Tommy Hambledon Books In Order

Publication Order of Tommy Hambledon Books

Authors Adelaide Frances Oke Manning (1891-1959) and Cyril Henry Coles (1899-1965) write the “Tommy Hambledon” series and do so under the Manning Coles name. The pair wrote many spy thrillers and some ghost stories together. Books released after the year 1959 were either written by Coles himself or Coles and Tom Hammerton. The two were neighbors in East Meon, Hampshire. Manning worked in the War Office during World War One, and Coles worked during both World Wars for British Intelligence.

The real life experiences of Cyril Coles make up quite a bit of the original exploits of the series. He lied about his age and enlisted under an assumed name during World War One, going into a Hampshire regiment while just a teen. Coles would become the youngest officer in British intelligence, working quite a bit behind German lines. This was due to his extraordinary skill at mastering languages.

The series stars Thomas Elphinstone Hambledon who works for a department in the Foreign Office, which is called “MI5” (also called counter-intelligence) most of the time. This is despite the fact that in the earlier novels he is obviously working in the active overseas MI6, which was the equivalent of the CIA.

The series began in the year 1940 with the release of the novel “Drink to Yesterday” and ended after twenty-six novels and a short story collection were released. The final novel was called “The House at Pluck’s Gutter” and was released in the year 1963. Early books in the series were more realistic, with some grimness; while the postwar books suffered from too much whimsy and lightheartedness.

“Drink to Yesterday” is the first novel in the “Tommy Hambledon” series, which was released in the year 1940. Michael Kingston was gifted with languages, and when he was just seventeen, he enlisted before being drafted into the secret service, under a man named Hambledon.

They engineered a scientist’s murder, the arson of a Zeppelin plant, and Bondenheim’s murder. The wheel of murder went full circle when a German girl and Hambledon were killed. Kingston finds that he is haunted by some blue devils as the Armistice comes. He is unable to come to grips with life or even himself.

Fans of the novel found this to be a great World War One story, as it reflects the seriousness that reflects the real life catastrophe from the war. The strains from tradecraft are written in an authentic way to add to the story. It shows the emotional dislocations of the men that lived long term under aliases and stress, as well as the resulting effects on their personalities and relationships they had. This is a classic espionage book and is well worth the read.

“Pray Silence” is the second novel in the “Tommy Hambledon” series, which was released in the year 1940. Joseph Goebbels is currently fuming. It is the mid thirties and the Nazi Minister of Propaganda has got himself a nice racket going for himself. He and his colleagues are letting Jews to get out of Germany and they take eighty percent of their assets. Klaus Lehmann (who was a longtime member of the Nazi party and Chief of the German Police) is too much of a jerk to allow him to get away with it. Since Lehmann was an early supporter of Hitler, he is untouchable, for the most part.

At the same time, British intelligence is only able to go around in circles. Someone from Germany is sending out messages to them and using a code that has not been used since during World War One.

Readers enjoy the way the authors are able to move the story along, and how fresh the writing in the book was. Fans of the novel found this to be a magnificent read of humor and intrigue and drama. This was told with a mood of subtle understatement. This is an absorbing read that has its suspenseful moments without having a lot of seduction or gadgets or a whole lot of adventures in it.

“They Tell No Tales” is the third novel in the “Tommy Hambledon” series, which was released in the year 1941. The British Admiralty asks British Intelligence for assistance nailing down some saboteurs, it is Tommy Hambledon that gets sent to the naval base in Portsmouth.

The workman shows up to the rendezvous okay, but gets shot down before he is even able to open up his mouth. Hambledon (who is hampered by a romantically inclined colleague) has to proceed to put a face and a name to a cold blooded foe. And quickly too.

Readers usually enjoy books by Manning Coles and this one is no exception to that. Fans of the novel enjoy reading about Tommy, who they find is a believable spy and very human character. Despite all outward appearances, he is quite attached to his colleagues and surrounds himself with guys that he is able to trust.

“Green Hazard” is the fifth novel in the “Tommy Hambledon” series, which was released in the year 1945. Tommy Hambledon is in the city of Berlin right around the start of World War II, and masquerades as one of the famous inventors of explosives under the eyes of some Nazi leaders.

This is an enjoyable entry to this series, and features a great sense of place and time: 1941 in Berlin. They are even able to include major historical people into the book. Fans of the novel found this to be laced with some humor, and the way that Tommy jumps from one great predicament to another makes for some delightful reading.

“With Intent to Deceive” (also called “A Brother For Hugh”) is the eighth novel in the “Tommy Hambledon” series, which was released in the year 1947. Tommy Hambledon’s first adventure postwar, and is pulled in to hunt for a huge sum of money that the Nazis stile and hid in Argentina. The book introduces Forgan and Campbell, who are model makers who end up being the enthusiastic and always amusing amateur assistants of Tommy.