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Charles McCarry's The Miernik Dossier is chosen by novelist Alan Furst as one of the Five Best spy tales ever written in The Wall Street Journal: "With The Miernik Dossier, Charles McCarry introduced us to Paul Christopher, the brilliant and sensitive CIA officer who would appear in a series of perhaps more widely known novels, such as The Secret Lovers and Second Sight. The book itself is the “dossier” in question: the reports and memoranda filed by a quintet of mutually mistrustful espionage agents, including a seductive Hungarian princess and a seemingly hapless Polish scientist, who undertake to drive from Switzerland to the Sudan in a Cadillac. It is a travelogue that bristles with suspicion and deception—but don’t listen to me, listen to a certain highly acclaimed spy novelist who reviewed McCarry’s literary debut: “The level of reality it achieves is high indeed; it is superbly constructed, wholly convincing, and displays insights that are distinctly refreshing. A new and very welcome talent.” Good call, Eric Ambler."
Kirkus Reviews takes a look at Charles McCarry's Shelley's Heart, coming next month in a new hardcover edition: "There's skullduggery afoot, and plenty of political intrigue, in this latest by accomplished mysterian McCarry (Christopher's Ghosts, 2007, etc.), whose overarching message might be that one has no friends in Washington, those who call you friend are likely to do you harm, and when Republicans call you friend—well, schedule an appointment with the undertaker. McCarry's setup is out of the headlines: A conservative presidential candidate wins office via electoral fraud. This time, however, his opponent has evidence. Enter the FIS—the heir to the CIA, replacing it "after it collapsed under the weight of the failures and scandals resulting from its misuse by twentieth-century Presidents." Enter spooks, defense contractors, lobbyists and assorted other denizens of the District of Columbia—and, to boot, a few deranged assassins and Yale graduates up to no good. The plot thickens and thickens—it has to, after all, since, among other things, part of it turns on a presumptive president's debating "the advantages and disadvantages of appointing a man he believed to be an enemy of democracy as Chief Justice of the United States." There's more than one clef in this roman, which has all the requisites of a Frederick Forsyth–style thriller but adds a few modern twists, some the product of a supersecret Moroccan-born agent whose stiletto heels are the real deal. She's not the only hotty, and there's the requisite steamy sex, too, told in requisite steamy language: "His great ursine weight fell upon her with a brutality that made her gasp with pleasure." Other gasps await good guys and bad guys alike, especially when drilled by tiny bullets to the thorax and other unpleasant means of dispatch.Will democracy survive? Readers will be left guessing until the last minute. A pleasing 21st-century rejoinder to the 1962 novel Seven Days in May, and a capable whodunit."
Charles McCarry's 1979 thriller, The Better Angels, is reviewed in the Toronto Star: "In the course of Charles McCarry's recently released thriller, The Better Angels, Arab terrorists lay plans to crash domestic passenger planes into Western targets. Ah, the unwary reader concludes, McCarry is borrowing from the most terrible episode in early 21st century American history. No, no, the more informed reader realizes, McCarry isn't repeating history. In a remarkable feat of prescience, his book actually anticipates future events. McCarry wrote and published The Better Angels in 1979. Now, in a worthy venture, the American publisher Overlook has launched a program of reissuing McCarry's past novels in new hardcover copies. The series begins with The Better Angels, which happens to be a timely choice for more reasons than McCarry's foreshadowing of 9/11. This kind of extravagant stuff sounds like leftovers from a lame Tom Clancy novel, but in McCarry's sophisticated hands, the material becomes engrossing and convincing. McCarry's own background is in diplomacy and espionage. A man now in his 80s, he began his political life in the Eisenhower administration and later worked as a CIA undercover operative for nine years. He says his two writing influences are Somerset Maugham and Richard Condon. His books reflect the civilized treachery of Maugham's spy novels and the subversive imagination of Condon's thrillers. The talent for predicting is exclusively McCarry's own. Apart from getting 9/11 right, he seems to have been one of the earliest thriller writers to work computers into his plot. As an instrument in Horace Hubbard's machinations, his number one assistant gets "computers talking to one another." It's true that only a minute group of people in the entire world are aware of computers in The Better Angels, but it seems remarkable that, as early as 1979, McCarry even considered a computer as an essential plot device. It seems certain that McCarry's imagination, freewheeling and abundant as it was in 1979, would never have conceived of a Sarah Palin appearing as any party's vice-presidential candidate." - Jack Batten
With the paperback releases of The Tears of Autumn and The Miernik Dossier, and the hardcover reissue of Second Sight, the great Charles McCarry is back in the spotlight.
The December issue of
Men's Journal magazine features a list of the Top Literary Thrillers ever written and coming in at #5 is
The Tears of Autumn, McCarry's international bestseller now available in a new trade paperback edition. This classic Paul Christopher novel, originally published in 1974, explores the JFK assasination. In the current issue of
The Kenyon Review, Andre Bernard writes of his own recent discovery of
The Tears of Autumn: "McCarry's style is just terrific. He's wonderfully fluid, writing elegantly yet succintly about the underbelly of government. His characters are fully formed, his landscapes and cities are real breathing things. He fills his tale with casual yet vital tidbits about the trade of spies, and whether they are true to life or imagined the resulting picture is stunningly vivid. He has a flair for summing up history and conjuring a vision of an out-of-control American military establishment. . . If you haven't discovered McCarry, now is the time to head to your local bookstore."
McCarry's latest novel, Christopher's Ghosts, was published in May, and continues to earn rave reviews from all over the world. In the November Commentary, Brian M. Carney offers a thoughtful review of McCarry's compelling tale of a young Paul Christopher in pre-war Berlin, and concludes: "You need not have read a Paul Christopher novel to appreciate Christopher's Ghosts. (In my opinion, the masterpiece among McCarry's works is The Last Supper). But if this is your first, it is unlikely to be your last." And from down under, The Sydney Morning Herald declares "McCarry has written an elegant historical novel elaborating the formative moments in the life of his recurring character, CIA operative Paul Christopher. Christopher's Ghosts is a kind or prequel for those lucky enough to have discovered McCarry earlier. And if you haven't, it may be a good place to start before backtracking through the catalogue of an author whom P.J. O'Rourke describes as the best modern writer on the subject of intrigue."
Charles McCarry's acclaimed novel Second Sight is finally available in a new hardcover edition from Overlook. This is the seventh in the series of Paul Christopher novels, a thrilling story that combines masterful flashbacks and memorable characters. Writing in USA Today, novelist Ross Thomas noted that "it may well be the best of the fictional spy dynasty, that remarkable Christopher clan . . . It is without a doubt, a special treat for those of us who dote on novels of espionage as it is practiced by our betters. To paraphrase another gifted novelist, McCarry has successfully taken spying out of the dark alleys of the world and dumped it back into Georgetown where it belongs."
Today's DCist mentions beloved Overlook Press author Charles McCarry's exclusive engagement Friday night at the great Politics & Prose, bringing together a singularly magnificent bookstore and a legendary writer of the highest order. Yes, Fridays are for getting away early, but this Friday it's worth sticking around in the DC metro area a little bit later.
Christopher's Ghosts, Mr. McCarry's latest, has not merely confirmed his place among our literature's most superior writers of any ilk, but also boldly reinvented the spy thriller. See above the intrepid and knowledgeable staff of the aforementioned indy book giant. Only a store of their caliber could host an author such as Mr. McCarry. Please attend for a reading and booksigning you will always remember:
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
Directions and Accessibility
5015 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
1-800-722-0790
202-364-1919
202-966-7532 (Fax)
STORE HOURS:
Mon -Thur 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri & Sat 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 8 p.m.
If you're unable to attend the signing, call or e-mail and try to get a signed copy for yourself and your loved ones. Father's Day is Sunday. And helpful booksellers are standing by.
Charles McCarry is coming to a radio near you talking about his new novel Christopher's Ghosts and his classic thriller of the Kennedy assassination The Tears of Autumn, which releases in paperback Tuesday 6/5.
Listen up!
6/5 8 AM WOCM-FM Ocean City, MD--"Rude Awakening with Mad Dog"
6/5 8:40 AM KUKA-FM Corpus Christie, TX--"The Morning Show with Pete Vasquez"
6/6 7:35 AM USA NETWORK "Daybreak USA" with Al Lerner
6/6 5:15 PM WDWS-AM Champaign, IL "Gary O'Brien and Friends"
6/8 9:30 AM KCMN-AM Colorado Springs, CO "Tron in the Morning"
The great Otto Penzler takes notice of the latest Paul Christopher novel in today's NEW YORK SUN:
There is something disconcerting, even embarrassing, about having so much affection for an author that writing about him becomes too great a challenge. Words of praise become inadequate, almost juvenile, in their failed attempts to adequately describe the brilliance of a given work, somewhat like trying to explain the love one feels in a perfect marriage, or at the birth of a first child. This fear of losing all critical faculties strikes like an arrow in the heart whenever I'm confronted with a new work by America's greatest espionage writer, Charles McCarry. It is no good thing to be seen as obsequious or awed when writing about a book, but there is no credit in finding flaws in an object of rare beauty, either. While it is indeed possible that there is no such thing as a perfect creation by the mind and hands of man, a scarce few works of art come closer than others, and Mr. McCarry has approached that ideal on a number of occasions, bringing joy and understanding to those fortunate enough to have encountered his novels.
Further good notice of the new Paul Christopher novel by Charles McCarry comes from the WASHINGTON POST today and THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER yesterday:
"Fans of the superior espionage author Charles McCarry know of his long series featuring agent and gentleman Paul Christopher. Now, in Christopher's Ghosts (Overlook Press, $25, 304 pp.), we flash back to a teenage Christopher falling in love, with dangerous consequences, both immediately and later."--Michele Ross
"McCarry is back in form here, and by pitting the Christopher family against the Nazis, he is deadly serious. The story is rich in suspense, colorful characters, sudden surprises and detail. His prose, as always, is elegance itself."--Patrick Anderson
Terrific reviews continue to pour in on Charles McCarry's new literary thriller Christopher's Ghosts. Check it out:
"Many critics believe that Charles McCarry is the finest espionage writer working today. Count me in. He writes with precise attention to detail yet manages to encompass the big picture of the bloodiest century in history, avoiding unnecessary drama and excessive heroics. This is the way it really was, the reader thinks upon digesting a McCarry book, which is the finest compliment that can be paid any novelist."--Steve Bennett, San Antonio Express-News
"Our greatest spy novels aren't concerned just with gadgets, lingo and tradecraft, they're also alive with compelling characters and moral dilemmas that resonate long afterward in a reader's mind. McCarry has been developing his main character for decades, and readers are richer for it. He isn't writing spy novels as much as elegant installments in the life of his most fascinating creation — that "Old Boy" and second-generation spy Paul Christopher, whose adventures have ranged from pre-World War II Berlin through the Cold War to the current war on terror."--Denise Hamilton, Los Angeles Times
"Christopher's Ghosts is the latest in a series of often elegant novels that former CIA officer Charles McCarry has written about his fictional spy Paul Christopher, American intelligence and the Christopher clan. This novel should find itself in many a briefcase and flight bag this summer."--Steve Hirsch, The Washington Times
Good word from the DENVER POST on Charles McCarry's latest!
This week marks the triumphant return of the famed Paul Christopher in his first (and possibly last) adventure. Christopher's Ghosts serves as both a prequel and a coda to Christopher's legendary and troubled career and extends the reach of the Christopher family through all the major events of the late Twentieth Century. Order your copy today. Charles McCarry will be reading and signing at Politics and Prose in Washington DC June 15th.
"Effectively a prequel to McCarry's series of outstanding novels featuring master spy Paul Christopher this exciting tale presents the prolog and denouement-two periods separated by 20 haunted years-of one of CIA agent Christopher's most dramatic career problems....The book has much to recommend it: the prose is elegantly literate, the plot unfolds clearly, the characters are drawn in satisfying detail, the transitions are graceful, the sense of place and time is strong, and the "tradecraft" is as authentic as circumstances permit."--Library Journal
"Veteran McCarry remains a compelling storyteller, as shown in his latest spy thriller, which chronicles the early career of his series hero, Paul Christopher....The book speeds toward a satisfying, inevitable conclusion."--Publishers Weekly
"McCarry takes the story of his recurring master spy Paul Christopher back to its wildly romantic beginning....[He] remains at the top of his game."--Kirkus Reviews
Charles McCarry's The Miernik Dossier is chosen by novelist Alan Furst as one of the Five Best spy tales ever written in The Wall Street Journal: "With The Miernik Dossier, Charles McCarry introduced us to Paul Christopher, the brilliant and sensitive CIA officer who would appear in a series of perhaps more widely known novels, such as The Secret Lovers and Second Sight. The book itself is the “dossier” in question: the reports and memoranda filed by a quintet of mutually mistrustful espionage agents, including a seductive Hungarian princess and a seemingly hapless Polish scientist, who undertake to drive from Switzerland to the Sudan in a Cadillac. It is a travelogue that bristles with suspicion and deception—but don’t listen to me, listen to a certain highly acclaimed spy novelist who reviewed McCarry’s literary debut: “The level of reality it achieves is high indeed; it is superbly constructed, wholly convincing, and displays insights that are distinctly refreshing. A new and very welcome talent.” Good call, Eric Ambler."
Am eagerly waiting for this novel.. I have been a great fan of Charles Mccarry ever since reading "Old Boys" . He ranks right up there with John Le Carre , Alan Furst and Robert Littell.