History Creator / AnthonyPrice

* RotatingProtagonist

* BilingualBonus: In ''The Hour of the Donkey'', set during the German invasion of France early in World War II, the protagonist doesn't speak either French or German, so whenever he hears someone speaking in one of those languages, it's presented without translation. Thus, a reader who does know one or both of those languages will frequently have more idea what's going on than the protagonist does.

The first three novels in the series were adapted for television in the 1980s, with Terence Stamp as Audley.

Anthony Price (born 1928) is an English writer of [[SpyFiction Stale Beer espionage novels]]. The novels' hallmarks include fiendishly but satisfyingly twisty plots (generally featuring at least one moment where the protagonists realise that they've all been completely wrong about some key point of what's going on), complex and sharply-observed characterisation, and a tendency for each novel to somehow involve an artifact or site of archaeological interest.

* ''The Memory Trap'' (1989)

* CutShort: The series ended abruptly after 1989, as the author's planned conclusion had rather depended on the continued existence of the Soviet Union.

* ''A Prospect of Vengeance'' (1988)

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Colonel Augustus Colbourne in ''A New Kind of War'', who is first seen conducting a debrief while having a bath, has a bee in his bonnet about Ancient Rome and is reputed to believe himself to be the reincarnation of the emperor UsefulNotes/Augustus. He is also a highly respected barrister and not in the least stupid.

* {{Prequel}}: Although most of the books are set around the date of publication, ''The '44 Vintage'' and ''The Hour of the Donkey'' are set during World War II, and ''Soldier No More'' during the 1950s. ''The Hour of the Donkey'' is set during the German invasion of France, and features Audley's father and one of his mentors. ''The '44 Vintage'' is set during the Allied re-taking of France, and recounts the meeting of Second Lieutenant Audley and Corporal Butler and the first time they worked together. ''Soldier No More'' is set in the aftermath of the Suez Crisis, and covers Audley's recruitment into the newly-formed Department of Research and Development.

* ''A New Kind of War'' (1987)

* ''For the Good of the State'' (1986)

* ''Here Be Monsters'' (1985)

* ''Sion Crossing'' (1984) (Latimer)

* InWhichATropeIsDescribed: ''The '44 Vintage'' has chapter titles like "How Corporal Butler Was Saved By His Boots" and "How the Germans Spoilt a Good Plan".

* TheSpymaster: Sir Frederick Clinton, Audley's superior

* ''The Old Vengeful'' (1982) (Mitchell, Loftus)
* ''Gunner Kelly'' (1983)

* ''The Old Vengeful'' (1982)

* TheChessmaster: Professor Nikolai Panin, Audley's recurring opponent in the KGB, has a knack for tricking his enemies into doing his work for him while trying to prevent what they think he's up to.

* SuspiciousSpending: In ''Soldier No More'', a subplot involves the mystery of where Audley is getting the money to perform extensive renovations on his ancestral home. [[spoiler:It turns out he's secretly the author of a trashy but bestselling historical novel mentioned in passing at several points in the story]].

* DecoyProtagonist: In the prequel ''The Hour of the Donkey'', Audley's father is introduced within the first few pages, demonstrating a family resemblance in attitude and intelligence. He is killed off before he gets a chance to learn about the main plot, and the usual Audley role is played by another character, who is identified as a previously-unnamed mentor the younger Audley recalls in one of the novels it's a prequel to.

* {{Prequel}}: Although most of the books are set around the date of publication, ''The '44 Vintage'' and ''The Hour of the Donkey'' are set during World War II, and ''Soldier No More'' during the 1950s. ''The Hour of the Donkey'' is set during the German invasion of France, and features Audley's father and one of his mentors. ''The '44 Vintage'' recounts the meeting of Second Lieutenant Audley and Corporal Butler and the first time they worked together. ''Soldier No More'' covers Audley's recruitment into the newly-formed Department of Research and Development.

* ''Soldier No More'' (1981)

* {{Prequel}}: Although most of the books are set around the date of publication, ''The '44 Vintage'' and ''The Hour of the Donkey'' are set during World War II, and ''Soldier No More'' during the 1950s. ''The Hour of the Donkey'' is set during the German invasion of France, and features Audley's father and one of his mentors. ''The '44 Vintage'' recounts the meeting of Second Lieutenant Audley and Corporal Butler and the first time they worked together.

* ''The Hour of the Donkey'' (1980)

* {{Prequel}}: Although most of the books are set around the date of publication, ''The '44 Vintage'' and ''The Hour of the Donkey'' are set during World War II, and ''Soldier No More'' during the 1950s. ''The '44 Vintage'' recounts the meeting of Second Lieutenant Audley and Corporal Butler and the first time they worked together.

* ''The '44 Vintage'' (1978)
* ''Tomorrow's Ghost'' (1979)

The central character of the novels is Dr David Audley, historian (specialising in the Middle East) turned analyst for an unnamed branch of the British secret service. He is not usually the point-of-view character, however; after the first novel, ''The Labyrinth Makers'', the point of view passes around among his colleagues, with the result that by the end of the series the reader has seen most of the recurring cast from the inside as well as multiple external viewpoints. It also means that in most of the novels Audley gets to indulge his famously irritating tendency to be one step ahead of everybody else and refuse to tell anyone what's going on, without ruining the suspense for the reader.