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Old Boys

By: Charles McCarry
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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Summary

Charles McCarry is considered by many to be the master of world-class spy fiction, garnering praise from peers and critics alike for his riveting novels. Christopher Buckley wrote that McCarry “is not only one of the best writers in America but one of the most important. He dazzles, from epigraph to epilogue,” and the Los Angeles Times hailed his work as “first rate, in the tradition of the best espionage fiction, John Buchan to Eric Ambler and John le Carré.”

In this magnificent novel, Charles McCarry returns to the world of his legendary character Paul Christopher—the savvy intelligence agent as skilled at choosing a fine wine as he is at tradecraft, at once sophisticated and dangerous, and no stranger to the world of dirty tricks.

Now Paul Christopher has mysteriously disappeared. Months pass and a memorial service is held for him in Washington. But a group of his retired colleagues - the “Old Boys” from the Outfit - refuse to believe Christopher is dead. Led by Christopher’s cousin Horace, the Old Boys embark on a thrilling worldwide search for the master spy and an ancient scroll that may reveal an unspeakably dangerous truth.

Charles McCarry is the author of 10 critically acclaimed novels and nine nonfiction books. He is a former editor at large of National Geographic and has contributed dozens of articles, short stories, and poems to leading national magazines. His op-ed pieces and other essays have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. For 10 years he served under deep cover as a CIA operations officer.

©2004 Charles McCarry (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
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Critic reviews

Old Boys is like the best parts of ten John le Carré novels all put together.” ( Time)
Old Boys is, at heart, a lament for a dying generation of American spies, an elegy for the human twilight, Cocoon with a cloak and dagger.” ( Washington Post)
“McCarry's latest is an old-fashioned, rollicking adventure that beats Ludlum and Cussler at their own game…Tremendous fun.” ( Booklist)

What listeners say about Old Boys

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  • Overall
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Understated heroism and tension

A brilliant, and to my minds imagination, more realistic anti-terrorism thriller.

I'd love more if the central character.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable

Very well written and well performed. A good, engaging and engrossing story. Good central character.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Old boys is for boys

I’d read that this was terrific, with comparisons to Mick Herron’s Slough House series. It isn’t; it is a boy’s’ own adventure, without any wit. If you like car chases & shoot outs, it will appeal. I don’t like action-packed fiction, so the Amphora Scroll was the one faintly intriguing element as far as I was concerned- & even it was not really that interesting. But the book may appeal more to men than women.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it

I will now go onto listening to other books by this author. Also love he voice of the reader. I highly recommended it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

really good story... enjoyable - good narrator!

characters likeable and realistic... kept me listening as tales unwound ... author culturally knowledgeable and realistic in plot set up ... will definitely read more from this author.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

I really tried to finish

I finally gave up on this book after listening for 3 hours. Convoluted story and impossible plot. The narrator was just ok, not brilliant.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wit and panache…

A complex espionage thriller featuring a bunch of battle weary retirees. Well written and well told.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Spy Thriller

Well performed and characterised, this is a slightly overcooked spy thriller. Highly Recommended. It ranges from Heydrich to Jihadi nuclear terrorism, with good old CIA, KGB and Chinese re-education camps. It even includes falconry and an intriguing sub plot suggesting there may have been a Roman black operations task force. I chose it since the author recently died. He deserves his reputation. The reader does a good job too. Just the right range of characters and accents. Limited scenery chewing.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

best spy thriller I have read in ages.

better than le carre who gets v bogged down. funny too, want another one

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great scenes in Central Asia

This spy thriller had it al, lost gospels, mad sheik, portable nukes, great scenes in Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
A shame that not more works of the Paul Christopher series ere available for audiobooks.

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