CALDER & BEHRENS

Full Name:	Daniel Calder and Samuel Behrens
Nationality:	British
Organization:	Joint Services Standing Intelligence Com
Occupation	Agent

Creator:	Michael Gilbert
Time Span:	1962 - 2009

ABOUT THE SERIES

Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens are agents for Britain's Joint Services Standing Intelligence Committee (JSSIC).

The formal method of addressing is used above because in the numerous stories about these two gentlemen, that is the way in which they are usually referred. Their full names are Daniel Calder and Samuel Behrens.

This absolutely incomparable pair of agents were both born in the early 1910's. After each had attended the college of his choice, often taking courses in other countries to further their educations, both joined around the same time MI-6, probably 1935. Their service during WWII are still classified so actual activity is not mentioned but both were well regarded for their work and would have received numerous medals if such were given to people working in the clandestine world..

After the War ended, both remained agents with MI-6 until the mid 1950's when both were asked to transfer to the JSSIC, a new agency. They were picked because their reputation showed them to be the best there was and the head of the new bureau wanted nothing but the best. The JSSIC had wide latitude as to the missions it would accept and the cases that Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens were given reflect that, though largely they would hunt down spies which had infiltrated the government institutions or help shore up security measures where feared lax.

Mr. Behrens was fluent in German, French, Greek, Italian, and Russian. Mr. Calder spoke Greek, Italian, Arabic, Russian, and was especially gifted with Albanian and Hungarian. They were both excellent marksmen and superb drivers and incredibly observant investigators.

In addition to being the best of friends, they each had a cottage just down the road from each other in Lamperdown, Kent. They share many of the same qualities. Both are very proper and polite to everyone they meet. They both act with amazing humility, neither wanting to stand out or take care even for things he actually did. And both are ruthless hunters of men, quite willing to kill without the least bit of hesitation if they feel it called for.

As the series progressed, the age of the men increased until at the last of the stories both were near or at retirement age. Throughout it all, though, they remained gentile and unflinchingly lethal.

Good Lines:
- Said by Behrens to a fellow agent who had just killed his own lover, "In this job, there is neither right nor wrong. Only expediency".
- Said by a particularly unpleasant young man about kicking someone when they are down: "It's much easier to kick them when they're lying down than when they're standing up".

BOOKS

Number of Books:	2
First Appearance:	1968
Last Appearance:	2009


1			Game Without Rules Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1968 A collection of 11 stories: A Prince of Abyssinia On Slay Down The Cat Cracker The Headmaster Trembling's Tours Prometheus Unbound Cross-Over The Spoilers Heilige Nacht The Road to Damascus "Upon the King..."

2			Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1982 A collection of 12 stories: The Twilight of the Gods One-to-Ten The Peaceful People Emergency Exit The African Tree Beavers The Lion and the Virgin Signal Tresham The Mercenaries The Killing of Michael Finnegan Early Warning The Decline and Fall of Mr. Behrens The Last Reunion

3			The Murder of Diana Devon and other Mysteries Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 2009 A collection of 11 previously unpublished stories by the author as well as a poem and two radio teleplays. The two teleplays are Calder and Behrens adventures taken from the BBC Radio series in 1968: Churchill's Men St. Ethelburga and the Angel of Death

NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES

Number of Stories:	27
First Appearance:	1962
Last Appearance:	1983

The terrific pair of Daniel Calder and Samuel Behrens first appeared to readers in the pages of the U.K. magazine Argosy in early 1962 and would continue to show up there off and on for just over a decade with the last one appearing in 1973. While many of these adventures would get turned into teleplays for BBC Radio, two of the last three from the Argosy period were either up-to-then unpublished stories turned into teleplays or novelizations of the episodes.

Just over half a decade would go by before they would again show up in print, this time in the U.S. magazine Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Again there were a couple that had been aired on radio before being shown in print.

Two of the ones listed below were never turned into prose but have been published in a collection in their original teleplay format.

All the adventures of Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens came in the form of short stories, of which there were 23. This pair of exceptional agents got their fictional start in the British magazine Argosy in 1962. [This is a totally different publication for the similarly named American magazine. The British one billed itself as The Short Story Magazine, came out every month from 1926 to 1974. To further complicate things, this Argosy was the second British periodical to use that name, the first one going out of business in 1901.]

The last six stories were written after Argosy had ceased operations and were instead published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine as were at least three of those already in Argosy.

The two books mentioned below are compediums of the all the short stories. Another compedium, The Road To Damascus and Other Stories, was published years later in a very limited run but the stories in that group were also in the two books described here.


1			A Prince of Abyssinia short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1962 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 03/1962. Printed in the collection Game Without Rules. Mr. Calder prefers to live alone on the Kentish Downs with his beloved deerhound, Rasselas. His serenity is broken when an old enemy, Colonel Weinleben, shows up for revenge. Mr. Behrens must come to his friend's rescue.

2			On Slay Down short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1962 First published in the UK magazine Argosy (04/1962) with the original title, then as The Future of the Service in 3 issues of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (US - Mar. 1963, UK - Jul. 1963 & AUS - Sep. 1963) and the anthology Spies And More Spies (1967). Also published in the anthology To Catch A Spy (1965) and the collection Game Without Rules with original title. A conversation between Calder and Behrens regarding how the younger generation is so much weaker in both moral and mental attitudes. This in turn leads to their discussing the matter of a woman named Maria Lipper who was suspected of espionage against the UK resulting in her being investigated by the pair.

3			The Cat Cracker short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1962 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 05/1962. Also published as The Catalytic Agent in 3 issues of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (US - May 1963, UK - Sep 1963 & AUS - Nov 1963). Printed in the collection Game Without Rules. Behrens runs into a former student, Alan Tabor, from when Behrens taught Latin. They share a meal and discuss life in general and science in particular. Tabor is pondering leaving England, possibly working for the other side. Behrens is keen on convincing him to stay and, it turns out, has a sort of secret weapon.

4			The Headmaster short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1962 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 06/1962. Also printed as Melodrama in Three Acts in 3 issues of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (US - Aug 1963, UK - Dec 1963, & AUS - Feb 1964), then in the magazine Ellery Queen's Anthology #19 (Mid-Year 1970). Plus printed with the known title in 2 editions of the anthology Alfred Hitchcock's Daring Detectives (Random House - 1969 & 1982). Printed in the collection Game Without Rules. The disappearance of a barrister named John Craven is cause for alarm by his friends which include Mr. Calder and Calder's boss, Mr. Fortescue. Craven had been investigating a mysterious man known as the Headmaster and now that Craven has vanished, Calder and Craven's sister go looking. The Headmaster is not pleased.

5			Trembling's Tours short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1962 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 07/1962. Also printed as Fear and Trembling's in 3 issues of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (US - Oct. 1963, UK - Feb. 1964 & AUS - Apr. 1964). Printed in the collection Game Without Rules. Calder goes undercover at a travel agency to uncover an espionage operation involving sneaking classified documents out of the country using an illegal porn smuggling team. Things get even more dire when two different murders are committed.

6			Prometheus Unbound short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1962 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 06/1962. Printed in the collection Game Without Rules. Mr. Fortescue is concerned about one of his best operatives, Mr. Calder. So is Calder's best friend, Mr. Behrens. Calder, they feel, has been acting more and more erratically since he was put on Operation Prometheus, a mission to liberate Albania from communist forces.

7			Cross-Over novelette Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1963 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 10/1963. Printed in the collection Game Without Rules. Calder and Behrens are tracking David Nichol using a VHF transmitting device but technology issues complicate things. Nichols is a double agent and the issues facing him doing his mission weigh heavily on his shoulders.

8			The Spoilers short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1965 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 10/1965. Printed in the collection Game Without Rules. The death of a Colonel Bax on the porch of his farmhouse was discovered by a farmer delivering milk and eggs. Bax had committed suicide by firearm. Calder and Behrens, neighbors of the man, pondered the matter but little more until they were instructed to investigate. They will learn of letters of blackmail being sent to various public figures like Bax.

9			Heilige Nacht short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1966 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 01/1966. Printed in the collection Game Without Rules. The defection by a clerk in Poland who is bringing with him a coding machine as well as classified documents, hits a major snag when the British operative handling his case is killed in a car accident. It will call to Calder and Behrens, already on site to investigate the death, are told to assist the clerk.

10			The Road to Damascus short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1966 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 06/1966. Printed in the collection Game Without Rules. What starts as a simple conversation between Calder and a neighbor about a strange tree stump in a small woods which turns out to be made of concrete morphs into an investigation along with Behrens into a hidden bunker, the skeleton of a murdered man, and the traitorous espionage work done by a Colonel Bessendine.

11			"Upon the King..." short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1967 1st in a 3-part series called Agents in Action. Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 03/1967. Printed in the collection Game Without Rules. A young boy named Nuri, heir to a foreign throne, is attending a British boarding school when he receives word of his father's death. Needing to return to his own country, he is aided by Mr. Behrens representing the Foreign Office. Fog delays their departure and that evening sees Nuri and Behrens visiting a popular nightclub. Unfortunately, a Mr. Absalom sees a use for Nuri and drugs him and kidnaps him.

12			Double, Double novelette Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1967 2nd in a 3-part series called Agents in Action. Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 04/1967. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. A ruler of a Middle East country is coming to London for talks. Two different anti-royalist factions, the Taqi and Colonni, are expected to do something, like assassination attempts. Calder goes undercover to scope out the plans but finds himself put under control via drugs.

13			The Twilight of the Gods novelette Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1967 3rd in a 3-part series called Agents in Action. Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 05/1967. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. This story takes place during WWII when Mr. Behrens goes undercover as a Balkan explosive fuse expert with a new technique promising greater accuracy. The plan is to assist some German Army officers with a plan to kill Hitler. Treachery will intervene.

14			One-to-Ten short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1968 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 07/1968. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens are assigned the task of investigating a serious secret leak from a top-secret research facility at Porton where work on nerve gases is being conducted. One scientist, Rivers, is the chief suspect and once they are convinced of his guilt, they handle things in their usual, permanent way but with flare.

15			The Peaceful People short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1968 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 08/1968. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. This story deals with two interconnected events: a meeting of the "Peaceful People", a group advocating world peace, and a violent strike going on in the Midlands. Evidence comes that there the leader of the first group is funding those involved in the latter. Mr. Calder works closely with his boss, Mr. Fortescue on this assignment.

16			Emergency Exit short story aka Mr. Calder Acquires A Dog Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1968 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 09/1968. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. The new wife of a British Admiral is suspected by British Intelligence of being a communist agent. It will fall to Calder and Behrens to do closer examination and to rectify the situation, one way or another.

17			Churchill's Men teleplay Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1968 Teleplay of the BBC Radio episode, 12/1968.Printed in the collection The Murder of Diana Devon and other Mysteries. Both Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens are given the assignment of looking into how to keep a civil lawsuit resulting in the release of the names of a good number of British agents operating overseas.

18			St. Ethelburga and the Angel of Death teleplay Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1969 Teleplay of the BBC radio episode, 01/1969.Printed in the collection The Murder of Diana Devon and other Mysteries. Mr. Calder is undercover at a boarding school, playing the part of a teacher, while trying to determine if one of the other teachers is really Dr. Konrad Fleischmann, aka the Nazi Angel of Death who was the director of Hitler's extermination program. Meanwhile, Mr. Behrens is looking into Fleischmann's life before the War started.

19			The African Tree Beavers novella Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1971 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, likely taken from the BBC radio teleplay, 08/1971. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. Reverend Osbaldestone is a charismatic rector in the village of Hedgeborn. He is known in that region for his supposed miracles and his influence over animals. He has also led a raid on a nearby bacterial warfare facility to free experimented on animals. Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens must ascertain if he is being manipulated by a subversive group.

20			The Lion and the Virgin short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1971 First published in the magazine of Argosy (UK -Dec. 1971) with original title, then as The Panic Button in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (US - Oct. 1962). Likely based on the BBC radio episode 1-13 that aired 2 years earlier. Also printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. The story deals with a British general named Garnet, someone that Mr. Calder has some contact with during the War. Garnet is a decorated leader who has of late become increasingly unstable. This becomes an acute issue as tensions with Red China grow severs and Garnet believes war not only inevitable but also desirable.

21			The Decline and Fall of Mr. Behrens short story Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1973 Published in the UK magazine Argosy, 01/1973. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. Mr. Behrens takes a temporary role of teacher at the University of Middlesex. He soon takes notice of three key students in his class, Alison, Patrick, and Ahmed, who are very unhappy with the college and its poor conditions. Behrens, aided by his colleague Mr. Calder, are there to keep an eye on Ahmed since that young man's father is important to the nation's oil concessions.

22			Signal Tresham short story aka A Sense of History Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1980 Published in the US magazine Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, likely taken from the BBC radio teleplay, 07/1980. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. A disagreement erupts between a large landowner and an MP over a proposed new road that the MP wants for his voting constituents and which the landowner views as invading his territory. Things get deadly for Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens as they are directed to investigate matters.

23			The Mercenaries novella aka The Violence Peddlers Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1981 Published in the US magazine Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, likely taken from the BBC radio teleplay, 02/1981. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. Mr. Calder's car breaks down and while he awaits repairs, he stops in at a local inn, The Pike and Eels. He overhears a dispute between a Major Porter, aided by his assistant, and a young man who worked at the Major's gambling club. As Calder works to diffuse the situation on one end, things heat up in another way, resulting in trained killers being imported into the country.

24			The Killing of Michael Finnegan novella aka Dangerous Game Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1981 Published in the US magazine Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, 08/1981. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. Michael Finnegan, a disabled ex-Marine, is murdered. He was secretly working with the Special Branch to infiltrate the IRA. Mr. Calder, who acted as Finnegan's handler, joined by Mr. Behrens, investigate.

25			Early Warning short story aka Dangerous Enemy Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1981 Published in the US magazine Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, 10/1981. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. Mr. Fortescue informs Mr. Behrens that a Professor Pitt-Hammersley has accused Sir Boris Wykes, the head of the Early Warning System, of being an East German spy named Stefan Sthugutt. It becomes the job of Calder and Behrens' to look at the evidence and see if it looks solid.

26			The Last Reunion novelette Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1981 Published in the US magazine Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, 12/1981. Printed in the collection Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens. Both Mr. Calder and Mr. Behrens, having some time back retired from their regular jobs with British Intelligence, are considering even giving up their occasional contract work. So is their former boss, Mr. Fortescue, except he has one last job for the, retrieving Rudolf Sperrle's testament, specifically Hitler's final assignment to Sperrle, which includes historical documents and recordings hidden at a former British POW camp, Straffelager Seven.

27			Anything for a Quiet Life novella Written by Michael Gilbert Copyright: 1983 Published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, 09/1983. Jonas Pickett is a retired lawyer who has moved to the town of Shackleton to start a new, easier practice. His first new client is Dick Rowe who wants a will drawn but who is very secretive about his address and his past. Then Jonas is attacked, the draft stolen, and then two men kidnap him. After barely escaping, Jonas meets a man named Mr. Calder who learns that Rowe was an undercover operative and Jonas' attackers were trying to find Rowe.

RADIO / AUDIO


Number of Episodes:	20
First Appearance:	1968
Last Appearance:	1969
Network:	BBC Radio

REGULAR CAST
Peter Howell	Samuel Behrens [ 1 ]
Stephen Murray	Daniel Calder [ 1 ]
Carleton Hobbs	Fortescue [ 1 ]

Starting on October 28th of 1968 and running twice a week (Monday and Thursday) at 8:15 for the next 10 weeks, BBC Radio gave 20 half-hour-long episodes of Calder and Behrens. There were 16 adventures in all with 4 of them needing to be split into two-parters.

Many of these adventures were teleplays taken from earlier published short stories (see Novellas). Two, however, (Churchill's Men and St. Ethelburga and the Angel of Death) were apparently originals and never turned into prose. Two others (Double, Double ... and Ahmed and Ego) are likely renamed adventures of previously published stories.


1	Mr. Calder Acquires A Dog Episode 1-01, first aired 10/28/1968 -

2	The Peaceful People Episode 1-02, first aired 10/31/1968 -

3	The Spoilers, Part 1 Episode 1-03, first aired 11/04/1968 -

4	The Spoilers, Part 2 Episode 1-04, first aired 11/07/1968 -

5	The Road To Damascus Episode 1-05, first aired 11/11/1968 -

6	The Cat Cracker Episode 1-06, first aired 11/14/1968 -

7	Double, Double ..., Part 1 Episode 1-07, first aired 11/18/1968 -

8	Double, Double ..., Part 2 Episode 1-08, first aired 11/21/1968 -

9	One-to-Ten Episode 1-09, first aired 11/25/1968 -

10	The African Tree Beavers Episode 1-10, first aired 11/28/1968 -

11	Cross-Over, Part 1 Episode 1-11, first aired 12/02/1968 -

12	Cross-Over, Part 2 Episode 1-12, first aired 12/05/1968 -

13	The Lion and the Virgin Episode 1-13, first aired 12/09/1968 -

14	Ahmed and Ego Episode 1-14, first aired 12/12/1968 -

15	The Mercenaries Episode 1-15, first aired 12/16/1968 -

16	Churchill's Men Episode 1-16, first aired 12/19/1968 -

17	Heilige Nacht, Part 1 Episode 1-17, first aired 12/23/1968 -

18	Heilige Nacht, Part 2 Episode 1-18, first aired 12/26/1968 -

19	Signal Tresham Episode 1-19, first aired 12/30/1968 -

20	St. Ethelburga and the Angel of Death Episode 1-20, first aired 01/02/1969 -

MY COMMENTS

I have read online, though I cannot find the citation, that the famed New York Times book critic, Anthony Boucher wrote of the first collection that it was second best set of stories about spies he had ever read. He was later said to have revised his opinion upwards.

I am in no way close to that esteemed reviewer's ability or knowledge but I am right there with him in agreement. These two gentleman are fantastic to read about. Urbane, civilized though deadly, highly intelligent, largely unflappable, and just good people.

If you read these stories and don't enjoy them, I'd wonder what part of spy-fi you really were looking for.

GRADE

My Grade: A+

Your Average Grade: A+

YOUR OPINIONS

	A+	5/24/2012 4:34:40 AM	Mr Calder and Mr Behrens are the quintessential examples of the English gentleman spy. Impeccable manners, extremely polite, classically educated,and as dangerous as a bag of black mambas. Their adventures are written in low-key, pellucid prose which leads you through an English landscape as lovely and as dangerous as Midsomer County. Enjoy!

Igor	A+	11/13/2014 4:56:22 PM	The greatest spy short stories ever written. Period. As for Boucher's comment, look at the Citizendium article I wrote about Mr. Calder and Mr. Behens. Hmm, I just looked at it again and I did NOT footnote the two references. I will do so in the near future....

	A+	2016-08-22	Great stories about two old school "killing gentleman". These are some of the very best. Highly recommended.

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