Loved the dry, ironic wit of this, and how jolting it feels when that irony collides with the horrible repercussions of making things up. Also, the women in The Tailor of Panama are a good deal more interesting and rounded than in some of Le Carré's other books (lookin' at you, A Most Wanted Man.) Marta, Pendel's secretary and former revolutionary, is especially good. Perfect holiday reading: no need to check your brain at page one but nevertheless flies by.