A decidedly un-Bond-like British spy outwits the Soviets—and his bosses—in this thriller from a multimillion-selling author that offers “pure delight” (Chicago Tribune). Charlie Muffin is an anachronism. He came into the intelligence service in the early 1950s, when the government, desperate for foot soldiers in the impending Cold War, dipped into the middle class for the first time. Despite a lack of upper-class bearing, Charlie survived twenty-five years on the espionage battle’s front line: Berlin. But times have changed: The boys from Oxford and Cambridge are running the shop again, and they want to get rid of the middle-class spy who’s a thorn in their side. They have decided that it’s time for Charlie to be sacrificed. But Charlie Muffin didn’t survive two decades in Berlin by being a pushover. He intends to go on protecting the realm, and won’t let anyone from his own organization get in his way. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Brian Freemantle including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.

“If Brian Freemantle isn’t the best writer of spy novels around, he’s certainly, along with John le Carré, in the top two.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer Charlie Muffin isn’t your typical British spy. He’s neither high cultured nor well mannered. He doesn’t care about being smooth, pretty, or popular; he only cares about getting the job done . . . Charlie M: After twenty-five years serving the Crown in the shadows of the Cold War, Charlie finds himself under fire from a new breed of superiors who believe his lack of proper breeding makes him a liability in the spy game against the Soviets. But Charlie’s going to show them that you don’t survive as long as he has without knowing how to turn the tables on your enemy . . . Here Comes Charlie M: On the run, Charlie has slowly devolved into what his former masters once accused him of being. His formerly razor-edged instincts have been dulled by indolence, drink, and the monotonous tension of living in the dark. Believing the heat must have cooled by now, he returns to England, only to discover how very wrong he was—and how much more dangerous life has just become . . . The Inscrutable Charlie Muffin: Charlie has been keeping his head down with the help of his only friend and ally, Rupert Willoughby. But Rupert’s own fortunes turn sour when an ocean liner he invested in burns and sinks in the Hong Kong harbor. Desperate, he turns to Charlie to find out what really happened. Charlie can hardly refuse—but he’ll wish he had.

Britain's MI5 tolerates Charlie Muffin because he's their best field agent. What none of his colleagues knows, though, is that he is married to Natalia Fedova, a colonel in the FSB, the Russian intelligence successor to the KGB. It's a secret that could land her in front of a firing squad, and him in jail for life. Worst of all, their daughter would then end up in a Russian state orphanage. But a frantic call from Natalia has brought their secret out, and Charlie must lead a combined MI5/MI6 mission to rescue her. He soon realizes that his higher-ups have other priorities than his family's safety. Charlie will have to outwit not just the Russians but his own government as well to protect the lives of his wife and child. Clever, unpredictable, and exciting, Red Star Burning shows why Brian Freemantle has been widely praised as one of the greatest living espionage novelists.

“If Brian Freemantle isn’t the best writer of spy novels around, he’s certainly, along with John le Carré, in the top two” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Charlie Muffin was once the toughest agent in British intelligence. He wasn’t strong, fast, or charming, but he knew how to survive. When his agency branded him a traitor, he eluded their pursuit for years. After eventually proving his innocence, he’s invited back into The Firm. But only just. Consigned to a monotonous desk job, it takes months for Charlie to get a real assignment. A KGB agent in Tokyo wants to defect to the other side. Charlie’s role is to bring him across. But as Charlie has learned from all those evasive years, there’s never anything simple or safe about running away. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Brian Freemantle including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.

DIVAs the dust settles after the demise of the Cold War, Charlie Muffin must thwart a plan that could bring the world to the brink of nuclear holocaust/divDIV /divDIVIt has been more than five years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Charlie Muffin, Britain’s cagiest spy, is beginning to feel obsolete. As the machine of state intelligence is dismantled around him, he expects that he too will soon be on the scrap heap. But Britain needs him in Russia one more time./divDIV /divDIVSince the demise of the Soviet empire, Charlie’s old stomping grounds have gone to seed. The Communist bureaucracy has degenerated into chaos. Rampant corruption, coupled with easy gangland money, means that disorder reigns. In the anarchy, 250 kilograms of uranium goes missing and Charlie must track it down before it goes to the highest bidder./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Brian Freemantle including rare photos from the author’s personal collection./div

Britain's MI5 tolerates Charlie Muffin because he's their best field agent. What none of his colleagues knows, though, is that he is married to Natalia Fedova, a colonel in the FSB, the Russian intelligence successor to the KGB. It's a secret that could land her in front of a firing squad, and him in jail for life. Worst of all, their daughter would then end up in a Russian state orphanage. But a frantic call from Natalia has brought their secret out, and Charlie must lead a combined MI5/MI6 mission to rescue her. He soon realizes that his higher-ups have other priorities than his family's safety. Charlie will have to outwit not just the Russians but his own government as well to protect the lives of his wife and child. Clever, unpredictable, and exciting, Red Star Burning shows why Brian Freemantle has been widely praised as one of the greatest living espionage novelists.

An ex-spy is about to upend the world of international intrigue. Meet “the most degenerate and lovable character ever cast in the role of secret agent” (Manchester Evening News). Charlie Muffin is back at rock bottom. The ex-spy has had a rough few years since British intelligence first turned on him and forced him to go into hiding. He’s drinking again, forgetting things—getting soft. He hasn’t even noticed the tap on his phone. Though Charlie doesn’t know it yet, the walls are closing in again. He takes a job for his only friend, Rupert Willoughby, who sends Charlie to Rome to check the security system for some valuable jewels. Charlie has chosen the wrong time to visit the Eternal City. There’s a mole in the British embassy there, and the agents of the East and West are homing in fast. Charlie, unlucky as always, is about to find himself caught between a very solid rock and an equally hard place. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Brian Freemantle including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.