Order of Charles McCarry Books

Charles McCarry was an American spy thriller novelist who died on February 26th, 2019. Drawing from real-world experience, McCarry spent nearly a decade (1958-67) working undercover for the CIA, lending authentic detail to his espionage fiction. Beyond novels, he served as editor-at-large for National Geographic magazine. McCarry gained recognition primarily through his Paul Christopher series, though he also penned works featuring other Christopher family members. One of his novels, The Better Angels, served as the loose inspiration for the Sean Connery film Wrong is Right. He was married with four grown sons and made his home in Western Massachusetts.

McCarry launched his publishing career in 1972 with Citizen Nader, a biographical work about Ralph Nader, who would later run for president. His debut novel, The Miernik Dossier, followed in 1973. His bibliography includes collaborations on Paths of Resistance (with Isabel Allende, Marge Piercy, Robert Stone and Gore Vidal) and Inner Circles: How America Changed the World (co-authored with Alexander M. Haig, Jr.).

Among his works, Shelley's Heart stands as a standalone political thriller exploring a contentious presidential race between two longtime friends turned rivals. When the victor wins through computer fraud, the defeated candidate confronts him with evidence on inauguration eve, demanding he withdraw. The winner's refusal to step down threatens to unravel not only his career and party, but potentially the Constitution itself.