The Quest for Graham Greene: A Biography

By: W. J. West

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Synopsis: W.J. West has unearthed and pieced together all-new material regarding Graham Greene, which sheds light into the darker regions of Greene's personal, religious, financial, and international affairs. Based on information gleaned from private archives and a cache of letters belonging to thriller writer Rene Raymond (known to his reading public as James Hadley Chase) West exposes, among other information, the reasons behind Greene's sudden, self-imposed exile from England. What the Chase letters show is that Greene and Chase shared the same tax consultant and that the two men, along with Charlie Chaplin and Noel Coward, became unwittingly embroiled in a tax evasion and fraud operation scandal with roots in the Hollywood mafia. Through further investigation, West also uncovers the origins of Greene's literary ambitions and his obsession with Catholicism, as well as new discoveries concerning Greene's crucial mental breakdown as a teenager. West also reveals more information on Greene's involvement with espionage, M16, and his ties with Kim Philby.