Manning Coles Books

After Jim Warnford is found guilty of selling secrets to the enemy and discharged from his regiment, he’s very much at loose ends—that is, until he meets John Marden, a professional safe-cracker who is nonetheless a gentleman and a very pleasant one at that, despite the fact that he was trying to break into Warnford’s own safe when they met. The two become fast friends and unite in a common purpose, to find the fellow officer who framed Warnford and to round up the German spies who stole his secrets. In the course of their activities they keep nearly crossing paths with Tommy Hambledon of British Intelligence, who’s just back in England after a long sojourn in Germany. As delighted as he is with their little presents to him, he’s very anxious to meet them in person, but they prove to be a most elusive pair. Set in 1938 with war with Germany just around the corner, it’s the fourth book in the Tommy Hambledon series and one of the best, with an almost perfect blend of straightforward counterespionage and farcical humor.

A classic spy thriller set in the era of World War II. A former British spy named Tommy Hambledon finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a group of Nazis who are planning to launch a devastating attack on Britain. Coles' book is a gripping and suspenseful read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

A British diplomat, looking natty in a green hat, walks into the brooding hills above Lake Como and disappears. The police investigate but can uncover no clues or evidence. This is a job for British Intelligence in the person of none other than the intrepid Tommy Hambledon. Hambledon takes on Italy's vicious underworld, is diverted by some society types, and side-steps some unrepentant fascists in this rapid-transit chase for a mastermind and a hidden treasure.