Charlie's Apprentice

Having outlived the Cold War, Charlie Muffin is put out to pasture by his director as a teacher of fledgling spies, until an apprentice is captured in Beijing, and Charlie is sent on the dangerous rescue mission.

British spy Charlie Muffin, the wonderfully unorthodox hero of several seriocomic adventures by Freemantle, has been put into semiretirement, reduced by his new superiors to training fledgling agents. Charlie adjusts as best he can, forming a personal attachment with his first apprentice, John Gower, and a platonic relationship with the new director's secretary. Meanwhile, in Russia, KGB agent Natalia Fedova, having realized that Charlie had saved her life and career by aborting her planned defection to the West a few years back, decides to track down the rumpled spy in order to let him know that she's borne him a daughter; at the same time, she must guard against the jealous manipulations of a subordinate who wants to destroy her. And in Beijing, a Jesuit who doubles as a British agent finds himself in increasing jeopardy of exposure but refuses to leave his post, prompting the London office to send the unseasoned Gower in to bring him home. When Gower is captured and imprisoned by the Chinese, Charlie must rescue him before an international incident erupts. As usual with Freemantle, secrets hide within secrets, and one way or another, Charlie will have his revenge on those he finds wanting. The delightful way in which that revenge dovetails with Natalia's own designs makes for a most satisfying conclusion, reached amid a flurry of surprises and revelations. Superior work from a master of the form.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The newest Charlie Muffin title shows Freemantle at his best. In Comrade Charlie (1992) the British agent chose duty over love and left KGB flame Natalia waiting at the airport. She returns here to run a branch of the new Russian intelligence network and raise their daughter. Back in England Charlie is removed from active duty to train new spies. His first apprentice is arrested in Beijing (China's military intelligence having replaced the KGB as the men in black hats) while on an initial, deceptively simple assignment. Marred only by a slow opening, the novel features detailed, interesting characters (except for the Chinese), fascinating local color, and intricate plotting. Will Charlie rescue his hapless apprentice and restore himself in the eyes of his superiors? Will Natalia succeed in contacting Charlie to tell him he is a father? Freemantle is well on his way to earning a prominent place in the John le Carr‚ school of spy fiction. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

British intelligence officer Charlie Muffin, renowned for his unorthodox methods, has been grounded. Charlie's new female boss thinks his time is better spent teaching new operatives rather than working in the field. Although frustrated, Charlie does his best to instruct recent graduate John Gower in surviving as an agent-practical, life-saving tips of the trade that are not found in any of the training manuals. Charlie is suspicious when the inexperienced Gower is sent to Beijing on a tricky assignment; later, when Gower is arrested and imprisoned, Charlie is dispatched to China to extricate him. This latest Charlie Muffin adventure has several interrelated story lines to hold the reader's attention. Recommended for popular fiction collections.
Maria A. Perez-Stable, Western Michigan Univ. Libs., Kalamazoo
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.