"Middle-Aged Cutthroats" of British Security
Michael Gilbert wrote a number of stories about Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens, agents of a British counterintelligence group that does the jobs "too disreputable" for any of the UK's other services. The previously published book was titled "Game Without Rules." The stories in the present book don't come after the tales in "GWR," but intermingle -- two of them happen before ANY of the "GWR" stories. They're tightly written tales of investigation, with a strong feel of authenticity and weary cynicism; the agents sometimes have to murder people (mostly but not always foreign agents) who could never be brought to trial for their crimes ... which may include outright treason.