Agent Running in the Field

Agent Running in the Field is a 2019 espionage novel by British author John le Carré, the final novel to be published before his 2020 death at the age of 89. Le Carré is widely considered the world’s preeminent English-language writer of spy novels. The novel explores themes such as The Erosion of Institutional Trust, Political Idealism Versus Pragmatic Reality, and The Manipulation of Truth through the story of Nat, a lifetime espionage agent who becomes involved in a complex web of betrayal and secrets when assigned to an intelligence substation in London. 

This guide refers to the Kindle edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of cursing.

Plot Summary

The first-person narrator of Agent Running in the Field is Nat, a 47-year-old British intelligence officer nearing the end of his career. After returning from an assignment overseas, he expects that the Service will lay him off. Instead, he receives an offer to run Haven, a small London substation assigned to spy on Russia. Around this same time, at his athletic club in Battersea, Nat meets Edward “Ed” Shannon, who challenges him to regular badminton matches since Nat is the club’s badminton champion. Additionally, Nat’s wife, Prudence (“Prue”), a lawyer, encourages him to finally tell their adult daughter, Stephanie (“Steff”), about Nat’s career in intelligence.

Nat accepts the Haven position and begins working with Florence, his capable deputy. Together, they develop an operation proposing to bug the home of a Russian oligarch named Orson. While this operation is under review, Nat continues his twice-weekly badminton games with Ed. Ed frequently expresses strong left-wing political views, particularly against Brexit and the Trump administration. During this period, Florence suddenly resigns from the Service after a meeting with Nat’s superior, Dominic “Dom” Trench. Later, Florence reveals to Nat that Dom’s wife, Baroness Rachel, owns the building they had proposed to bug, explaining why their operation was rejected.

Meanwhile, the Haven team receives contact from Sergei Borisovich Kuznetsov (codename Pitchfork), a Russian double agent studying at York University. Sergei reports receiving instructions from his Russian handlers to move to London under a German alias. Sergei was born into a family of Russian intelligence officers, with a grandfather who was an NKVD general. He defected to Britain, claiming hatred for Putin’s authoritarianism, though Nat harbors some suspicions about his true loyalties. As instructed, Sergei moves to London and begins receiving assignments to photograph various locations connected by a bicycle route. The Service monitors these activities, calling this activity Operation Stardust.

Meanwhile, Nat travels to Prague to meet with Arkady, a former double agent living a life of crime after accumulating significant wealth. Despite their tense meeting, Arkady confirms that Russian intelligence considers Sergei a genuine asset. The operation reaches its climax when Sergei is instructed to facilitate a meeting between a Russian agent and a British collaborator. During surveillance of this meeting, Nat discovers that Ed, his badminton partner, is the British operative that Sergei had revealed as secretly working with the Russians. Ed meets with a Russian agent named Valentina and passes classified documents regarding a mysterious operation named Jericho. The Service questions Nat extensively about his relationship with Ed, suspecting him of potentially being a double agent himself.

Nat is fired for his relationship with Ed. Subsequently, the head of the Russia department, Bryn Jordan, recruits Nat for a special assignment: to turn Ed into a double agent using their established friendship. Nat investigates further and discovers that Ed initially attempted to sell secrets to the Germans, believing that the Russians he eventually contacted were German agents. Nat confirms this by meeting with Reni, a German intelligence contact, who reveals that Operation Jericho is an Anglo-American plan to undermine European Union institutions and dismantle international trading tariffs.

Ed announces his engagement to Florence, unaware of her previous role in intelligence. Their relationship developed after Nat had previously invited Florence to join them for a doubles badminton match. Nat meets with Florence to inform her about Ed’s activities and proposes a plan to help them escape. Florence agrees but insists on waiting until after their wedding to tell Ed the truth.

The novel reaches its climax during Ed and Florence’s wedding at a London courthouse. During the celebration, Nat and his wife, Prue, help the couple evade surveillance from the Service. They drive the newlyweds to the airport, where Florence finally reveals to Ed that Nat and Prue know about his activities. The couple proceeds through airport security to escape prosecution in Britain, with Ed unable to meet Nat’s gaze in their final moments together.

Throughout the narrative, several subplots develop, including the internal politics of British intelligence, particularly through the character of Dom, who loses his position due to his wife’s conflict of interest in the Orson operation. The story unfolds against the backdrop of contemporary political tensions, including Brexit, Trump’s presidency, and relations between Western powers and Russia. The novel concludes with Nat choosing personal loyalty over institutional duty, though the consequences of this decision remain unresolved.