Rich and elegant, British arms merchant Richard Onslow Roper arrives at a posh Zurich hotel where Jonathan Pine, a former military intelligence officer, is night manager. Pine's attempts to bring Roper to justice take us from one continent to another, from one hair-raising encounter to another. "le Carre's sense of character and command of dialogue remain remarkably sure throughout as he speeds through a plot of labyrinthine complexity." (The Economist)