"The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" is a novel by John le Carré.
The novel is an unusual spy story in the sense that
it's not the typical James Bond type of a hero. The "spy" happens to be an indifferent, aloof, and disillusioned British agent.
The plot is sometimes confusing but eventually it concludes with an exciting finale.
Alec Leamus, the "spy" returns from Berlin, Germany where he was Deputy Controller of Area, in charge of operational work. After bouts of not-so successful operations in which all of his agents were killed, he returns to London. Having only two months left to serve on his contract, Leamus is offered just one last job, an intricately planned but incredibly dangerous mission for him to handle.
Leamus is seen to be taken off active service, and within a few months, surprisingly seen to become a resentful, drunken wreck. After allegedly
swindling money from the headquarters, he disappears and starts a new life as a paid defector, claimed as betraying all of Allied Intelligence in Berlin. The puzzling and hideous fiendishness of the plot is not fully revealed until the thrilling conclusion.
This novel is not that easy to follow but definitely for spy readers and avid spy enthusiasts. It is chilling with a suspenseful finale.