack for writing espionage novels , something for which he certainly has the background for, having working for the British Intelligence services MI5 and MI6 during the 1950s and 60s. He wrote novels during that time under his pen name (his real name being David John Moore Cornwell), and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (published in 1963) became an internationally-renowned bestseller.