Dead Men Living

May 29, 2000
Starring returning hero Charlie Muffin and tackling an international WWII coverup when three perfectly preserved corpses emerge from a thaw in the Siberian tundra, Freemantle's gem of a spy thriller combines old-style espionage with millennial zing. The bodies appear to be those of a British and a U.S. officer and a civilian Russian woman. Master spy Charlie, who's been stationed in Moscow since his old agency in the U.K. morphed into "a quasi British FBI" after the Cold War ended, is called up to investigate. Domestic drama heats up since Charlie lives, in secret, with his long-time lover Natalia Nikandrova--a former KGB agent now in a high but vulnerable post in the Russian "quasi FBI"--and their daughter, Sasha. The American FBI brings in its own investigator, Miriam Bell, who joins Natalia and Charlie in Freemantle's (No Time for Heroes) brilliantly contorted plot; all three agents have been set up by bosses with much to hide, and much to gain from their sleuths' failures. The corpses are linked to Nazi art thefts, and Charlie unearths the coverup when he finds fake graves for the victims and purged records from the Brit's file. He masterminds the survival strategies for the trio of agents, using the media and old spy tricks to toy with the puppet masters. Miriam outdoes Bond in sexual feats and mental sparring, bringing gender equity to the genre, while Charlie stays one step ahead of his superiors, bosses and enemies. Siberia's harsh climate and Moscow's volatile politics are in clear focus as slippery, upper-class Brits and powerful Americans toss monkey wrenches into Charlie's plans. This engrossing thriller perfectly sets up further Moscow adventures with Charlie and Natalia.

May 15, 2000
Maverick British agent Charlie Muffin, hero of Freemantle's popular series, is living in Moscow under difficult circumstances when he is asked to solve a case that appears impossible. The frozen corpses of two men dressed in World War II uniforms--one American, one British--and a woman who turns out to be Russian have been uncovered by a freak thaw in the far reaches of Siberia. Who were the Western agents, and what were they doing deep in forbidden territory? In an atmosphere of paranoia and deception reminiscent of the Cold War and with his own life at risk, Muffin must ferret out a conspiracy that all three countries--the United States, Britain, and Russia--still want to conceal 54 years after the end of the war. Fans of the "Charlie Muffin" series and readers who don't mind the tendency of Freemantle (Bomb Grade) to withhold information already deduced by Muffin will enjoy the piecing together of this intricate and intriguing puzzle. Recommended for all public libraries--Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

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