George Smiley's California chase pits British spies against aggressive CIA warriors in new 1965 thriller
The novel, released in the U.K. this week, explores the friction between British and American intelligence in 1965.
By Aiko Nakamura ·
Nick Harkaway has released a new spy thriller that transports the late John le Carré’s iconic character George Smiley to the United States. The novel, titled 'The Taper Man,' is set in 1965 and follows the British spymaster as he chases a Soviet agent through California. Harkaway, who wrote under his real name Nicholas Cornwell for his own science fiction works, adopted the le Carré identity for this project. The story serves as the second entry in the expanded Smiley universe following his father’s death in 2020.
The plot centers on the cultural clash between British intelligence and its American counterparts, referred to in the books as 'The Cousins.' Harkaway portrays the CIA not as subtle observers but as aggressive warriors ready to break moral boundaries. This depiction mirrors the views of le Carré, who became a vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy in the years following the 2001 attacks. The title refers to a deep-cover agent left behind after a spy ring is dismantled, waiting for further instructions.
Harkaway described the writing process as looking into a mirror. He noted that the global situation in 2026 shares alarming similarities and differences with the Cold War era. Many of the same discussions about national decline and foreign meddling continue today. The book was published in the U.K. this week and will hit U.S. shelves on Nov. 17 via Viking. It follows 'Karla’s Choice,' released in 2024, which reintroduced readers to Smiley and the Circus, the fictional version of MI6.
Writing into such a beloved universe carries risk. Harkaway acknowledged that reviewers of his previous le Carré novel often began with the sentiment that they expected to hate the book but did not. He grew up hearing his father read passages from works in progress, which he described as getting Smiley for up to two hours a day while learning language. He now writes in his father’s old office in north London, sitting in a chair he calls very uncomfortable. His editor at Viking, Edward Kirke, said the new book is infused with the le Carré spirit, describing it as profoundly intelligent with a beautiful moral murkiness.
The narrative brings back established characters like the spy chief Control and expands on minor figures such as Roy Bland, a left-wing firebrand from 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.' Harkaway noted that his father’s writing contains no throwaway characters, giving even taxi drivers and bellhops a rich interior life. This approach reflects le Carré’s own habit of having lengthy, personal conversations with strangers during travel. The author said this habit made it easier to develop the supporting cast for the new story.
The le Carré world continues to grow through film and television. Harkaway’s brothers run a production company behind 'The Night Manager' and an upcoming series called 'Legacy of Spies.' That project features Matthew Macfadyen, known for 'Succession,' in the role of Smiley. The series will air on the BBC and MGM+. The expansion of the franchise highlights the enduring popularity of the gritty, office-politics view of espionage that le Carré pioneered.
Harkaway is currently writing at least one more Smiley book, which will also be set in the 1960s. He mentioned that internal family discussions are underway regarding whether to invite other writers to contribute to the series in the future. No new authors have been selected yet. Harkaway said any future writer would need great prose and a slight degree of anger. He expressed openness to a woman taking on the pen, noting that the world is full of talented writers and that if one person can do it, someone else can too.
