A couple of random comments, to show I can be as disjointed as le Carré.
I'm still thinking about Toby's survival and I now think that it hinged on whether or not a recipient acted on the files. If the files got out, Toby needed to be produced, as the lesser of the two evils for the bureaucracy. Dead Toby would compound the situation, giving more weight to the evidence.
I liked the jumping around in time, place and POV. For me, it added to both the tension and the interest in teasing out the plotline. I thought it quite effective.
I also give le Carré credit for tackling the problem of today, terrorism and extranationals, rather than refighting the Cold War. He'd done that. It's more interesting and more creditable for me that he moved with the times.
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Originally Posted by Victoria
Maybe he thought he was building suspence? I’ve followed a number of authors where the actual writing goes downhill over time.
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I think series always eventually go downhill; the ideas get played out, the characters get stale, the continued action gets increasingly absurd. I think standalones have more life to them, as in this case.
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Originally Posted by CRussel
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I found none of the main characters appealing. That's really a non-starter for me. If I'm reading historical fact or fiction, there don't have to be characters I like -- there are just characters/people who are what they are. But if I'm reading fiction, I have to like at least SOMEONE in the book, or I give up.
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I don't have to like characters; that's a matter of indifference to me. I want them to be interesting and consistent. That's enough.