The Catch is a 2020 novella by Mick Herron, the third in a series of linked stories focused on John Bachelor, a washed-up and barely competent MI5 employee who’s hoping to reach retirement before he gets fired. The novellas also tie into Herron’s Jackson Lamb series and some characters from those books appear.
Bachelor’s responsibility is the "milk round" - keeping an eye on former MI5 assets who’ve retired in the UK. Most of his clients were active in the Cold War days and so his job has been shrinking as they gradually pass away. Unfortunately, so have his working hours and income.
Following on from the end of The Marylebone Drop, Bachelor’s also broken the rules. Facing homelessness and financial ruin, he chose to move into a deceased client’s MI5-funded flat rather than properly reporting the death.
So when he’s abruptly awoken there by two MI5 heavies, it seems that his luck's run out and he's in a lot of trouble. It has. He is. But not for the reason he thinks. One of Bachelor's more unusual clients has vanished, and somebody needs to find him. Fast.
The story has no connection to the TV series The Catch.
The Catch contains examples of:
- Agent Provocateur: A variation. Benny’s been conned into feeding the press some very convincing fake evidence of a royal family member’s involvement with a sex trafficker. Bachelor’s unwitting involvement makes it look genuine.
- The Bad Guy Wins: The newspapers print the faked allegations, which are promptly debunked. The newspapers are sued, driving at least one into bankruptcy. Daisy and Benny are vilified for attempting to destroy the prince's reputation - and any real evidence against him is now ignored. As for Bachelor, he’s left facing eviction and unspecified consequences when MI5 investigate his misconduct.
- "Begone" Bribe: A variant. Benny Manors had no interest in MI5 monitoring him after his injury, so paid his handler to go away and stop bothering him. And then cheated him out of the rest of the payment, safe in the knowledge that he’s now compromised and open to Blackmail.
- Blackmail: Benny Manors’ preferred line of work. Mostly using photos or other incriminating evidence taken via burglary. Although in Bachelor’s case, it's more subtle - once Bachelor’s taken a small initial bribe to leave Benny alone, he's compromised and there's no need to make further payments. If he causes trouble for Benny, Benny can reveal the first bribe to MI5.
- Call-Back: After the events of The Marylebone Drop and Joe Country, Pynne's promising MI5 career has disintegrated and he’s been reassigned to a very different job. But not the one he appears to have when he first menaces Bachelor.
- The Handler: As first seen in The List, John Bachelor is at the least important end of the scale. He looks after "the milk round", MI5 assets who’ve retired but still need monitoring.
- House Squatting: At the start of the story, Bachelor’s living in an old client's flat. As mentioned in the previous novella, The Marylebone Drop, he decided not to properly report the client's death, so the flat is still being funded by MI5.
- Plausible Deniability: Benny wasn’t actually a Rogue Agent, but the plan was that he could provide this when targeting an individual that MI5 couldn't officially touch due to diplomatic immunity.
- Ripped from the Headlines: A very wealthy American sex trafficker has died. An unnamed member of the British Royal Family is implicated in his crimes. And Benny has the incriminating photos to prove it.
- Rogue Agent: Pynne and Entwhistle are implied to be this, acting without official backing when they start to menace Bachelor. They're not - they're working directly on Di Taverner's orders - but it's easier to manipulate Bachelor if he doesn't know that.
- Sinister Spy Agency: MI5 itself. Beating up journalists, leaking false information to the press and covering up a member of the royal family's involvement with a sex trafficker.
- Spotting the Thread: Bachelor suddenly realises that if the two MI5 security 'Dogs' need him to find Benny, rather than using the security service’s resources, then this is somehow "off the books", not an official request.
- Stuffed into a Trashcan: The end of Benny’s brief career in espionage. After a burglary gone wrong he was beaten up, his leg was permanently injured, and he was dumped in a skip.
- Tracking Device: Pynne puts one on Bachelor's shirt collar.
