The fictional protagonist in 26 of their books was Thomas Elphinstone Hambledon, who works for a department of the Foreign Office, usually referred to in the novels as "MI5".
These novels were published in England under the pseudonym of Francis Gaite but released in the United States under the Manning Coles byline.
[2] 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.
[3] He eventually became the youngest officer in British intelligence, often working behind German lines, due to his extraordinary ability to master languages.
[3] "Death Keeps a Secret" (John Creasey Mystery Magazine, March 1958; reprinted in The Mystery Bedside Book (1960), edited by John Creasey} is a brief account of the capture and death of Colonel Alfred Redl, an Austrian spymaster and traitor in the First World War: was he shot by his captors, or did he commit suicide?