This time, however, the assassination plot is a false alarm. Instead Oakes finds himself embroiled in a personal battle with the legendary British traitor Kim Philby. Oakes travels to Russia under the cover of a book publisher promoting potential works for translation into Russian as part of a cultural exchange. His former partner, and CIA contact within the US mission, Guy Windels, introduces him to Ursina Chadinov, a strikingly beautiful Moscow urologist. Oakes, lonely after the death of his wife, falls deeply for the enigmatic Russian and things get complicated.

It turns out that Chadinov's best friend and former roommate is married to "Andrei Fyodorovich Martins" who turns out to by Philby. Thanks to Oakes's sloppy cover Philby is able "make" Oakes and strike back at him through Chadinov. Philby's ugly taunting sets up a personal battle between the two aging super spies. It all builds to a climatic conclusion worthy of the book's title.

After a slow start, Last Call settles into a suspenseful and emotional battle of wits and intrigue. Throw in glimpses of characters as diverse as Ronald Reagan, Gary Trudeau, Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer, and Graham Greene, and you have another Buckley romp/thriller. This isn't literary fiction by any stretch of the imagination, but it is entertaining. Buckley fans will be sure to pick up Last Call for Blackford Oakes to add to the collection, and perhaps to wax nostalgic as the WFB era seems to wind down, but those looking for some light summer reading might want to check this one out as well.

***Originally Posted at Collected Miscellany***