The Secret Lovers

Yes, The Secret Lovers is part of McCarry's Paul Christopher series, which follows the American intelligence officer through Cold War-era espionage operations. The series includes titles such as The Tears of Autumn, The Miernik Dossier, Old Boys, and The Shanghai Factor, though the reading order is somewhat flexible.

Published in 1977, The Secret Lovers follows Paul Christopher as he becomes involved in an operation surrounding a clandestine manuscript smuggled out of the Soviet Union. The novel intertwines Christopher's present-day intelligence work with a backstory involving a famous literary figure and Cold War betrayal.

McCarry is frequently compared to John le Carré and Len Deighton for his literary, character-driven approach to Cold War espionage fiction, though his novels tend to be less bleak than le Carré's. McCarry himself was a former CIA operative, which lends an unusual authenticity to operational details and tradecraft in his fiction.

Yes, Charles McCarry served as an intelligence officer in the CIA during the Cold War, working under deep cover in Europe, Africa, and Asia. His firsthand experience in espionage is reflected throughout the Paul Christopher novels, though he always maintained that the novels were fiction and not based on specific operations.