Book description
A re-release of the best-selling thriller originally published twenty years ago finds influential secret agent Paul Christopher pursuing a dangerous theory about the assassination of JFK, an investigation that threatens American foreign policy. By the author of Old Boys. 20,000 first printing.
Why read it?
2 authors picked The Tears of Autumn as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
McCarry has never had the wide acclaim that my first two picks have had, and that’s a shame.
The Tears of Autumn is set in late 1963. Kennedy has been assassinated, and Vietnam has come to a fast boil. McCarry’s protagonist, Paul Christopher, an introspective poet and burned-out spy, takes it upon himself to find out the truth behind the rumor that the Vietnamese were behind Kennedy’s killing.
It’s a novel that spans continents and provides professional insight into the motivation and temperament of the spy world. Like Le Carré, McCarry’s style is sparse, lean, and enthralling. In a world…
From Michael's list on spy novels from someone who has been addicted to them since childhood.
I love McCarry’s books because not only are they true to the genre, they are historically accurate (and often quite humorous).
Moreover, his spy “tradecraft” works because he was a deep-cover CIA officer—the ones who get shot if they’re caught. His characters are realistic, not supermen—they have feelings, fears, and families—and they struggle against enormous odds.
In Tears of Autumn, American spy Paul Christopher believes he knows who assassinated JFK, a theory that pits him against a Vietnamese family seeking revenge for the death of its patriarch, as well as his bosses in the CIA. To survive, Christopher must…
From James' list on spies by Americans who really know the score.
If you love The Tears of Autumn...
The Losing Role
A German actor conscripted into WWII will play the role of his life as he makes a daring escape in this espionage thriller inspired by true events.
When the SS orders banned entertainer Max Kaspar to impersonate a US officer during the Battle of the Bulge, Max devises his own…
Want books like The Tears of Autumn?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 81 books like The Tears of Autumn.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,277
readers submitted
so far, will you?
