Call for the Dead book cover by John le Carré

Books like Call for the Dead by John le Carré

by John le Carré · 1961

Book 1 of George Smiley

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Genre

Spy stories

What it is about

George Smiley
Intelligence officers
Cold War

Where it happens

England

Ages

Adult

Books like this one

Last checked: October 28, 2026

The Recruit
Robert Muchamore · Young adult

about 340 pages

Why: Both are spy books.
- Spy
What both books share
- spy
  Call for the Dead: "spy fiction" (WD genre); "Spy stories." (LoC 655)
  The Recruit: "Spies" (OL subject); "Spies, fiction" (OL subject); "Spy stories" (OL subject); "spy fiction" (WD genre)
From each book's catalog record: Open Library and Wikidata for Call for the Dead; Open Library and Wikidata for The Recruit.
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From Russia, with Love
Ian Fleming · 1957 · Adult

about 250 pages

Why: Both are books about cold war and intelligence officers.
- Cold war
- Intelligence officers
What both books share
- cold war
  Call for the Dead: "Cold War" (OL subject); "Cold War -- Fiction." (LoC 650)
  From Russia, with Love: "Cold War" (WD main subject)
- intelligence officers
  Call for the Dead: "Intelligence officers" (OL subject); "Intelligence officers -- Fiction." (LoC 650)
  From Russia, with Love: "Intelligence officers" (OL subject); "Intelligence officers -- Fiction." (LoC 650)
From each book's catalog record: Open Library and Wikidata for Call for the Dead; Open Library and Wikidata for From Russia, with Love.
Library Bookshop.org Amazon
Divine Madness
Robert Muchamore · 2006 · Young adult

about 380 pages
Cover from Google Books

Why: Both are spy books.
- Spy
What both books share
- spy
  Call for the Dead: "spy fiction" (WD genre); "Spy stories." (LoC 655)
  Divine Madness: "Spy stories" (OL subject); "Spies, fiction" (OL subject); "Spies" (OL subject); "spy fiction" (WD genre)
From each book's catalog record: Open Library and Wikidata for Call for the Dead; Open Library and Wikidata for Divine Madness.
Library Bookshop.org Amazon

Show 1 more

The Fall
Robert Muchamore · Young adult

about 340 pages
Cover from Google Books

Why: Both are spy books.
- Spy
What both books share
- spy
  Call for the Dead: "spy fiction" (WD genre); "Spy stories." (LoC 655)
  The Fall: "spy fiction" (WD genre); "Spy stories." (LoC 655)
From each book's catalog record: Open Library and Wikidata for Call for the Dead; Open Library and Wikidata for The Fall.
Library Bookshop.org Amazon

Books like the George Smiley series

What they share, at a glance

Call for the Dead next to each book above. A dot means both books' records carry that fact.

Book	Spy	Cold war	Intelligence officers
The Recruit	shared	not shared	not shared
From Russia, with Love	not shared	shared	shared
Divine Madness	shared	not shared	not shared
The Fall	shared	not shared	not shared

Tap a dot to open the record the match comes from.

Call for the Dead: the facts, checked

Each line names the page it was checked on and the date.

First published: First published in 1961. Source: Wikidata, checked November 6, 2026.
Series: It is book 1 of the George Smiley series. Source: penguinrandomhouse.com, checked November 6, 2026. George Smiley ... Call for the Dead
Next in the series: Book 2 is A Murder of Quality. Source: penguinrandomhouse.com, checked November 6, 2026. Call for the Dead ... A Murder of Quality

About John le Carré

Born: Born in Poole, United Kingdom, in 1931. Source: Wikidata and the place's own entry, checked November 6, 2026.
Awards and honors: John le Carré received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1964, for The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Source: Wikidata, citing academia-lab.com, checked November 6, 2026.
Awards and honors: John le Carré received the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel in 1965, for The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Source: Wikidata, citing edgarawards.com, checked November 6, 2026.

More about John le Carré

Where does Call for the Dead sit in its series? See the reading order.

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Common questions

What does the Why line mean?

It names what the two books have in common, using only facts found in both books' catalog records. Tap What both books share to see those facts and where they came from. When the shared facts are few, the line is short. It never quotes reviews, ratings or reader reactions.

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