and “NCIS” fame — confidently embarks on a second career in his highly entertaining debut that mixes the espionage novel with the mystery thriller, Once a Crooked Man.
McCallum, 82, is no John le Carre, nor does his “Once a Crooked Man” hero, Harry Murphy, resemble George Smiley or Illya Kuryakin, the role that made the Scottish actor famous. But McCallum respects the genres’ tenets, supplying the right amount of intrigue, violence and sex for a well-plotted, action-packed tale. more
