The Night Manager by John Le Carré – Published by Hodder and Stoughton, 1991 and by Penguin (with Afterword by the author), 2016

No prizes for guessing why I decided to re-read this book!

If you loved the TV series, and you enjoy a different reading experience, buy this book. It’s not an easy ride because, unlike so many modern thrillers, the reader has to concentrate on and absorb every word, every nuance of the plot, the tiniest details, the chronology and the many characters. A moment’s inattention and you’ll be revisiting the last five pages.

The TV adaption and the book differ in so many ways – a luxury villa replaces the yacht of the original story, Middle Eastern baddies replace South American drug dealers, public servant, Mr Burr becomes the pregnant Mrs Burr, names are changed, in many cases the actors bear little or no resemblance to Le Carré’s descriptions and so on. Despite that I heard the voices of Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddlestone in every word they uttered in the book.

At the time of submitting this review I don’t know if, and to what extent, the ending will differ. Does it matter? Not a bit because despite all the changes, amazingly the TV adaption remains recognisably Le Carré’s brilliant creation. Read it! Now.