Old Boys: A Thriller (A Paul Christopher Novel) Paperback – April 26, 2005

For those of you who are already fans of espionage writer Charles McCarry, I have great news. McCarry has been coaxed out of retirement and has written a riveting novel in "Old Boys." For those of you who have yet to sample the delights of McCarry's prose, I have good news for you, as well. You have the opportunity to introduce yourself to the pleasures of reading the offerings of this former undercover CIA agent while he is still producing new works.In a nice twist of art imitating life and life imitating art, the premise of this story is that a motley assemblage of former intelligence community operatives has been coaxed out of retirement to confront the global threat of a fanatical leader in the Middle East who has acquired weapons of mass destructions. The daunting challenge that faces these superannuated "formers" or "Old Boys" is to find the tactical nuclear weapons that have disappeared from the weapons arsenal of the former Soviet Union and destroy the cache of bombs before they can be used by the madman who has acquired them. At the same time, the "Old Boys" must identify and avoid enemies - internal and external - scattered across the globe, while simultaneously trying to find their former colleague who may or may not have died in a remote Chinese prison camp. In McCarry's capable hands, this serpentine story slithers along in a most satisfying and sinuous manner.McCarry is an artist when it comes to painting pictures with words - much in the style of John Le Carre. His language soars like the rare Saker falcon whose predatory peregrinations represent both a part of the narrative of this story and serve as a metaphor for the treachery of terrorists and would-be terrorists. McCarry, exercising "fictive falconry," grabs the reader in the talons of his talent for telling tales with tortuous trajectories. And, as in the case with falconry in the field, at the end of the day, the combatants in McCarry's story shed blood and ruffle feathers.Let me share some brief examples of the word pictures that McCarry evokes."I decided to skip the Novotel and went instead to a hotel recommended by my taxi driver. The ride through Manaus was what one might expect in the tropics, a tour of a slum that appeared to have been built as a slum, punctuated by an occasional bank or office building made of the same scabby concrete and painted in the same garish colors as the rest of the city. In the central market sweaty butchers worked in the open air in hot sunlight, cutting up steers and hogs and selling the warm meat while blood spilled sluggishly over the edge of the table in a lacy crimson film." (Page 60)"Everything Ben said made sense. Making sense was his specialty. Nevertheless, I had never in my life felt more anxiety than I felt now, gazing out the window over the endless jumble of roofs under which Istanbul was hiding itself." (Page 278)I am eager to continue reading the books the McCarry wrote earlier in his career. And I look forward to his next book. Clearly, the "Old Boy" still has it!Enjoy.Al

Wow, can this McCarry guy ever write! The first thing I noticed about OLD BOYS is what a superb wordsmith McCarry is. His prose glides across the pages as easily as a satin scarf. The second thing I noticed is that he doesn't create characters, but rather they spring to life at his command. The third thing I noticed is how his style of writing manifests the intelligence community's way of thinking. The book's narrator explains that during his days with "the Outfit," intelligence reports were graded A, B, C, D, for the reliability of the source and 1, 2, 3, 4 for the accuracy of the information. Nine out of ten times reports were graded C-3, meaning the information might be true or it may not be. Thus, the "facts" facing the ex-CIA agents known as the Old Boys are:Legendary agent Paul Christopher has disappeared. His ashes may be in the burial urn which was so graciously delivered by the Chinese government to the Americans, or he may once again be a prisoner in China, or he may be carrying out a search for his mother. Christopher's mother may have been killed by the Nazis during World War II, or she may be living as a peasant woman in rural Kyrgyzstan. If she is still alive, she may or may not have the Amphora Scroll, which may or may not exist. If the scroll exists, it contents may prove Jesus Christ to be a mere dupe of Roman intelligence operatives, or it may prove that He was genuinely the Messiah. The reported contents of the Amphora Scroll have attracted the unwanted attentions of Islamic terrorist Ibn Awad, whom the book's narrator supposedly killed years before. But despite Ibn Awad's assassination, he may still be alive. If he is alive, he may possess 12 suitcase-sized nukes, which may or may not exist. The facts uncovered by narrator Horace Hubbard, by half-Chinese-half-Ashkenazi David Wong and by the rest of the Old Boys are kaleidoscopic in nature--if you don't like them, wait five minutes and reality will morph into something else.OLD BOYS is a wonderful tale.However, it loses its fifth star because of the combined effect of four flaws. Reviewer Brenda Gardner justifiably criticizes the dowsing scene. This scene is unnecessary, unbelievable, amateurish, but thankfully brief. Second, I have a sneaking hunch that McCarry had a side bet going that he could put more locales into this novel than in any other novel in history. This gives OLD BOYS an if-it's-Tuesday-this-must-be-Belgium ambiance. On the other hand, McCurry's descriptions of these many locations are vivid, observant, and detailed. I can't help wonder if he's actually visited all of them (and, if so, how has he avoided bankruptcy?) Third, although McCarry demonstrates a mastery at populating OLD BOYS with distinct, lifelike characters, he inexplicably fails to do so with the Old Boys themselves. Reviewer J. Stanley complains that Horace's helpers are always "white, Midwestern farm boys." But historically, the Old Boys come from a time when the CIA was essentially a Whites-Only organization. Nevertheless, this doesn't excuse the Old Boys from being a homologous entity. None of them have outlooks or reactions which differ from the others. None of them apparently have any children to frantically call them up wondering why grandpa is in Istanbul, or Ireland, or Chad or the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Old Boys essentially are one, not-very-interesting character who's been photocopied. Fourth, what is the ultimate evil that we readers are supposed to fear? Is it that Ibn Awad, if he still lives, will use his Little Joes to vaporize a dozen American cities, or is it that he will get his hands on the Amphora Scroll and use it to disprove the basic beliefs of Christianity?None of these few flaws is fatal to the book. To the contrary, twin beacons flash out through the gloom, each so intense you can hang your hat on it. First, McCarry is a helluva writer. Second, McCarry knows espionage. (Is there really a technique known as "waterfall surveillance?")

Humorous and extraordinarily unlikely tale about old CIA spies carrying out one last adventure to outwit evil terrorists. Along the way, an interpretation of the Biblical story of Jesus reimagined as a Roman spy setup complete with Judas Iscariot as a plant by a Roman spymaster.

While I am a fan of Charles McCarry, this book was a major disappointment. There are too many overlapping plots, confusing bad guys, long stretches of boring exposition, and a sense that he threw in everything including the kitchen sink to finish it. I kept on reading out of respect for the author and some well-written pages.

In a world of formulaic action movies and thriller books, this one departs from the well trodden path. There are religious zealot terrorists and old KGB villains and even a senescent Nazi or two, but none get used in the old familiar ways. It’s not just that it is geriatric crew (we’ve seen that elsewhere), but that the author managed to work in the New Testament without quite committing blasphemy. It was a fast and entertaining read. Well played.