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Tommy Hambledon #9
Among Those Absent
Tommy Hambledon goes undercover to break up a gang that specializes in helping prisoners escape from jail. First published in 1948.Manning ColesRue Morgue Press07/31/2011192Binding Paperback0.70lbs9.03h x 6.08w x 0.48d9781601870582
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1948
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About the author
Manning Coles
48 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 - 3 of 3 reviews
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November 22, 2022This is more like it. Tommy Hambledon--can we take a moment to appreciate that bumbling name for a super-spy please, instead of the usual "Dirk Stone" type bobbins--goes undercover as a prisoner to break up an organised escape gang. Quite a bit of violence, a couple of excellent allies--I think these books really excel with Tommy's allies--and a rapid fire plot.
October 2, 2022
Tommy spends his leave from the British Foreign Office Intelligence services helping the Home Secretary track down who has been engineering prison breaks. No spies but plenty of thrills and some rather nice crooks :)
September 2, 2014
I just love the Tommy Hambledon series by Manning Coles--spy/detective stories written in the 1940s, full of adventure and wry British humor, and this one is no exception. I have to say, this edition has the most typos I've ever seen in a book, so I'm thinking perhaps it was OCR'd. But it's a minor quibble--the book was still very enjoyable. And I know that Rue Morgue Press has only a tiny staff to put out otherwise-unavailable vintage mystery fiction, and I applaud their good work; so this was a rare mis-step in terms of proofreading.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews