What is the best George Smiley novel?

Early whodunnits, the Karla trilogy and the new Circus novels written after le Carré's death all sit on one shelf. Which Smiley case would you reread first?

1. 1
   Call for the Dead

   John le Carré's 1961 debut novel, in which George Smiley investigates the apparent suicide of a Foreign Office official.
2. 2
   A Murder of Quality

   Le Carré's 1962 second novel, a murder mystery that takes Smiley to a boarding school in the West Country.
3. 3
   The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

   Le Carré's 1963 Cold War novel about British agent Alec Leamas, with Smiley in a supporting role; it won the Gold Dagger.
4. 4
   The Looking Glass War

   Le Carré's 1965 novel about a small military-intelligence department running an ill-fated agent into East Germany, with Smiley on the margins.
5. 5
   Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

   Le Carré's 1974 novel in which Smiley is brought back to hunt a Soviet mole at the top of the Circus.
6. 6
   The Honourable Schoolboy

   Le Carré's 1977 novel, set largely in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, following Smiley's counter-attack on Karla's networks.
7. 7
   Smiley's People

   Le Carré's 1979 novel that closes the Karla trilogy, with Smiley called out of retirement after the murder of an old agent.
8. 8
   The Secret Pilgrim

   Le Carré's 1990 novel in which Ned recalls his Circus career after Smiley speaks to a class of new recruits.
9. 9
   A Legacy of Spies

   Le Carré's 2017 novel revisiting the Leamas operation of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold through Peter Guillam's eyes.
10. 10
    Karla's Choice

    Nick Harkaway's 2024 novel, the first new Smiley book after le Carré's death, set in 1963 between The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor.
11. 11
    The Taper Man

    Nick Harkaway's 2026 follow-up to Karla's Choice, set in 1965, in which Smiley's hunt for a Soviet sleeper agent leads to Los Angeles.

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