TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY

The Cold War, perhaps dead in reality, lives on vibrantly in Michael Jayston’s reading of a literary spy classic. This installment of the le Carré canon has George Smiley trying to uncover a Soviet mole in the British Secret Service. Jayston’s rich, full-bodied voice recreates the paranoia, urgency, and dread implicit in any Soviet threat. He reads with a steady pace and allows the story to unfold naturally, with all the twists and turns subtly revealed. Jayston, a British actor, gives each character a distinct voice, and his inflections uncover their motivations and foibles. He even pauses well. The result is an intelligent book read with respect for the reader’s intelligence. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]