I found Joseph McCarthy by Arthur Herman (The Free Press, 2000) to be a balanced and well-researched account of the life of the Badger State solon.
I saw Herman interviewed (Booknotes?) around the time the book came out. He came across very well. He was addressing a VERY controversial topic. It paved the way for future books. Now we've had Ann’s book and now this book. Buckley wrote a fictional account of a character who was like McCarthy. My view is that McCarthy was one of 100 senators. Which one was without flaws? There was no doubting his patriotism and anticommunism. I wish the same could be said of all 100 senators then, or now.