The Constant Gardener [Paperback]

There were those who feared that the end of the Cold War would deal a fatal blow to the creativity of many first-rate thriller writers who specialised in this territory. In the case of John le Carré, this would have meant the loss of not only Britain's finest thriller writer, but a serious novelist of quite as much literary gravitas as any of his mainstream contemporaries. Certainly, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold remains as utterly compelling today as when it was written, whereas such post-Cold War le Carré themes as financial double dealing seemed to inspire him less than the world of shifting identity he had dealt in so skilfully. But with The Constant Gardener, we have the author once again firing on all cylinders. The characterisation is as elegant and expressive as ever, the prose as limpid and forceful. But, most of all, le Carré has found a theme quite as pregnant as any he has handled in the past: the malign, deceptively ameliorative world of global pharmaceuticals. In the new novel, the customary themes of betrayal and danger are explored in a narrative that exerts a total grip throughout its considerable length. His protagonist, Justin Quayle, is an unreflective British diplomat whose job in the British High Commission in Nairobi suggests one of Graham Greene's dispossessed protagonists trying to survive in the sultry corruption of foreign climates. President Arap Moi's Kenya is a country in the grip of AIDS, while political machinations maintain a deadly status quo. When Quayle's wife (who has taken more interest in what is happening around her than her husband) is killed, his investigation of her murder leads him into a murky web of exploitation involving Kenyan greed and a major pharmaceutical company eager to promote its "wonder cure" for tuberculosis. As Quayle looks deeper into the company which his wife had been investigating, all he has carefully built around him begins to crumble. The steady accumulation of tension and rigorous delineation of character is emblematic of le Carré at his finest, and it is a tremendous pleasure to find the author so resolutely back on form, fired with a real sense of anger at the duplicity of the modern world:

"Specious, unadulterated, pompous Foreign Office bullshit, if you want its full name--trade isn't making the poor rich. Profits don't buy reforms. They buy corrupt government officials and Swiss bank accounts".

--Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Praise for The Constant Gardener (: )

'The master storyteller...has lost none of his cunning' (A. N. Wilson, Daily Mail )

'The book breathes life, anger and excitement' (Nigel Williams, Observer )

'A cracking thriller' (Economist )

'Nobody writing today manipulates suspense better. Nobody constructs a more tantalisingly complex plot . . . essential reading' (Chris Woodhead, Sunday Telegraph )

'Richly detailed, full of righteous fire to offset its desperate prognosis, The Constant Gardener is a very impressive piece of work. It is certainly one of John le Carré's best books'

(The Times Literary Supplement )

'A powerful, moving novel ... essential reading' -- Sunday Telegraph 'Nobody writing today manipulates suspense better. Nobody constructs a more tantalisingly complex plot... essential reading' -- Chris Woodhead, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'The master storyteller...has lost none of his cunning' -- A. N. Wilson, DAILY MAIL 'The book breathes life, anger and excitement' -- Nigel Williams, OBSERVER 'A cracking thriller' -- ECONOMIST --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

‘A powerful, moving novel ... essential reading' --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

'Nobody writing today manipulates suspense better. Nobody constructs a more tantalisingly complex plot... essential reading' --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

'A cracking thriller' --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

'... Arguably his finest work to date, and this Hodder Headline Audiobook offers the added pleasure of the author reading his own work in full ... Le Carre mixes the potent ingredients of convoluted conspiracy, violence and unbridled capitalism into a compelling tale that will not disappoint devotees and will convert those discovering him for the first time.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Tessa Quayle has been horribly murdered on the shores of Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya, the birthplace of mankind. Her putative African lover, a doctor with one of the aid agencies, has disappeared.

Her husband, Justin, a career diplomat and amateur gardener at the British High Commission in Nairobi, sets out on a personal odyssey in pursuit of the killers and their motive. His quest takes him to the Foreign Office in London, across Europe and Canada and back to Africa, to the depths of South Sudan, and finally to the very spot where Tessa died.

On his way Justin meets terror, violence, laughter, conspiracy and knowledge. But his greatest discovery is the woman he barely had time to love.

The filming of THE CONSTANT GARDENER brought together a
terrific mix of talent from the West and from Kenya, but conditions on
location were harsh. Inspired to help in the most useful way they could,
the cast and crew founded the Trust. So far the money from donations has
gone to many projects, including a much-needed secondary school in
Loiyangalani; toilets, shower blocks and water towers in Kibera. Whilst
continuing to build further classrooms for the secondary school, the Trust
is also starting a mobile clinic service in Kibera. The Trust is run
voluntarily by two members of the crew and one paid part-time project
manager on the ground. This means that ninety-five percent of donations
received are spent directly on projects chosen after careful discussion
between the trustees and the local people who will benefit from them.John le Carré has donated all royalties from
this edition of the book to help and the Trust would like to thank him and
you for the support.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

John le Carré was born in 1931. His third novel, 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 his most autobiographical work, A PERFECT SPY, THE TAILOR OF PANAMA and SINGLE & SINGLE. THE CONSTANT GARDENER is his eighteenth novel