Smiley would prefer to play the game with a certain set of rules. However, he tends to win with whatever hand he's dealt. He's haunted by those who don't survive his machinations.

Nobody goes quite as deep undercover in this as Leamas in The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. There's a lot more pantsing than plotting. The same amount of wheels within wheels, they're just put in motion quickly reacting to events. Quite a few side characters are ready to be expanded on.

The exploration of work/life balance added to the story, but might have been fleshed out a bit more.

I'm looking forward to both more Harkaway Smiley books and the rest his father wrote. Next up is Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.