Lucky Bastard

by Charles McCarry

Lucky Bastard is the suspenseful and hilarious story of a gifted politician with dangerous friends and a zipper problem. The author is Charles McCarry, a writer widely acclaimed for his richly perceptive novels of political intrigue.
          
John Fitzgerald Adams, known by the voters who love him as Jack, has good reason to believe he is the illegitimate son of JFK.
His goal is the same as that of any to reclaim the presidency . . . and enjoy as many women as possible along the way. Jack possesses an instinctual political genius, an unerring knack for charming voters and advancing his own interests.
          
But Jack, up from poverty, cannot make it to the Oval Office without money and support. Luckily, he becomes the beneficiary of the largesse of two maverick Russians who recognize Jack's talent and invest considerable resources in his rise to power. Jack also relies on a strong-willed wife, an ardent radical who masterminds his political moves while guarding against the threat that his wild libido will destroy his career. As Jack marches toward the presidency, others who realize the truth about his sinister connections try to stop him. But will anyone believe them?
          
Charles McCarry has long been recognized as the dean of Washington's novelists, "a magical writer, the very best in this field" (Martha Gellhorn,
Sunday Telegraph). With Lucky Bastard, McCarry has written the novel of his career, a thrilling and imaginative vision of power and conspiracy in the age of Clinton.

Genres: Fiction, Espionage, Humor, Novels, Thriller, Politics

385 pages, Hardcover

First published June 9, 1998

About the author

McCarry served in the United States Army, where he was a correspondent for Stars and Stripes, was a small-town newspaperman, and was a speechwriter in the Eisenhower administration. From 1958 to 1967 he worked for the CIA, under deep cover in Europe, Asia, and Africa. However, his cover was not as a writer or journalist.

McCarry was editor-at-large for National Geographic and contributed pieces to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and other national publications.

McCarry was best known for a series of books concerning the life of super spy Paul Christopher. Born in Germany before WWII to a German mother and an American father, Christopher joins the CIA after the war and becomes one of its most effective spies. After launching an unauthorized investigation of the Kennedy assassination, Christopher becomes a pariah to the agency and a hunted man. Eventually, he spends ten years in a Chinese prison before being released and embarking on a solution to the mystery that has haunted him his entire life: the fate of his mother, who disappeared at the beginning of WWII. The books are notable for their historical detail and depiction of spycraft, as well as their careful and extensive examination of Christopher's relationship with his family, friends, wives, and lovers.

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his afterword, Charles McCarry swears this novel isn't meant to be about any real-life politicians at all, but readers may be forgiven if the character of a philandering governor (who avoided getting drafted and sent to Vietnam) on a fast track to the presidency sounds familiar. The novel's premise is so wildly outrageous--enterprising Soviet intelligence officers find a bright young college student and groom him for the White House--and yet McCarry makes it sound so plausible within the context of the story (not least of all because Jack Adams, the man in question, is so power-hungry that his participation in the scheme makes perfect sense). It's a lot like The Manchurian Candidate; you want to keep going just to see how far the premise can go, and how McCarry will manage to set things right in the end.

Lucky Bastard is a bit more farcical than the other McCarry novels I've read so far, but it's still tremendously entertaining.

[Alia S · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We've already spent more than we can explain. It's risky. And money may not be enough."

"Money is always enough if there's enough money."

This is an extremely pornographic teenage-male-fantasy spy thriller, and therefore a total riot. I had a fantastic time and will now read everything Charles McCarry’s got.

The sole sobering speedbump on this joyride was the following—written, God forgive us, in 1998:

A rump group of extreme right-wing voters—the same people who, as Dixiecrats, had in former times deserted the Democratic party in periodic fits of racist pique—now deserted the Republicans and formed a third party. Few took this movement seriously. However, there was an almost immediate groundswell of support for the simplistic ideas for the third party's nominee, a self-made billionaire who seemed to be in urgent need of psychiatric intervention. … The left loathed and feared this man and his movement.

Yeah. In case there was any doubt we should have seen this coming.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a ride that was.

In the beginning of the story, it was a little slow to pick up and I was wondering how everything was going to take shape. Soon, the more I read, the more engrossed I became. Dimitry is quite the story teller, I wasn't sure how good of a story teller he would be, but it made sense as time went along, since he had all the information and knowledge first hand.

Jack, that charm and wit and of course sexual drive. He who rose from very humble origins (and believing he was the illegitimate child of JFK) to astounding heights in 20 years. But of course at the cost of his country and friends. I thought he would for the most part be a mindless puppet of the KBG, but when he started slipping the leash here and here, it was clear he was his own person with great intuition and ideas.

I cannot believe Morgan, who was repulsed by the very image of what she didn't want to be....became the person she ultimately hated, because that's what her orders were. Seriously, I'm surprise she didn't revolt and try to yank the leash off of her. Although, I have to say, she was quite ruthless with her management of everything, in making sure Jack made it all the way to the top.

That ending. That was rather unexpected and I guess the best type of revenge, even though that kind of ending for Jack was too good, since it was kind of a cowardly way out of all the lies he made and all the people he threw under the bus. I would have liked it if something was done about Peter.

Overall, very interesting read. Full of unexpected scenes and double dealings.

[David Abrams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 1998 this book tells the story of a man recruited by the KGB to become president of the United States. And now, here we are. A must read to understand the risks we face with Trump and Russia.

[Boris Feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun!
The putative bastard son of JFK is raised by the KGB as a spy and groomed to become President. The only thing missing is Avenatti.

[Douglas Sainsbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was published in 1998, but is not one of the Paul Christopher series. In LUCKY BASTARD, Jack Adams believes he is an illegitimate son of JFK. He possesses inherent charm, wit, and a ravenous sexual appetite. However, he is a liar, ruthlessly ambitious, and a shallow personality. His best friend, Danny, is duped into going to Vietnam in Jack's place. The story is fed to us by Dimitri, a Russian KGB agent who is Jack's handler. The book's first half sets up for a quick-paced plot that ties up most of the loose ends and finishes with a surprise ending. The KGB manipulates Jack's career positioning him for a run to the white house. Dimitri's assistant, a woman named Morgan, marries Jack to present a positive portrait of a happy family to the public. Jack requests huge amounts of money to finance his campaign for the presidency after a carefully constructed political career in local, lower level posts. Jack doesn't really care where the money comes from and he is savvy enough to use it to best advantage. Turns out, much of the money came from foreign interests who want Jack in the oval office to repay them with influence for their interests. As always, McCarry's writing is snappy and loaded with detail that paints a vivd picture of the post cold war environment. Again, in this novel, McCarry shares several CIA philosophical strategies and tactics, which was of great interest to me. It was a fun read for me.

[Dean McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine if you can: an illegitimate love child of a woman and a philandering President of the United States. He grows up to believe he is the son of JFK. His name is John Fitzgerald Adams. He is smart, talented, charismatic, witty, handsome, charming. He loves women...more accurately, he loves sex, and has no trouble having his way with them several times a day. He is a sexual predator and rapist, an inveterate liar and manipulator, a draft dodger who manages to avoid the Vietnam War, and comes to see himself as destined to occupy the White House. Recognizing his talent and potential, the KGB and influential Russians manage to recruit him as a useful agent and a future Soviet pawn in the Oval Office, controlling him with money and sex. They secretly groom, train, and manage him through various elections and he finally wins the presidency. I'll stop there and not divulge the ending.

LUCKY BASTARD takes place in the second half of the 20th century and was written in 1998, so it is not modeled after any living persons or events, but it's more than a little unsettling to read in the midst of today's headlines. It's an enjoyable read, fast moving, fascinating plot and characters. It's probably not for you if you avoid R-rated movies and some of those racy cable television shows. Four stars.

[False · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Lucky Bastard" is the suspenseful and hilarious story of a gifted politicians, dangerous friends and a zipper problem. McCarry is a widely acclaimed writer of his books about political intrigue. John Fitzgerald Adams, known by the voters who love him as Jack, has good reason to believe he is the illegitimate son of JFK. His goal is the same as that of any Kennedy; to reclaim the Presidency...and enjoy as many women as possible along the way. Jack possesses an instinctual genius, an unerring knack for charming voters and advancing his own interests. Jack, up from poverty, cannot make it to the Oval Office without money and support. Luckily, he becomes the beneficiary of the largesse of two maverick Russians who recognize Jack's talent and invest considerable resources in his rise to power. The abuse of friendship, what is said and unsaid, the wielding of power(s), and what later seems an inevitable outcome....with a twist. I am currently reading all of McCarry and enjoying the books thoroughly.

[Sully Augustine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars out of 5 - I read a hardbound from the library over the past few evenings, alternating with the short stories in Poachers. It's impossible to describe this novel better than the short blurb at the top of the page. It was perfect for reading during the wind down of the presidential campaign and the beginning of the contention over the vote counts in the several states. The raves on the back of the dust cover - by Puzo, Benchley, Theroux, Christopher Buckley, and George Higgins - are chiding me for failing to rate it 5 stars, but I thought the writer went a tad over the top in his depictions of the motivations and actions of charismatic politicians - just a tad. . .

[Jeff P · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book I picked up because of the recommendation for 'The Tears of Autumn' by the same author at the end of one of Jack Carr's James Reece books. Although written in 1998, this book seems pretty relevant to the current political situation. It is written as the memoir of a KGB handler at the end of the Cold War and the promising handsome young politician he controls (who might be JFK's illegitimate son) with a "zipper" problem. It is funny and like all good humor has a hint of truth to it.

There is a lot of sex in this book, but that's how the KGB is understood to have operated back then.

[Diogenes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucky Bastard can be taken in at least two distinct ways: an adventure novel of frighteningly plausible consequences or as a spoof of spy and political novels, especially McCarry's own works. If the reader takes the latter view, it can have laugh-out-loud moments, ironic and cleverly sardonic humor and still be an exciting page-turner.

[David Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars

Extraordinary. In 1998, McCarry wrote about a lying conman who deployed an arsenal of dirty tricks to slither all the way to the Oval Office: Sinister Russians, sexual predation, dodgy money, Electoral College manipulations, spouses who are more (and less) than they seem.

Remind you of anyone? Me neither.

It’s also a fun read from the inside-the-beltway master.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles McCarry is new to me (thanks Boris!) and I’m thrilled to have made his acquaintance with this crazy, satirical spy story that allowed me to finally have a not unreasonable context for the crazy life of the Clintons.

I’m now off to binge read the rest of McCurry!

[Sean Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Jack Jack

McCarty says this is a work of fiction, but I don't believe him. Jack is no fictitious character. He appears on my tv in the news shows, running, electing, ruling, stealing and raping and being Jack.
We are cursed by Jack. Jack is our hope and just desert.

[Йордан Колев · Rating 2 out of 5]

Totally disappointed. If it was meant to be a satire it is too long, diverse and unfocused. If it was meant for a spy thriller it is a failure. The story is ridiculous. I enjoyed the author’s writing though.

[Matt Ebner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty much non-fiction, except for the ending that should’ve been.

[Dr. Joel Leon · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow, a great read

One of the best books I have ever read! I highly recommend it to everyone who enjoys the unpredictable and well written story.

[Cateline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack Adams was indeed a Lucky Bastard, in every sense of the word. Illegitimate, practically a psychopath when it came to the misuse of others, most especially women.

Adams is sure (with some circumstantial reasoning) that he is the illegitimate child of John F. Kennedy, and he has the charisma and smile to go along with that belief. His ambitions reach as far as JFK's did as well.

The novel charts Adams path in life, from poor and unknown to successful attorney and more. His story is told by his KGB handler, as a sort of memoir. Author Charles McCarry writes some of the snappiest dialogue I've seen. The first few pages actually had me laughing out loud. But the rest is a study in cynicism, entrapment and betrayal.

[Randy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tweet by Anthony Bourdain led me to Charles McCarry who is, apparently, a Bourdain favorite. As it turned out this was a great summer read with a really interesting and clever plot albeit one which requires a significant suspension of disbelief. There is a bastard, a JFK lovechild, but I can't attest to his being lucky unless you feel that being a Russian double agent and then trying to double cross them is lucky. It's a page turner and I'd rate it higher if I could remember more about it just two weeks after finishing it. It's a popcorn book. Enjoyable but not substantial. Good enough, however, to encourage me to read another Charles McCarry.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

McCarry is a master storyteller and this complex, but lucid plot, is along the lines of 'Wag the Dog,' or 'The Parallax View.' It concerns the covert plans of some rogue KGB agents to 'create' an American candidate for president. I know, it sounds familiar. Near the end McCarry says this: "Now the American people in their mystical wisdom had lifted up this sociopath, this liar, this rapist, this hollow man beloved by lunatics and traitors, and made him the most powerful human being in the world. The outcome contradicted everything he had ever believed about the nature of democracy." 'Lucky Bastard' was published in 1998.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a fascinating "what if?" premise behind this novel, a standalone which isn't part of the author's Paul Christopher series.

Today, the idea that people like the Clintons might have been Soviet sleeper agents seems almost quaint, comedic. McCarry builds the premise beautifully, but must cross the border into erotica to take the story to its logical conclusion.

Adapting this to the present would require a more sinister figure, an agent turned ideologue who comes to believe in his own legend.

[Ron Welton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Adams, who believes himself the bastard son of Jack Kennedy, is recruited by Soviet agents Dmitri and Dmitri's superior Peter as a sleeper. They plan to assist him to attain the Presidency.
Again, McCarry carries off a fascinating espionage tale, which although comic in some sense is outrageously accurate and revealing in its view of recent American political history.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

McCarry writes a non-Christopher novel about efforts to plant a communist in the highest office in the land - U.S. president. Of course, with a lying liar, what might one expect but to be lied to and betrayed, so the plan goes awry.
This book has the same insight, the as-told-to by one-who-was-there, that McCarry exhibits in all his non-fiction. But you still expect - hell, you want - Paul Christopher to figure it out, step in, and put a stop to the plan.

[Manuela Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Perhaps the novel's greatest strength is its narrator, Dmitri, a cynical Russian whose dry wit and world-weary observations anchor the unabashedly excessive (and usually lubricious) machinations of agents, handlers, recruits, and just plain folks. Thanks mostly to Dmitri, you may never again watch the evening news without a raised eyebrow and a "What if...?" on your lips." --Kelly Flynn

Agreed!!!

https://www.facebook.com/WhatToReadNow

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is precedence for me enjoying a novel about reprehensible people (Nabokov's Ada), and Lucky Bastard improved for me as I progressed through the story. It wouldn't pass the Bechdel Test by any means, but the two strong female characters are both.... *something*-er than the male characters, and I was really curious to see who would survive in the end.

[John Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anybody who is annoyed by the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election should read this novel, about an unwitting (?) asset of a foreign power who has a 'lucky' political career with the goal to become president of the US. This is a fun, satirical spy story with dark and serious undertones. And Charles McCarry writes like a dream. Read it! Highly recommended!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a fun read

[Mary Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

McCarry's work, to me, waxes and wanes in quality but this was a readable and fun book. Aged a bit with the cold war's demise (and I loved that the demise was part of the plot), but still it works.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

US President is controlled by Soviet agents.

Paralells to Bill Clinton, pretty funny.

[Robert Irish · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has recently received renewed attention because the main character is a womanizing, lying cad who is a relatively unwitting dupe of the Russians when he runs for president.
As political commentary it is pretty lame. It has nothing to tell us about the current president and his complications with Russia. And the vaguely likeable character of Jack (John Fitzgerald Adams) is nothing like Trump with his lying, cheating bombast. The character believes he is the illegitimate love child of JFK and was raised in poverty; whereas Trump believes he is the newest incarnation of G-d and was raised in spoiled-brat luxury. The character was supposed to have some connection to or be based on Bill Clinton (it was written during the Clinton era), and his wife, the Hilary Clinton equivalent, is the Soviet apparatchik ice-queen who supposedly calls the shots. That makes for some modestly amusing political speculation.
As a novel, it is amusing, but never really more than that. The characters never really rise above type and the plot-line is largely predictable.
I didn't need to throw it across the room (figuratively, I was listening to the audiobook), but I wouldn't recommend it as a timely read.