# Help me ID the spy novel **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2002, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-the-spy-novel/102115 "2002-04-06T01:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-the-spy-novel/102115/1 "2002-04-06T01:54:12Z")
I THINK it was by someone named ‘Green’ - involved a lifelong spy, working for idiots in MI 5 (or is that MI6? I never could tell them apart) who basically sets up a scam where the Russians capture three or four English (and American?) agents, then takes the ‘ransom’ for himself and runs - hiding in ‘plain sight’ at the British seashore, because he knows that the idiots he works for would never look for him there. I seem to remember that it was made into a TV movie (miniseries) for the BBC that was shown in the US. Any ideas? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-the-spy-novel/102115/2 "2002-04-06T02:07:27Z")
Who comes to mind is the wonderful author, Graham Greene, but the plot escapes me. I will search a bit. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-the-spy-novel/102115/3 "2002-04-06T02:31:30Z")
Further info: (as I remember it) part of the plot was a big Russian spymaster ‘defecting’, They were giving money to the Russian to defect, but he was really helping the English spy (maybe his name was Charlie?) get the money to retire on. They end up trading the Russian to get back all the people that ‘Charlie’ set up. This could all be wrong, or a mish mash of many novel’s that I have read - but I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-the-spy-novel/102115/4 "2002-04-06T04:28:37Z")
I believe the protagonist in this story is named Charlie Muffin. He is the star of several books by Brian Freemantle. [Here is a list of the titles.](http://www.bordersstores.com/search/search.jsp?srchTerms=Brian+Freemantle&mediaType=1&srchType=Author&doSearch.x=7&doSearch.y=10) Good luck finding it. Most of his Cold War-era titles seem to be out of print. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-the-spy-novel/102115/5 "2002-04-06T04:30:39Z")
And it _could_ be “Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie.” ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2002, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-the-spy-novel/102115/6 "2002-04-06T11:53:14Z")
Bingo! That’s the author! And here’s the book: [Charlie M](http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y01Y5141102Y5009684/qid=1018093776/sr=1-/ref=z_ret_b_oop_03/103-4317598-4635009#details) Thanks again for your help.