I really enjoyed this book both because it was well-written and suspenseful but also because of the unapologetic anti-communist bias. I don't books that throw gratuitous political slurs around, catching you unaware in a scifi book or a murder mystery, but this is a political thriller with the author's viewpoint clearly available from the start so no one needs to read it who isn't up for that angle. Furthermore, the author has both the protagonists and antagonists as members of the same party so it's not a book on the offensive against a party so much as a subversive element from the left in American politics. But beyond the politics, it's a good book and I flew through it. I do think it could have been a smidgen tighter for about fifty pages in the middle but that could have been because I was reading for hours on end and my eyes were getting blurry! 4 s Michael Martz975 30

I'm of two minds regarding Charles McCarry's 25 year old novel 'Shelley's Heart'. On the one hand, it's a top notch, intricately plotted political thriller with an astonishing amount of relevance to today's scene. On the other hand, it's too damn long (took me nearly a week to plod through it), some of the characters and situations are sort of silly, and there's not enough action. I've loved McCarry's novels 'starring' Paul Christopher and found Shelley's Heart to be a worthwhile read, but it's not for everyone.

The short storyline synopsis is that a US presidential election is 'stolen' in the incumbent's favor, his opponent finds out about it and brings it to his attention prior to the inauguration, the president goes through with the inauguration, there's an impeachment, an inevitable power struggle, rumors of a 'palace coup', and an incredible amount of duplicity, backstabbing, and the usual business for which DC is known. Along the way we encounter an Ouija board, a new hippie-ish Supreme Court chief, a Valkyrie- relative of Paul Christopher, a couple of dangerous yet educated young women, an alkie House Speaker who has only days to live, a LBJ-type president, the Ricardo Montlban-sounding lawyer of the president, the ex-president who was cheated out of this election, and various other strange and interesting folk (thankfully, the author provided a roster of names and positions, which I referenced probably a hundred times). The plot is revealed in slow motion as the impeachment trial takes place while other investigations are occurring at the same time.

As I read the initial chapters, I was pretty pumped since Shelley's Heart seemed to be a prescient look at the political process we're seemingly up to our eyeballs in 25 years after the book's release. However, as the story evolved I became more interested in the labyrinthian plotting involved in constructing the many layers and sub-plots in the story. At the end, I was happy to put it down but also glad at how the conclusion, as lacking in fireworks as it was, wrapped things up. Shelley's Heart is a good one for McCarry fans and those who their political thrillers dense and complex.2 s Paul BartusiakAuthor 5 books49

Another fun read by Charles McCarry. Found a hardcover copy of this one at a used book sale for only 2 bucks and snapped it up. At 558 pages I was a little intimidated to begin, so it sat around a while. I'm not one to read "Political Thrillers" either, which also didn't get me to rush to it.

What fun it was to read. McCarry has a straightforward writing style, much less esoteric than, say, LeCarre, and he created a very interesting plot for Shelley's Heart . It's quite engaging, with each chapter no more than three or four pages, just enough revealed to make you want to move onto the next chapter. I wouldn't even classify it as a pure political thriller; there's a lot of mystery and, if you will, crime solving aspects to it.

There are a few less believable aspects to the plot, and a few scenes that cause one to raise one's eyebrows, but I just suspended my belief and considered it as being part of the fun. I really didn't even care how the story ended; it could have gone in several directions and it would have been fine with me. This is one of those books where it's just the joy of the story unfolding that makes it a pleasure to read, and not so much where it ends up.

I looked at some other Goodreads after I finished, just to see what others thought. There are some references in Shelley's Heart to characters from McCarry's previous novels, but this story is not meant to be a continuation of anything. It stands on its own, and none of his other books needs to be read before jumping into this one.

A good one to take with you to the beach (even for such a hefty size).2 s Denise1,165 12

Cognitive dissonance. I'm so used to political fiction where the bad guys are invariably rich, greedy businessmen and it's the conservatives that are the bigots that a novel where elitist left-wingers are behind all the nefarious plots is disorienting, even though I tend to share McCarry's world view. Also, this was written in the 90s, back when the idea of a president ordering the assassination of a foreign terrorist was enough to get him impeached, rather than applauded. Stolen elections and constitutional coups are timely issues as well, but I doubt most progressive readers could get far enough into this to have their assumptions challenged. Turns out there are a bunch of previous books in this series, all of which I was completely unaware of. 2 s Jak60634 10

This is, in my humble opinion, the worst book by Charles McCarry; I have read many of them, some I did quite a lot, some less but I never stumbled into such a cockamamie story Shelley's heart. The plot is clumsy, the situations totally implausible, the characters ranging from insignificant to ridiculous.
Just as a few examples:
@ a manic obsessive appointed Chief Justice, assisted by two loony Valkyrie paralegal, who runs private, secret investigations on the President of the USA using, among other systems, spiritic sessions with Ouija board
@ a secret sect, kind of Masonic society, plotting a conspiracy to overthrow the US democracy "in the name of the poet" (Shelley)
@ an impeachment process ran no banana republic would
The ending is also rather disappointing, just flat and without any final twist able to add some spice to an insipid story.
So, if anyone is going to start reading McCarry from Shelley's heart, he is not off to a good start....I would rather suggest to start from any other good story of the Paul Christopher series and to simply pass n this. Cassandra Glissadevil571 19

5.0 stars!
Best political fiction I've ever read!

Won't go into plot. You can read other . More than any novel I've ever read, Shelley's Heart taught me how Washington DC insiders work and think. For example. Harvard Professor grooms Leftist student. Student gets better than deserved grades. The Professor installs student into management of government job in DOJ, FBI, or CIA. Now the student owes the Professor favors, over decades the Prof installs scores of Leftists former students into the unelected positions of the government. Occasionally, a former student winds up in a Presidential cabin position. I learned how leaks work, sexual blackmail setups, and multiple treaties on political philosophy.

Shelley's Heart has it all. Controversial Supreme Court nominees, stolen elections, impeachment and secret fraternities. Sounds familiar? Published in 1995, Shelley's Heart is nothing less than prophetical. Resplendent page turner, perfect accompaniment to Trump's tenure! Douglas SainsburyAuthor 4 books6

During the past year I have become a Charles McCarry fan. I enjoy his insight into the espionage/spy world based on his experience as a covert CIA agent. This book, however, has a minimum of tradecraft and a large helping of political intrigue. The book was written in 1994-95 and focuses on the impeachment of a sitting president. Sound familiar? As we are introduced to the characters on both sides of the aisle, we discover many are members of a secret society at Yale University. The author's in-depth knowledge of constitutional rules and processes shines bright and lends a flavor of authenticity. The novel includes many twists and turns. As always the quality of the writing is high. I enjoyed the story and I recommend the book. My only criticism is the length - it could be edited down by 10-20%. False2,372 10

I've been reading all of McCarry. He has the most eerily ability to predict so much that has come true: suicide bombers, terrorists taking over airplanes, bombings in cities, impeachment of the President--with members of a university secret society pulling the strings of the players. He also has a habit of bringing characters back or having characters from other work finally mingling with others. The bulk of this novel spends time on an illegal election and the impeachment of the President. McCarry has done his homework on the equivalent of Robert's Rules, but as a reader you really get bogged down in the detail. I kept wishing for the action to move to another area or move forward. McCarry writes with intelligence and sensitivity. He's well worth learning about.fiction mystery-suspense-spy-intelligence Lynelle529 2

A President who has “pet” names for everyone, both political parties interested only in their own group and individual self-preservation, sexual improprieties both real and part of a plot, conspiracy theories - both rumored and real, men and women of wealth and power trying to manipulate the process for control of government - seemingly ripped from the scripts of any “news” program today...and yet I kept having to check the copyright page to confirm this book was written in 1995!! Finished at 2 AM because I couldn’t find a stopping point, fascinated, amazed, disgusted, and depressed with the realization that all the muck of today was in play, or at least, in thought almost 25 years ago. Great book! Willa45 4

Although not my favorite McCarry book (that would be "The Tears of Autumn") what a masterpiece this is! What a writer! This is not a quick, fun read, not to say there's not some fun and quite a few laughs. Filled with political intrigue, mystery women, vacuous politicians, not everyone is who they seem to be. The hero turns out to be .... well, you'd better read the book and find out for yourself. I took my time reading in the beginning but about 3/4ths of the way through, I couldn't put it down. Flowergarden24490 1 follower

This was long but worth reading. I referred to the list of characters many times and got lost in who did what several times. I doubt this is too unreal to believe it could be possible. The aftermath of our last election was a close example of the events in this novel. I think this was about the left when it was written but perhaps now it would be about the maga politicians. Andrew Johnson and Nixon were examples of impeachment processes and when this was written, that was as bad as could be referred to. Interesting and timely even so many years after publication. Barbara Danner17

This book was recommended to me by a co-worker. Due to other obligations, I stopped and started this story several times, but once I was able to give it full attention, I was hooked. The list of characters listed near the front is very helpful, as there are many. This is a novel of political intrigue, written in 1995, but it seemed scarily relevant to our present day. I am still somewhat puzzled by the person and significance of Zarah in the story. I enjoyed the book very much. Dave965 5

3+

With just a touch of restraint this could have been another very good
book by McCarry.

Sadly, for me at least, it was just a bit longer than it needed to be,
several of the major characters were simply too cartoonish to allow
suspension of disbelief and it quickly leaped from radical ideology
to heights of "idiotology" never seen in his books and not needed
here to carry the plot. Lee Desrochers16

This book took me almost 3 weeks to read. I think that shows how much I did not this one. It was long and hard to follow. Even at the end I still think I was confused about all the characters and how they fit together. Not recommended at all. Toni300

McCarry rarely disappoints, and here he is at the top of his game. Epic sweep of story, prescient in the details, nice understanding of government and DMV geography. It does show its (his?) age in the treatment of women. It would make a great mini-series, but is way too politically incorrect Rebecca Rogers250 2

Boring! Didn't get into it until the last 20 pages! It took me forever to read this book. I didn't care about the characters, I didn't care about the plot. Boring! Rebecca76 1 follower

Any other time I would have given this a 4 star rating... reading it in November '20 was just too good to be true. I had to keep checking the copyright date. Joseph Hilden387 2

hardly ever give five stars but McCarry excels in this one Paul Sand1,223 11

[Imported automatically from my blog. Some formatting there may not have translated here.] Another pick off National Review's 2010 Conservative Lit 101 list. Charles McCarry wrote this back in 1995, and it's set in the early 21st Century USA. It's billed as a "thriller" right there on the front cover, but there's not much of the usual mayhem typical of the genre. Yes, there's a grisly murder on page 48, but it's pretty much forgotten until the climax about 500 pages (!) later. Other than that, it's conspiratorial skullduggery as a radical plot is afoot to seize the Presidency is afoot. So it's a political thriller, reminiscent of good old Allen Drury, and the prime plot mover is the apparent theft of the recent Presidential election, accomplished by hacking of the computerized voting results in a few key states. The official loser decides to challenge the result on the eve of the Inauguration, throwing Washington into chaos. (Coincidence: I was reading this concurrently with the IRL headlines about recounts in states Hillary lost and dark allegations about "hacking".) McCarry's other prognostications about our time are entertainingly off. Ganymede is being colonized! But when someone wants to slip computer information to a confidante, the preferred medium is … a diskette. And one of the plot points is an alleged Presidential order to assassinate a loony Arab leader who's gotten hold of a couple of nukes. This is seen as a bad, unacceptable thing, grounds for impeachment. From the post-9/11 viewpoint, where a President can order a drone strike on an (admittedly nasty) American citizen without any legal niceties involved, and everyone goes ho-hum, that's a little dissonant. I was a little bemused to discover the book was number 8 in the "Paul Christopher" series. Usually, I hate reading book N in a series when I haven't read books 1 .. N-1. It's OK, the book works fine as a standalone, although there are a lot of references to previous events which I imagine are described in the previous entries. Slight spoiler: Paul Christopher never actually shows up, but his daughter does. Ron Welton261 6

Shelley's Heart is the sequel to McCarry's The Better Angels. It presents us with three U.S. Presidents to ponder there is the left leaning but unnamed incumbent President, "known for his appetites...," who "had tested positive for an incurable sexually transmitted disease. He had kept this fact entirely to himself for more than a year." He is defeated by right leaning Franklin Mallory the present incumbent, who was accused of "outing" the scandal to left leaning journalist, Ross Macalaster. However, the reveal was really "by a manipulative radical activist who had never thought that the stricken President was militant enough." The third President is Bedford Forrest "Frosty" Lockwood, who has been elected thanks to a vote manipulation, which we have learned about in the earlier novel.
As Shelley's Heart opens, the vote manipulation has been discovered through a complex and extremely expensive surveillance system which had been secretly installed by Mallory. There is much twisted prescience in this novel which was first published in 1995. There is a intensely divided political environment, "mutual paranoia," with incumbent President Mallory who had made a huge fortune in business on the political far right disputing his failed re-election, with a delineated impeachment almost identical to the recent actual impeachments, with a Senate divided 50/50, and with a intricate conspiracy mixed into the brew.
The conspirators are elite Yale alumni members of the secret Shelley Society, one member selected of each graduating class over many years. The members rely on
the mention of Trelawny's plucking of Shelley's heart from his funeral pyre as a coded membership identifier. Each member is obligated to obey the request of any other who makes the asking "in the name of the poet."
The society is core to the plot of the novel, but there is much more. I think the novel should be read as an interesting foretaste of the political events that happened more than twenty years in its future and with the added pleasure of just enjoying a good read. Jim725

this dreck is the reason why I don't trust Nancy Pearl. If you the spectacle of grotesque puppets stumbling through a cryptofacist fantasy, read it immediately.

Did you know that a Fabian- Yale Eating club wants to impose its elitist socialist vision on this here nation, and the only person that can stop it is the super-rich Republican ex-President who is limned with all the humanistic attention to detail that is so evident in Tom Clancy's most manly fare? He's almost killed by two lesbian law students who are also trained assassins. I wish that I were joking.

Trash. I wish I could laugh about it. Though the bits on the beltway internecine titfortat are good, the premise is so rotten that i could barely stifle a retch. Read 100 pp, skimmed the rest, and was angry that I even spent that amount of time with it. Jen1,129

McCarry's latest political thriller is a bit of a disappointment, too long, fairly improbable and badly written. On the eve of his inauguration as President, Frosty Lockwood is told by his political rival, Mallory, that the election results were falsified and that Lockwood should stand down. This sets off a train of events as the 2 political rivals battle it out with their supporters and legal teams. Problem is that I just didn't really get into the character at all till about 150 pages into the book, way too long for what is meant to be a gripping thriller. Maybe the problem is that this is a novel of the now, not set in the past as most of his other novels were. Eventually, the plot captured me enough to finish the book, simply to find out what the conspiracy was all about. Never knew Shelley had any other claim to fame except his poetry. Only in America ...america spy Jen1,129

McCarry's latest political thriller is a bit of a disappointment, too long, fairly improbable and badly written. On the eve of his inauguration as President, Frosty Lockwood is told by his political rival, Mallory, that the election results were falsified and that Lockwood should stand down. This sets off a train of events as the 2 political rivals battle it out with their supporters and legal teams. Problem is that I just didn't really get into the character at all till about 150 pages into the book, way too long for what is meant to be a gripping thriller. Maybe the problem is that this is a novel of the now, not set in the past as most of his other novels were. Eventually, the plot captured me enough to finish the book, simply to find out what the conspiracy was all about. Never knew Shelley had any other claim to fame except his poetry. Only in America ...thriller Ian Robb41 2

In a presidential election (2004), Mallory loses to Lockwood because of election fraud that turns out to have been done by Horace Hubbard, a relative of Paul Christopher who by now is dead. In addition to charges of fraud, Lockwood has to deal with a political assassination that it appears that he has ordered (and did not). An impeachment trial is held. The reference to Shelley is to a secret Yale university society named after Percy Bysche Shelley whose members assist each other in causes to bring about a socialist type society, “in the name of the poet ” Hammet, who is Chief Justice of the Supreme court is one of these. It is a good book, with a detailed plot. Not much filler. I read this book originally in October 2002 and it was re-reading. There is a wealth of detail with the author drawing on the precedents of the trials of Nixon and Johnson. Marcia5 3

I discovered McCarry about a year ago and had the good fortune to read Tears of Autumn first. It was excellent. I have now read a number of other novels in the Hubbard-Christopher series and none really measures up to that first encounter. Just finished Shelley's Heart - I'd give it a pretty good. The POV is definitely skewed. The villains are on the wrong side, but the villainy is delicious! It's a bit Carl Hiassen finds Washington D.C. Some pretty absurd characters and plot twists but entertaining nonetheless. And given what this country went through in the last administration - nothing seems absurd now. Jane Guyton129 4

I was disappointed with this book. Did not finish it. Found it ponderous, too full of detail that did not add to the plot or characters, and far too arcanely political. I plodded on for 300 pages or so because I thought I ought to be liking it, and then gave up, unusual for me. A reviewer compared McCarry favorably to John LeCarre, an assessment with which I cannot agree. I was not captivated by any character, nor was there (for me) any suspense. The irony seemed too contrived. I read the end of the book out of curiosity to see how it wound up, and found the resolution unsatisfying and silly. Tom564 6

Paul Christopher is here only in spirit in the form of Horace Hubbard, Julian Hubbard and Zarah Christopher, the daughter he had with Catherine.
There's much political intrigue as the presidential election is stolen under the nose of Frosty Lockwood, and several plots play out.
This novel leans heavily on political and constitutional history - and it's a massive 558 pages. But it reads well, and draws you along, and I couldn't wait to get back to it when I was forced by contingencies to put it down for several hours.
2009-books-read Doug GeivettAuthor 35 books25

Reading this book now, some thirty years after its release, leaves me with the powerful impression that little has changed in our constitutionally protected liberal democracy. This is reassuring. This is my first taste of Charles McCarry's work; I'm sure to read more of him. Shelley's Heart is literary fiction in the genre of political intrigue and suspense. It's an education in political life and theory, human aspirations, and the American way of making our life together work. And the author's achievement is impressive. Chris17 1 follower

I read this book after seeing it listed on NPR's books page. I'd never read anything by Charles McCarry before and after this, I don't think I will try anything else of his. I found the plot interesting, but most of the characters seemed to be more caricatures. Also, given the fact that he has set up a very different America, I was a bit put off by that.

I know this is loosely part of a larger series, and perhaps if I'd read others in the series, I might get more enjoyment.fiction read-in-2009 Bill102 2

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