Charlie Muffin Series / Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie / Brian Freemantle

Charlie Muffin has returned to England. The ex-spy, a veteran of twenty-five years’ service to the Crown, was last seen in Berlin, where an attempt on his life by his own organisation led to international embarrassment. It had been expected that Charlie – an unkempt, middle-aged survivor of all manner of scams – would simply die. Instead, he disappeared. But after months on the run, numbing his instincts with alcohol and laziness, life in hiding finally gets to him. By now, the heat at home must have died down and he should have no trouble sneaking across the channel. Now, he thinks, he can finally be safe in England. But Charlie Muffin is very much mistaken.