Stella Rode has written two letters to the Christian Voice's problem column: the first was a tip for preparing pastry; the second declares that her husband may be planning to kill her. And by the time George Smiley is handed the second letter, Stella is already dead. Travelling to the old, cloistered institution ofCarneSchool, Smiley discovers that neither the very respectable people of the school nor the murder are as straightforward as they appear. A Murder of Quality is an ingenious mystery -- with all of le Carre's unmatched skill for deft plotting -- and a wry, intelligent commentary on class warfare of a particularly bloody kind.