A Murder of Quality

At the request of his former wartime colleague Ailsa Brimley, George Smiley agrees to investigate the murder of Stella Rode. Brimley had recently received a letter from Stella in which she expressed fear for her life at the hands of her husband. Stanley Rode is a teacher at Carne School, but Smiley is initially skeptical that he was involved in his wife's death. As Smiley delves into the case, he discovers that Stella was a nosy and inquisitive woman who enjoyed uncovering others' secrets, often spreading gossip or possibly using it for blackmail. When a student is later killed and Smiley uncovers a hidden secret, he gathers enough evidence to identify the murderer. Based on John le Carré's 1962 debut thriller, in which George Smiley is drawn out of spy retirement to solve a murder at a British public school. The setting draws from le Carré's own experiences at Sherborne School and his brief teaching stint at Eton.