The Mission Song - by John Le Carré (Paperback)

About the Book

A naive young interpreter stumbles into the heart of an outrageous British plot in the astonishing new novel by the master of the literary thriller.

Book Synopsis

Full of politics, heart, and the sort of suspense that nobody in the world does better, The Mission Song turns John Le Carre's laser eye for the complexity of the modern world on turmoil and conspiracy in Africa.

Abandoned by both his Irish father and Congolese mother, Bruno Salvador has long looked for someone to guide his life. He has found it in Mr. Anderson of British Intelligence. Bruno's African upbringing, and fluency in numerous African languages, has made him a top interpreter in London, useful to businesses, hospitals, diplomats -- and spies. Working for Anderson in a clandestine facility known as the "Chat Room,"Salvo (as he's known) translates intercepted phone calls, bugged recordings, and snatched voice mail messages.

When Anderson sends him to a mysterious island to interpret during a secret conference between Central African warlords, Bruno thinks he is helping Britain bring peace to a bloody corner of the world. But then he hears something he should not have...

By turns thriller, love story, and comic allegory of our times, The Mission Song is a crowning achievement, recounting an interpreter's heroically naive journey out of the dark of Western hypocrisy and into the heart of lightness.

Review Quotes

"Le Carré is as astute as ever. This is his 20th novel, and his understanding of how the world ticks is, as always, machete sharp. It's all part of his brilliance as a writer and a thinker....Politicians and corporate elites might bristle at his take on world events, but there's no arguing with his ability to tell an incendiary tale."--USA Today

"A full-fledged page turner....The Mission Song ultimately confirms for me that there is no better storyteller working today than le Carré."--Dallas-Fort Worth Star-Telegram

About the Author

John le Carré's The Spy Who Came In from the Cold secured him a wide reputation, which was consolidated by the acclaim for his trilogy Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy, and Smiley's People. His recent novels include The Tailor of Panama, The Constant Gardener, and Absolute Friends.