In a biographical sketch of the writer, Cobbs describes le Carre's relationship with his father, his often overlooked academic success, his choice of a pseudonym, and his reputation as one who once worked in British intelligence, perhaps as a spy. In a critical overview of his literary career, Cobbs examines le Carre's primary themes, including the importance of the Cold War, the pull of conflicting loyalties, the corruption of bureaucracy, the tension between the individual and the state, personal betrayal rationalized by misguided idealism, and the pathos of vulnerable humanity in the grip of amoral and impersonal political and social institutions.