Agent Z
Agent Z is a fictitious character in a series of four comical children's books written by British author Mark Haddon, better known for his 2003 novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
[1] Agent Z is not an actual living person in the books but a 'front' used by three schoolboys, Ben, Barney and Jenks, who have been friends for years, and who also call themselves the Crane Grove Crew.
The missions take the form of practical jokes, and with the culprits usually leaving a Z mark (like Zorro) on the scene of the prank.
The Crane Grove Crew have their own secret base in a boarded-up, derelict park-keeper's cottage on the edge of the park near where they live.
At first he doesn't suspect Ben, Barney and Jenks, until that is he discovers an Agent Z badge under the Jencks' jacket lapel.
On arrival, they realise it is hardly going to be a holiday, with a sadistic camp instructor – whom they call Grenade-Head – and lousy food, weather and facilities.
A couple of snotty public school kids are present are a pain, but there is an exception in a girl, Roz Winters, with partly shaved head and pierced nose, who picks up on and praises the boys' humour.
The boys pull off a daring commando-like raid on the room, and discover a briefcase containing copies of paper-clippings, which show that the head of the centre is in fact a wanted dangerous criminal, They dispose of the case and papers, retaining 'evidence' about a supposed midnight rendezvous at a nearby ruined monastery the following Friday.
And then Dennis Sidebottom turns up unexpectedly at the Command Centre; having seen the Crew's display of Agent, threatens that they will stay away from his son or he will report their goings-on in the derelict cottage.
By an elaborate hoax, which involves stealing a penguin from the zoo, and dressing it up in foil, a dry-ice machine, a huge barrage balloon, and (at great expense) slice of meteorite inscribed with 'alien lettering'.
Late one night the Crew spring the trap and Sidebotton falls for the prank, believing space aliens have landed.
The prank backfires on the Crew when it seems the whole world believes that aliens did indeed land – especially as experts verify that the stone on which the text is carved is certainly from outer space.
The Simpson family get a postcard from Ben's father's sister Trish and her husband Harry: they are on holidays on the Pacific Island of Talula.
The evidence of the dartboard and video point to Ben, Barney and Jencks having killed TJ – and the plodding police pursue that line of inquiry.
They take the risk of turning up at his camp site to tell him that he is being searched by the police for breaking into Mrs. Block's house; after initial scepticism, TJ buys the story, as well as the 'escape plan' to dress him up in women's clothing.
The boys were simply waiting for the evening when they could slip away to nearest village, go to a pub and drink enough to make themselves violently sick.
"[2] "The two lasting things I got from the experience were a) a plastic meteorite and b) a friendship with the producer, Marilyn Fox, which kick-started my script-writing career.
To make matters worse I had to write and illustrate the book at a ridiculously high speed before moving to Boston, MA.
Predictably, soon after I delivered the final draft I discovered that the publication was being indefinitely postponed due to the meagre sales of the previous Agent Z books.
"[2] The Agent Z books are set in Britain, and the language and cultural references make no allowances for readers in other countries.
A selection of references to British culture in the Agent Z books: Sainsbury's; Tescos; the Co-op; Arsenal; The Brownies; "knocked for six"; "playing Oranges and Lemons"; "half-chewed Penguin"; "robbing Barclays"; Horse of the Year Show; "sent back to Dartmoor"; "FA Cup Final"; "Match of the Day"; ICI; Max Bygraves.
