Book 1: A MAGNUM FOR SCHNEIDER Ousted from the secret service and having to work as a low-paid bookkeeper, Callan is offered one last assignment. His mission is to assassinate a German businessman named Schneider — and he’s in no position to refuse.
Book 2: RUSSIAN ROULETTE The Russians have uncovered a British spy inside the KGB. The price they demand for the mole’s safe return is the death of Callan — and Callan’s boss Hunter is prepared to throw him to the wolves. But Callan has no intention of going quietly.
Book 3: DEATH AND BRIGHT WATER It seems a straightforward assignment. Callan is tasked with rescuing a radical Greek politician’s daughter from her kidnappers on Crete. But things aren’t always what they seem.
Book 4: SMEAR JOB Callan’s old secret service boss Hunter wants him to take on one last job. He’s ordered him to steal a book from the Sicilian estate of an English earl. And make sure a man loses ten thousand pounds at cards. Easy enough, it seems . . . but events soon spiral out of control.
Book 5: BONFIRE NIGHT Callan has now left the service and is living a very comfortable life in his own personal castle in Spain. But when an old enemy comes out of the woodwork, Callan must call on his former skills as a ruthless killing machine if he is to enjoy a well-earned retirement.
With a new introduction by award-winning crime writer Mike Ripley.
James William Mitchell (12 March 1926, South Shields - 15 September 2002, Newcastle-upon-Tyne) was a British writer of crime fiction and spy thrillers. Mr. Mitchell also wrote under the pseudonyms James Munro and Patrick O. McGuire. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from Oxford.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
I didn’t know that James Mitchell was Callan’s creator. I just knew that he had written several books under the pseudonym of James Munro about a character named John Craig. When I was looking on Kindle for those, I found Callan, one of the best characters in fiction.
The first four books in this collection are great. The final one is not, but to be honest the forewords by the editor and by Peter Mitchell, the authors son, warned the reader quite clearly and explained the why and the how. It isn’t all bad, but it’s messy and there are holes in the plot one could sail a cruise ship through. Still, I’m glad to have read it.
I was thinking that Hollywood should bring Callan back, the anti-hero, but then realized that Denzel Washington’s Equalizer could be that. Ironic considering that Edward Woodward played both characters.
I saw the original Callan tv series in 1967 with Edward Woodward when it was first broadcast. When I saw this box set I had to read it. Books 1-4 are well worth reading, book 5 written many years later is different, disjointed yes, but still well worth reading. Very happy to have found this box set
The Callan books are gritty and absorbing. Great reads in a fairly straightforward manner. Lots of violence, some humour, plus a lot of twisted remorse. The last book was a mess. No polite way to say it. Very hard to read.