The Last Supper (Paul Christopher Novels)

"The Last Supper" is one of the best espionage thrillers I have ever read, definitely putting Charles McCarry in the same literary league with John LeCarre, Alan Furst, Eric Ambler and Ken Follet. McCarry's nuanced, at times poetic, writing style, his ability to create real, flesh and blood characters who will move you, and his fast-paced, taunt storyline, put him at the top of the list for craftsmanship. There were actually moments when I found my eyes filling with tears, at a particular poignant passage, or at the loss of a favorite character. I don't do that easily. The man is Good! The background research is excellent and the historical details of the origins of the OSS and "The Company" are accurate.The story takes us from the aftermath of World War I, in Germany, through World War II, the Cold War, and Viet Nam, with the creation of "The Outfit." This would be the OSS and the CIA. We meet the earliest agents and watch them and their agency grow in a turbulent world on the brink of one war after another. We are never completely sure who can to be trusted, or whose version is true. A few of the Outfit's leaders know early on that there is a mole in the system who is betraying American interests and getting agents killed. The book takes us all over Europe, to Russia and China, Washington, New York and Boston in the world of international intrigue.The novel's main character is Paul Christopher, a sensitive, intelligent young man who joins the "Outfit" at the beginning of W.W.II. His mother, Lori, is a Prussian Countess, his father, Hubbard, an American, Yale graduate. They were never political people but hated stupidity and cruelty. Living in Berlin, Hubbard wrote novels and poetry, Lori countessed, they both made friends, traveled, loved each other and had a son...before 1939. It was during those prewar years that we saw a colorful sub-cast of characters enter the picture. Friends and relatives traveled to and from Europe visiting the Christophers, many to play future roles in the drama. There were various types of bohemian life, (Berlin was booming with bohemians), artists, Bolsheviks, musicians, etc., that latched-on to the family in Berlin. Some of these folks were desperate to leave Germany after 1935. The Christophers sailed many Jews and Communists out of the country on their boat Mahican. The Gestapo knew. When the war began, Mom, Dad, and Paul tried to leave for Paris but were stopped at the border. Paul and his father were told never to return to Germany. They were classified as American citizens. The mother was taken away. She was nobility, but she was German. The writing is devastating. This event will occur in Paul's dreams, repeatedly, throughout, giving the reader a terrible glimpse of the Nazi horror.Paul's father, Hubbard, until his death, never gives up the hope of finding his wife. He changes drastically with her loss. It is with details and character development like this that McCarry leaves the crowd behind. Hubbard joins the OSS. As Paul comes of age, he initially joins the Marines but is also recruited into the OSS. We follow their lives and careers, as well as those of their colleagues, friends and enemies. The tension builds as we begin to see the network of betrayal and lies build, and wonder who is responsible and to what extent.As I wrote earlier, McCarry develops the characters, and their families in such a manner, that when you lose one, especially to violence, the loss is felt deeply. There is one scene when Hubbard tells Paul stories about his maternal grandparents, that are almost folk-like in nature, and I was awed at what an amazingly wonderful family this was/is. I forgot it was fiction for a moment.The story moves to an extraordinary conclusion. I could not put this book down. I give it my highest recommendation.PS - One of the reviewers commented that he thought two of the book's characters, a 60 year old senator and his 22 year wife, were too much...as in not believable? Hey, I was around in the '60s. There was most certainly a 60+ senator from the South with a 22 year old ex-beauty queen wife. Not only do McCarry's people seem real, some were taken from real life.

Like the Da Vinci masterpiece from which this book borrows its name, "The Last Supper" contains a fascinating tableau of characters all arrayed around a central hero who comes back from the dead. Paul Christopher represents the second generation of his family to work for The Outfit in a variety of espionage and counterespionage roles. The story revolves around his efforts to uncover the truth behind the death of his father and the disappearance of his mother into the hands of the Nazis.McCarry is an artist with words, and he paints a picture that is as full of mystery and intrigue as is the enigmatic smile of La Gioconda. He paints with verbal brushstrokes and a palette that employ various hues of terror, tragedy, turmoil, tyranny, subterranean tunneling and multi-layered treachery. The action of the narrative takes us through Nazi Germany, Vienna, Viet Nam, China, the Berkshires and the halls of power in Washington, D.C.While I always enjoy McCarry's plots, what causes me to seek out more and more of his titles to read and enjoy is his artful use of language. In this regard, he is the equal of John Le Carre, whose artistry I have long admired. Here are just a few nuggets:"'Do you know about tapestries?' Lori asked, continuing to speak English. She did so with a slight Scottish intonation; Hubbard supposed that she had learned the language form a nanny. Perhaps the nanny had come form Edinburgh. He imagined the poor woman, happy enough with the Buechelers, caring for this lovely child, then caught in Germany by the war: Hubbard often reconstructed whole biographies from the single toe bone of such fossil hints; he was a writer." (Page 18)As the action of the book moves to Viet Nam, McCarry's shares these observations and insights:"At the edge of the village, lying in an uncovered grave, were the bodies of a dozen men and women; their right hands and their heads had been cut off. Among them was a Catholic priest, a Frenchman who had had a bald head and a peevish sharp face; even in death he seemed sure of his opinions." (Page 179)The description of Christopher's release from prison after ten year's of incarceration in China is full of captivating detail and metaphoric beauty and poignancy:"The pilot started the engines and with a deafening stutter the machine rose into the air. Frightened by the noise, birds poured out of the eaves of the monastery, silvery in the morning sunlight like water spilling over a stone. Below him, his ditch, which had seemed so long and deep to him for so many years, grew smaller and thinner and then seemed to close like the lips of a healed cut." (Page 308)Finally, McCarry, in full stride as a writer, captures the essence of Christopher's young love interest, Stephanie, as he settles into his life after prison:"Stephanie ran with full concentration, striding over the brick sidewalks of Georgetown with her head thrown back and her dark ponytail bouncing. The back of her shirt was soaked with sweat and her legs shone with perspiration. She was not a natural athlete, but it was clear that she had studied the technique of running as she might have studied a foreign language. She earnestly applied the grammar and vocabulary of the sport, wearing the proper equipment, doing stretching exercises before she set out, placing her feet in just the right way, carrying her head and arms correctly, breathing deeply. She didn't have the accent quite right. It was a charming weakness. She reminded Christopher of the earnest hikers in the forests of Rugen. She reminded him constantly of herself as a child. There was something endearing about her solemnity." (Page 339)That is good writing! Jog to the nearest bookstore (or keyboard) and get a copy of "The Last Supper" or any of McCarry's other offerings.Al

I am a new admirer of Charles McCarry's spy novels. Having read several already (albeit it inadvertently out of chronological order because I couldn't find a bona fide listing; therefore, I used publication date, but it is not a good guide). I enjoyed this book as it provided a treasure trove of back story with regard to the Christopher family. Paul's father was involved with the OSS (predecessor of the CIA) back in the early decades of the 20th century. The profile of the father provides the reader with the development of the Paul character. This book spans time from the 1920s to the 70s and chronicles the growth of US intelligence. Paul's adventures include a 10 year stint in a Chinese prison. Life was tough there. He returns to the US and we are introduced to his first love, Molly, who is whacked by a speeding car. We are allowed to learn how the Outfit (CIA) operated; how its members displayed both trust and betrayal, and how they operate within the framework of tradecraft (the spy business). Paul gets reacquainted with the wife of an Outfit member, her name is Stephanie. They become lovers and she enables him to finally express stifled emotions from his days with Molly. The Outfit upper management suspects a traitor in its midst and the plot races through several twists and turns to a surprise conclusion. A fun story of the code of the Outfit and an insight into Paul's personality. The writing, as usual, is excellent.

NOT THE BEST OF McCARRYS BOOKS

The story starts like a bullet: CIA agent Paul Christopher's girlfriend is shot dead in a sudden and mysterious way. Then Charles McCarry seems to suggest that, in order for him to explain and for the reader to understand the facts behind this murder, we need to go back in time and go through not only the entire life of our hero but that of his father too. This long flash back takes a good half of the book; then, when we are back at the starting point, McCarry sends us back to a previous novel (Tears Of Autumn) and story at that point becomes highly interconnected with the events of that book, which luckily I had read not too long ago.Having said that, if you manage to humour the author through the first half, the second part will wonderfully reward your patience; all the loose ends will come together in a magnificent crescendo of emotions.

The other reviewers have said it all. This ranks up there with the best of the best.On a par with The Spy who never came in from the cold. This is the fourth in the Paul Christopher series that deals directly with PC. The Better Angels can be better left to read later, since you really need to get to this one first. McCarry's storytelling is so good, so twisted, so authentic seeming you have to take these books in their totality. They are absolutely brilliant. This is storytelling at its utmost best. If you want to let great fiction teach you about the beginning days of the secret world of American spies and why the Brits call them cousins (because they are), Chinese prisons, the Vietnam war, WW2, elephants, and everything betwixt and between this is a sure fire must. Pay careful attention and everything and everyone from the earlier novels return from the dead in this one. It isn't a last supper at all, it's a resurrection.

Darker than le Carre, equally enjoyable, almost as well written. Worthy of more attention, will dig up more of his.

I very much enjoyed this novel.