The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

By: John le Carré

Published by Penguin Group, 2026-06-02

John le Carré’s third novel—A #1 New York Times bestseller for 34 weeks—and the book that launched his career worldwide. His memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life, is now available. 


In the shadow of the newly erected Berlin Wall, Alec Leamas watches as his last agent is shot dead by East German sentries. For Leamas, the head of Berlin Station, the Cold War is over. As he faces the prospect of retirement or worse—a desk job—Control offers him a unique opportunity for revenge. Assuming the guise of an embittered and dissolute ex-agent, Leamas is set up to trap Mundt, the deputy director of the East German Intelligence Service—with himself as the bait. In the background is George Smiley, ready to make the game play out just as Control wants.

Setting a standard that has never been surpassed, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a devastating tale of duplicity and espionage.


John le Carré’s Our Kind of Traitor is soon to be a major motion picture starring Ewan McGregor.