Books: The Last of Lanny?

O SHEPHERD, SPEAK! (629 pp.)—Upton Sinclair—Viking ($3.50).

For nine volumes and nearly 6,500 pages, countless readers have followed Lanny Budd through the labyrinths of modern politics. Although he passed as a mere art expert, Lanny was really F.D.R.'s Secret Agent No. 103. He could mingle easily with the world's great men, hoodwink Hitler into disclosing secret plans, advise General Patton on military strategy and Harry Hopkins on political tactics, and even win the admiration of Stalin. There was almost nothing that Lanny could not do; under the spell of such a hero, anxiety-ridden readers could begin to feel safe again.

Now in 0...