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'Boys' is thrilling, touching and fun
Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Aug 8, 2004 by Dennis Lythgoe Deseret Morning News
OLD BOYS, by Charles McCarry, Overlook, 476 pages, $25.95.
World-class novelist Charles McCarry's latest, "Old Boys," is a work of espionage that is significantly better than most of its competition.
It is no accident that the 70-ish author, who used to be a CIA agent, focuses this work on six other 70-ish characters all of whom see a need to revive their subterranean talents to help solve the strange disappearance of Paul Christopher, one of their most sophisticated colleagues. When a Chinese official delivers what are alleged to be Christopher's ashes, the former agents are disposed to be skeptical.
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Whereas McCarry usually makes Christopher his protagonist, here he turns to Christopher's cousin, Horace Hubbard, as the lead figure in a far-reaching, amazing search around the world -- to include China, Brazil, Rome, Tel Aviv, Budapest, Moscow, Washington and other exciting places.
The plot is complex and the characters multiple and diverse, but McCarry pulls it all together with aplomb. He consistently writes with suspense and elan about characters who fascinate and surprise.
These former CIA agents who are suffering various predictable signs of aging still have what it takes to rise to extraordinary challenges. Hubbard is all too human in his fatigue and physical complaints, but his mind is razor sharp as he calls on his knowledge and previous experience to tackle formidable opponents.
It turns out that Christopher has gone in search of his mother, who was kidnapped and taken from his family many years earlier. Even though she would now be very old, Christopher has reason to believe she is still alive -- along with an old manuscript with a biblical tie, once held by the Nazis and now wanted by both the U.S. government and Muslim extremists.
Once the manuscript is located, McCarry quotes from it generously. Inevitably, the mission for Christopher is thought dangerous, if not impossible -- and even more so for his old colleagues.
There is a lot to be said for a book that makes older people its principal characters -- witty and interesting people who have not only enough physical endurance to accomplish unexpected feats, but the brainpower and wisdom with which to crown it.
Not only are Christopher and Hubbard shown to be men of rare and continuing talents, but also Christopher's mother, Lori, whose feminine appeal and class are evident even in her advanced age.
There are numerous examples in the book of high adventure, and even though the agents of several countries are involved in what appears to be quite political matters, the author is genuinely interested in the humane aspects. He develops his characters fully, with flaws to go with their unusual talents. And he demonstrates for the reader the importance of friendship, devotion and love.
It is a highly literary work that should appeal to a broad audience of readers who may be attracted by adventure and suspense but nourished by the higher moral ingredients. It is not only a fun book but a work of art.
E-mail: dennis@desnews.com
Copyright C 2004 Deseret News Publishing Co.
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