The Story of Henri Tod

Not the best Oakes novel but pretty darn close. Buckley's intrepid hero must survive the Kennedy administration (there's a challenge for Buckley's alter ego!). The author squanders a bit of his considerable wit on the oval office's occupants...his contempt for camelot drips off the pages. Still, the story of Tod is absorbing and compelling. Henri Tod is a German Jew who survives the Death Camps and becomes Germany's leading Freedom fighter. His sister survives in the Soviet Union and becomes a pawn in an East Block effort to secure Tod's capture. Thrown into this mix is a curious East German duo that stow away in a relic German railcar and play crucial roles in the tableau. And, of course there's Blackford Oakes. Oakes's mission is to infiltrate the Bruderschaft (Tod's organization) in an effort to learn of its intentions. All this occurs, of course, during the days leading up to the building of the Berlin Wall.As with most Oakes installments, the action is scarce and the wit is everywhere. The story unfolds at a pedestrian pace...and that's OK. Buckley's authority on the period is unquestionable. Most of the subplots are attended to nicely. And the author does a fine job of placing his protagonist in a position where his choices would have significant consequences for world events. Delicious fare, highly recommended.

This is the fifth of Buckley's spy novels that I've read, and the best so far. By weaving together fiction and history, he brings alive the Cold War era. The prose is uniquely Buckleyan, by turns witty, moving, and heart-racing. I recommend this book.