Christopher's Ghosts

More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USA From Publishers Weekly Veteran McCarry ( The Tears of Autumn ) remains a compelling storyteller, as shown in his latest spy thriller, which chronicles the early career of his series hero, Paul Christopher. In 1939 Berlin, 16-year-old Paul struggles, with his American novelist father and German aristocrat mother, against the Nazi rulers of Germany. The Christophers are refined intellectuals and known to be sympathetic to the persecuted Jews. A sadistic SS officer, Major Stutzer, takes pleasure in harassing Paul, who has fallen into an impassioned but forbidden love affair with a Jewish doctor's daughter. As war breaks out, Paul barely escapes, while his lover meets a horrible fate at Stutzer's hands. Flash forward to 1959: Paul, now one of the CIA's top operatives, undertakes a clandestine operation in East Berlin, where the Soviets have recruited a certain ex-Nazi officer to train their Arab allies. Can Paul finally face his old nemesis and put the ghosts of the past to rest? The book speeds toward a satisfying, inevitable conclusion. (May) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Bookmarks Magazine In his tenth book featuring CIA agent Paul Christopher, Charles McCarry delves into Christopher's past, answering some of the questions which have tantalized readers for decades. Overall, the critics were pleased with this latest addition to Christopher's story. Though they claimed it was not McCarry's best work, they repeatedly cited his elegant writing, fascinating characters, and his ability to elicit the utmost tension from every scene. They disagreed over the two parts of the book-the first, set in Berlin in 1939, and the second, set in East Berlin in 1959. Some preferred the earlier, heartrending tale of love found and lost, while others favored the pulse-pounding adventure of the latter half. Both, however, will have readers on the edge of their seats. Copyright 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. A CIA agent faces off against a sadistic SS officer in this Cold War spy thriller that “will have readers on the edge of their seats” ( Bookmarks Magazine ). It is the late 1930s, and a young Christopher bears witness to an unspeakable atrocity committed by a remorseless SS officer. Fast forward to the height of the Cold War, and the SS man emerges out of the ruins of post-war Germany to destroy the last living witness to his crime. It’s a case of tiger chasing tiger as Christopher is pursued by the only man who can match his craft or his instincts. Praise for Christopher’s Ghosts “McCarry . . . takes the story of his recurring master spy Paul Christopher back to its wildly romantic beginning. . . . Former spook McCarry remains at the top of his game.” — Kirkus Reviews “McCarry . . . remains a compelling storyteller. . . . The book speeds toward a satisfying, inevitable conclusion.” — Publishers Weekly It is the late 1930s, and a young Christopher bears witness to an unspeakable atrocity committed by a remorseless SS officer. When the action moves forward to the height of the Cold War, the SS man emerges out of the ruins of post-war Germany to destroy the last living witness to his crime. It's a case of tiger chasing tiger as Christopher is pursued by the only man who can match his craft or his instincts. It is the late 1930s, and a young Christopher and his family are struggling against the rise of Nazi totalitarianism in Berlin. He bears witness to an unspeakable atrocity committed by a remorseless SS officer. The action moves forward to the height of the Cold War, when the SS man emerges out to destroy the last living witness to his crime. With ferocious suspense and masterful pacing, Charles McCarry delivers a haunting parable of a man confronted with the ghosts of an entire generation's brutal history