Best spy novels ever?

Charles McCarry is one of our most under appreciated living authors. Its shocking that he is not as well known as Le Carre or even Furst. McCarry served in the CIA and his background shows in the details of his spy novels. His first novel the Miernik Dossier is a terrifically engaging work recommended to anyone who likes literary thrillers.

While the story, involving the trip of Polish official who may or may not be a spy to Sudan is excellent, the book shines in its verisimilitude, even in its organization. The book is portrayed as a dossier concerning a case. It contains reports from the main characters, analysis by their superiors, transcripts of surveillance reports and other documents. This handily dodges the problem of the omniscient observer, as well providing a fascinating look at how intelligence agencies communicate with and use intelligence assets.

While the main character, a CIA operator named Paul Christopher, is reasonably certain that some of his associates at his cover employer are from friendly agencies (the British and French) he is unable to identify himself as he has no clearance to do so. All three Western spies watch the Pole Miernik for signs of a spy's tradecraft, as they try to determine if he a Polish agent or a true defector. The process in itself is fascinating, but becomes quite interesting, when they have to decide whether to facilitate a trip to Sudan, where he may or may not be trying to arm an insurgent force.

McCarry's follow on novels depict Paul Christopher's rise in the CIA's Directorate of Operations (now the National Clandestine Service.) I will be reading all of them.