Kings of Many Castles: A Charlie Muffin Thriller [Hardcover]

Brian Freemantle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2002

Television audiences around the world witness in horror the Moscow assassination attempt upon the American and Russian presidents. The captured gunman is revealed to be the son of one of Britain's most infamous nuclear defectors, which brings the shuffling, believe-nothing Charlie Muffin into the investigation.

Within hours, the death of the Russian leader and the diagnosis that the American's president's wife will be maimed brings the pressure on the combined American, Russian and British investigators to a melting point. Only Charlie Muffin refuses to accept the defector's son was the sole shooter and he doesn't endear himself to anyone--including ex-KGB debriefer Natalia Fedova and mother of Muffin's daughter-and must risk his life and his love to prove his case.

From the corridors of power in Russia to the offices of MI5, Charlie must once again challenge higher authorities to bring justice to all. In perhaps his most intense thriller to date, Brian Freemantle once again uses his unique understanding of international espionage and intrigue to remarkable results.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Often compared with John le Carre, espionage veteran Freemantle brings back colorful MI6 operative Charles Muffin, the urbane, cerebral spy last spotted in Dead Men Living. Charlie is assigned to the British embassy in Moscow and secretly reunited with his on-again, off-again lover, Natalia Fedova-a former KGB agent, now with the Interior Ministry-and their five-year-old daughter, Sasha. Not long after, the entire civilized world witnesses, on live satellite TV, a botched assassination attempt on both the Russian and American presidents in Moscow. The sniper mortally wounds the Russian leader, but the First Lady takes a bullet for the leader of the free world. Charlie, much to his chagrin, is called in to investigate when the gunman turns out to be the son of a British atomic physicist who defected to Russia nearly 30 years before. As he plumbs the murky secret files of the KGB, he's plagued by the bureaucratic ineptitude of the Americans and by veiled resistance from the Russians. Natalia tries to help, but Charlie can't quite bring himself to trust her. A power struggle in the Russian hierarchy and shady American campaign finances become the focus of the thin, unconvincing plot, which introduces too many colorless characters with forgettable names on both sides. Freemantle's witty, clipped style is a pleasure as always, and the scenes dealing with the assassination attempt are suspenseful, but those who stay the course will wonder if it was worth making the effort.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

First introduced in 1977, Charlie Muffin is a British espionage agent who has regularly surfaced in well-received thrillers. Now readers can enjoy his 25th anniversary in this assassination tale reminiscent of the Oswald-Ruby-Kennedy tragedy. Charlie and his secret lover, Natalia, are on opposite sides again as they investigate a botched attempt to kill the U.S. and Russian presidents. All hell breaks loose when the bullets found in the victims are inconsistent with what the TV cameras recorded. An even messier drama arises from the competing intelligence organizations and most of all from the vicious insider scheming of the KGB's remnants. Praised as more than a match for John le Carr‚, Freemantle will not disappoint readers, except perhaps those who hope Charlie and Natalia can make a go of it. For all libraries where espionage is popular. Barbara Conaty, Library of Congress
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312304129
• ISBN-13: 978-0312304126
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,733,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian Freemantle [b. 1936] is one of Britain's most acclaimed authors of spy fiction. His novels have sold over ten million copies worldwide. Born in Southampton, Freemantle entered his career as a journalist, and began writing espionage thrillers in the late 1960s. Charlie M (1977) introduced the world to Charlie Muffin and won Freemantle international recognition--he would go on to publish fourteen titles in the series.

Freemantle has written dozens of other novels, including two featuring Sebastian Holmes, an illegitimate son of Sherlock Holmes, and the Cowley and Danilov series, about an American FBI agent and a Russian militia detective who work together to comabt organized crime in the post-Cold War world. Freemantle lives and works in London, Englad.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reviewer #1 misses the significance of this Muffin, March 26, 2006

By 

Thomas Martin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kings of Many Castles: A Charlie Muffin Thriller (Hardcover)

One has to wonder if this is a publisher's revenge on Freemantle given the poor editing but this makes the book more interesting. When is the last time you read a book by a First Class established author which was poorly proofed if ever? And I think that this is sadly Fremantle's last Muffin. Muffin has matured and earned his spurs among his peers and lacks the early black and white simplicity appeal of the younger character. Fremantle has progressed also and rides in the company of Cruz-Smith and Le Carre in terms of story line complexity, effort, excellence,and dedication. Consider this worth reading out of respect for the appeal and progression of the Muffin series this being our fairwell to Charlie and Mr. Freemantle. So long...and thanks. It is hard to say goodbye.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars kings of many castles, May 8, 2009

By 

Thomas A. Bland "Tony" (australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kings of Many Castles: A Charlie Muffin Thriller (Hardcover)

Freemantle is one of my favorite authors so i was not disappointed.As a book about homegrown terrorism and interaction between America and the new Russia and Russian mafia i really enjoyed it. The book itself was in good condition.

4 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Review of Kings of Many Castles, June 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Kings of Many Castles: A Charlie Muffin Thriller (Hardcover)

Cumbersome and poorly written. Confusing run-on sentences made the prose tough to read, and I quit after a couple of chapters. Also, I was a bit surprised at the typos which went uncorrected by the publisher ("mishead" instead of "misheard" on p. 11, for example.) I don't think I'll read anything else by this author.