Only a wordsmith of William F. Buckley’s caliber could try, and largely succeed, in depicting Joe McCarthy as an engaging, sympathetic, and ultimately tragic figure. Buckley’s McCarthy is a rogue — but not a loathsome enemy of freedom so detestable that the very word “McCarthyism” is a name accepted even by conservative politicians for unjust, unfounded accusations.

Make no mistake. Buckley’s new book is not a comprehensive analysis of Senator Joseph Raymond McCarthy. The Redhunter is truly a novel, the thirteenth by the doyen of conservative pundits who has honed his craft well in chronicling the fictional adventures of his CIA operative, Blackford Oakes. Even liberals who grow faint at the thought of any kind word about McCarthy will enjoy the pacing and suspense of an engrossing story with many twists and turns.