The Secret Lovers by Charles McCarry

May 21, 2009

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It’s no secret that I’m a Charles McCarry fan – refer to my previous post on The Tears of Autumn.  When I read that book I didn’t realise that it was actually the third in a series of Paul Christopher novels.  I made the decision to go back and read them in order so that I could get the full backstory of the protagonist.  I was wandering through Borders with one of their 20% discount vouchers and when I saw The Secret Lovers on the shelf, I picked myself up a copy and headed to the register. 

The Secret Lovers kept me glued to the page; classic espionage that’s just gripping.  The parallels between Christopher’s personal and professional lives are beautifully articulated, he is such a compelling character.  Just love him.  I love the way McCarry builds characters around Christopher; his ally Patchen is described with detail that makes him feel so real; Wilson, Maria, Cerutti – all utterly believable. 

So I got to the end and realised that this was the second in the series of Paul Christopher novels.  Turns out there is one before.  Last Friday with a 30% of three fiction books discount voucher from Borders I picked myself up The Miernik Dossier (the first in the series), The Last Supper and Christopher’s Ghosts.  There’s a couple more in between that I’m still to find (Second Sight and The Old Boys) but I’m getting on to The Miernik Dossier next.