Our Kind of Traitor is one of John Le Carre’s later, standalone books. I am not sure that I enjoyed it as much as his Cold War books but it is still an excellent read.
A young academic and his girlfriend are on holiday in Antigua when they are approached by a Russian millionaire who wants to play tennis. This encounter leads to the couple contacting the security services and a tale of money laundering, violent retribution, approaching old age and betrayal. The British security services are weary and unbelieving but become involved with the situation and on the other side are Russian criminal gangs and their county’s security services. In the middle are two young lovers who rapidly realise that they can’t trust anyone and that they also can’t get out.
This is a clever tale of people who are all involved in events they would rather have avoided. Both sides are using the young couple and when they realise it they begin to take their own actions – not all of which are successful. The innocent, as usual in this author’s books, are vulnerable (and in this book also include children) and the intelligence community is devious, deceitful and ultimately self-serving.
I did enjoy this book. I have no idea if the events are at all plausible in our real world but they feel realistic. The ending doesn’t resolve all the stories or tell us what happens next which actually makes the book feel more real, although it is a little frustrating to the reader.
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