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The Last Supper  By  cover art

The Last Supper

By: Charles McCarry
Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
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Publisher's summary

Charles McCarry has been called the best American espionage writer who ever lived. Now, with the re-release of his classic Paul Christopher series, comes The Last Supper, a tour-de-force that traces the evolution of the OSS and the CIA from the aftermath of World War I through World War II, Vietnam, and the Cold War.

To Paul Christopher, the world of espionage had become a region of the mad, in which men and women lived without conviction and were compelled by a craving for conspiracy. But now, he has to find the "mole" in the Outfit and demand justice from enemies, past and present. As he follows the twisting path of this secret American intelligence group, he discovers a trail of betrayal and violence that leads backward to the horrors of the Nazi era and plunges forward beyond the Vietnam War's labyrinth of lies.

©1983 Charles McCarry (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"The best spy novelists were once spies themselves, including le Carre, Greene, McCarry, and even Maugham." (The New York Times Book Review)
"McCarry is an ace spy novelist." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Last Supper

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Rich and intricate

Not your typical spy thriller, this novel has richly detailed characters and an intricate, multi-generational plot. If you're looking for a quick thrill type listen, you won't find it here. But what you will find is satisfying and engrossing; one of those novels that leaves not only the lingering taste of it's story, but also the long shadow of it's depth.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

absolutely outstanding

If I were reading The Last Supper I wouldn't be able to put it down. Because I listened to it, I didn't hear much of what anyone said to me for the 16 hours it played. It's very, very good.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful, sensitive, epic novel

Would you listen to The Last Supper again? Why?

I have! It is such a thick and nuanced story that each reading opens up new treasures.

Have you listened to any of Stefan Rudnicki’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. His voice is not pleasant to me, and I had to force myself to continue listening the first time I heard him, but he is a very good reader, and I have (almost) become used to him. In fact, hearing his voice in other books stirs up the enormously good memories I made reading this book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but the scope of it made that impossible. One has to pay attention to the plethora of detail.

Any additional comments?

This is one of my all time favorite novels. It is basically a family epic underlying a spy saga. I was attracted and engaged by the characters and the sensitivity of the characterizations and plot line. I felt lost and sad when the book ended and missed the characters. The story is unusual and exciting and thoroughly engrossing, with not a few surprises along the way. I was emotionally moved by the events of the book. WARNING: His novel Old Boys is not a worthy sequel to this wonderful book.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Boring, boring, boring

This book is a bore. The first half focuses on the history of the main character and doesn't advance the story one bit. I couldn't wait to finish the book and had to resort to listening to podcasts about Nazi infiltration into our society to break up the tedium. The main character is so uninteresting that when he turns sideways, he disappears. I found the same problem with The Miernik Dossier. Also very boring and not worth the wimpy twist at the end. Some people have praised McCarry as the greatest spy novelist ever. Come on, compared to John LeCarre, his stuff is a D-. If you're Jonesing for a spy novel, read Smiley's Game.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Confusing

I thought this story was very confusing. I couldn’t keep the characters straight. However the narrator was very good and that kept me listening.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

AMAZING

Would you listen to The Last Supper again? Why?

DEFINITELY.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Twisting turning plot never know whats going to happen.

What does Stefan Rudnicki bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

sexy voice.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

From Russia with love.

Any additional comments?

great

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Love, love, love it!

I absolutely love McCarry's novels and this one is among my favorites. I took long walks with my dog, just because I couldn't stop listening to this one. If you enjoy Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, Alan Furst, etc..., McCarry is someone you should check out.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent descriptive text

McCarry is a captivating story teller. Though wish he would have kept the style/format of The Miernik Dossier

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Another Good Espionage tale by McCarry

I’m not sure about the story. Paul’s wife irritated me. LOL. Typical McCarry overall. A good story. Easy to listen to.

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

Issue with the audio

The last chapter #23 repeats the exact same part twice, it’s about 35 min that is duplicated

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