Murder of Quality

In John le Carré's second novel, retired intelligence officer George Smiley is drawn into a murder investigation at the prestigious Carne School after his former colleague receives a letter from victim Stella Rode claiming her husband intends to kill her.

Already dead by bludgeoning when Smiley arrives, the case uncovers dark secrets, snobbery, and class tensions beneath the school's respectable facade, revealing the killer among the staff.