Talking to Strange Men
Encyclopedia
Talking to Strange Men is a 1987 novel
by British writer Ruth Rendell
.
The coded messages are, however, being left by rival groups of public schoolboys. These boys are emulating the world of the 1980s spy fiction
with the home team led by 14-year-old Mungo battling against Moscow Centre
, run by boys at a rival school. Mungo is over six feet tall and has inherited the leadership from his older brother. The groups have moles
and traitors. One of Mungo’s team is Charles Mabledene, another 14-year-old, but Mungo is not sure if he is really on their side and sets out to test him.
Jennifer and Peter come round to John’s house in one of their attempts to get him to agree to a quick divorce
and Colin, a friend of John’s, recognises from when he was a juror. He tells John that Peter pleaded guilty to indecent assault
on a male child under the age of thirteen. John wonders how he can use this information to turn Jennifer against Peter and is also worried because a 12-year-old boy has been abducted from where Peter and Jennifer live on an afternoon when Peter was on his own.
John decides to intercept and alter one of the messages and gives instructions for Peter to be investigated. The message is sent to Charles and he interprets this as being the loyalty test he is expecting.
John confronts Jennifer with his information on Peter saying, “You can’t love a man who molests little boys”, but Jennifer stays loyal to Peter, to help him and to protect other boys. John then tries to cancel his instructions to Charles, but Charles ignores the new message, knows it cannot be from Mungo who is on holiday, and reads it as a trap.
Charles goes to Peter’s House and meets him on the pretext of offering to wash his car. He immediately senses that Peter is attracted to him. Charles looks very young for his age and tells Peter he is just twelve years old. He is just over five foot, has blond hair, an unbroken voice and is quite aware he is very attractive. His father is always telling him not to talk to strange men. Peter suggests a meeting in town. After they sit down, he leans forward to brush ice cream off Charles’ cheek yet Charles maintains a cool exterior. On a later trip to the cinema, Peter puts his arm around the boy’s shoulder. After the cinema, they go to eat supper in a derelict building, one of the boys’ ‘safe house
s’. Peter makes advances to Charles, talking about a ‘physically loving’ friendship he had when he was Charles’ age, and puts his hand on his thigh. Charles jumps up and in the subsequent panic, Peter is accidentally killed and Charles escapes, leaving a burning candle which destroys the building.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by British writer Ruth Rendell
Ruth Rendell
Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE, , who also writes under the pseudonym Barbara Vine, is an English crime writer, author of psychological thrillers and murder mysteries....
.
Plot summary
Two plotlines run through this crime novel. The main adult protagonist is John Creevey who stumbles upon a series of hidden coded messages which he thinks must be the work of criminals or spies. John is unhappy and depressed. His wife Jennifer has left him for Peter Moran, her old fiancé, and he cannot accept that she will not return to him. He is still affected by the murder of his sister 16 years ago and Mark, her fiancé, is equally unhappy. John becomes obsessed by unravelling the codes, spending hours trying to break them.The coded messages are, however, being left by rival groups of public schoolboys. These boys are emulating the world of the 1980s spy fiction
Spy fiction
Spy fiction, literature concerning the forms of espionage, was a sub-genre derived from the novel during the nineteenth century, which then evolved into a discrete genre before the First World War , when governments established modern intelligence agencies in the early twentieth century...
with the home team led by 14-year-old Mungo battling against Moscow Centre
Moscow Centre
Moscow Centre is a nickname used by John le Carré for the Moscow central headquarters of the KGB, especially those departments concerned with foreign espionage and counterintelligence...
, run by boys at a rival school. Mungo is over six feet tall and has inherited the leadership from his older brother. The groups have moles
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
and traitors. One of Mungo’s team is Charles Mabledene, another 14-year-old, but Mungo is not sure if he is really on their side and sets out to test him.
Jennifer and Peter come round to John’s house in one of their attempts to get him to agree to a quick divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
and Colin, a friend of John’s, recognises from when he was a juror. He tells John that Peter pleaded guilty to indecent assault
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
on a male child under the age of thirteen. John wonders how he can use this information to turn Jennifer against Peter and is also worried because a 12-year-old boy has been abducted from where Peter and Jennifer live on an afternoon when Peter was on his own.
John decides to intercept and alter one of the messages and gives instructions for Peter to be investigated. The message is sent to Charles and he interprets this as being the loyalty test he is expecting.
John confronts Jennifer with his information on Peter saying, “You can’t love a man who molests little boys”, but Jennifer stays loyal to Peter, to help him and to protect other boys. John then tries to cancel his instructions to Charles, but Charles ignores the new message, knows it cannot be from Mungo who is on holiday, and reads it as a trap.
Charles goes to Peter’s House and meets him on the pretext of offering to wash his car. He immediately senses that Peter is attracted to him. Charles looks very young for his age and tells Peter he is just twelve years old. He is just over five foot, has blond hair, an unbroken voice and is quite aware he is very attractive. His father is always telling him not to talk to strange men. Peter suggests a meeting in town. After they sit down, he leans forward to brush ice cream off Charles’ cheek yet Charles maintains a cool exterior. On a later trip to the cinema, Peter puts his arm around the boy’s shoulder. After the cinema, they go to eat supper in a derelict building, one of the boys’ ‘safe house
Safe house
In the jargon of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a safe house is a secure location, suitable for hiding witnesses, agents or other persons perceived as being in danger...
s’. Peter makes advances to Charles, talking about a ‘physically loving’ friendship he had when he was Charles’ age, and puts his hand on his thigh. Charles jumps up and in the subsequent panic, Peter is accidentally killed and Charles escapes, leaving a burning candle which destroys the building.