“Karla’s Choice” carries a double dedication: To David John Moore Cornwell, “father, husband, brother, son,” and to “John le Carré, novelist.”

“John le Carré was, among other things, a shield that my father created, because he was quite a shy guy,” Harkaway said. “John le Carré was kind of the suit that he put on to be able to do it all. And then David Cornwell was my dad. He was a terrible cook, he was a ping pong player of enormous aggression and flair … he was the person I lived with.