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Tommy Hambledon #18
The Man in the Green Hat
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.
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.
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
About the author
Manning Coles
49 books10 followersFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Manning Coles is the pseudonym of two British writers, Adelaide Frances Oke Manning (1891–1959) and Cyril Henry Coles (1899–1965), who wrote many spy thrillers from the early 40s through the early 60s. The fictional protagonist in 26 of their books was Thomas Elphinstone Hambledon, who works for the Foreign Office.
Manning and Coles were neighbors in East Meon, Hampshire. Coles worked for British Intelligence in both the World Wars. Manning worked for the War Office during World War I. Their first books were fairly realistic and with a touch of grimness; their postwar books perhaps suffered from an excess of lightheartedness and whimsy. They also wrote a number of humorous novels about modern-day ghosts, some of them involving ghostly cousins named Charles and James Latimer. These novels were published in England under the pseudonym of Francis Gaite but released in the United States under the Manning Coles byline.
Many of the original exploits were based on the real-life experiences of Coles, who lied about his age and enlisted under an assumed name in a Hampshire regiment during World War I while still a teenager. He eventually became the youngest officer in British intelligence, often working behind German lines, due to his extraordinary ability to master languages. Coles had 2 sons (Michael and Peter, who were identical twins and who are both still alive, living in the UK) and the Ghost stories were based on the tales he used to tell his young sons when he was 'back from his travels'.
Manning Coles is the pseudonym of two British writers, Adelaide Frances Oke Manning (1891–1959) and Cyril Henry Coles (1899–1965), who wrote many spy thrillers from the early 40s through the early 60s. The fictional protagonist in 26 of their books was Thomas Elphinstone Hambledon, who works for the Foreign Office.
Manning and Coles were neighbors in East Meon, Hampshire. Coles worked for British Intelligence in both the World Wars. Manning worked for the War Office during World War I. Their first books were fairly realistic and with a touch of grimness; their postwar books perhaps suffered from an excess of lightheartedness and whimsy. They also wrote a number of humorous novels about modern-day ghosts, some of them involving ghostly cousins named Charles and James Latimer. These novels were published in England under the pseudonym of Francis Gaite but released in the United States under the Manning Coles byline.
Many of the original exploits were based on the real-life experiences of Coles, who lied about his age and enlisted under an assumed name in a Hampshire regiment during World War I while still a teenager. He eventually became the youngest officer in British intelligence, often working behind German lines, due to his extraordinary ability to master languages. Coles had 2 sons (Michael and Peter, who were identical twins and who are both still alive, living in the UK) and the Ghost stories were based on the tales he used to tell his young sons when he was 'back from his travels'.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 16, 2018
I've been rereading some authors dear to me when I was a teenager, wondering if they'd stand up to time passing. Thank heavens, Manning Coles has! A clever visit to the Lake Como area, with partisans, treasure, and Tommy Hambleton.
April 21, 2015
Diplomat Leonard Adair, on a walking trip near Lake Como, has dropped out of sight. The Foreign Office needs to find out what happened to him, so Tommy Hambledon is sent to Italy. As the book moves between Adair, Hambledon, and a pair of small-time Italian gangsters, tension rises. The rumors of treasure hidden by fleeing Italian fascists may be true, but fortunately the Partisans in the area have long memories.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews