The Naked Runner (PB Signet 1967) Francis Clifford Thriller Spy Novel

Format: Paperback 

Title: The Naked Runner 

Author: Francis Clifford 

Publisher: Signet Books / The New American Library 

Country: USA 

Year: 1967 (First Printing July 1967) 

Genre: Fiction 

Style: Thriller, Spy, Suspense 

Description:

“The Naked Runner” by Francis Clifford is a gripping Cold War-era espionage thriller, widely regarded as one of the standout suspense novels of its time. This Signet paperback edition features the complete and unabridged text and ties into the major motion picture starring Frank Sinatra.

Front Cover Text:

- “A strong thriller… one of the season’s most exciting intrigue adventures.” — The New York Times 

- “The best suspense novel of the year.” — Columbus Dispatch 

- “The year’s runaway bestseller now a major motion picture starring Frank Sinatra” 

- A Signet Book – Complete & Unabridged 

Back Cover Description:

“The international bestseller that has readers gasping is now a major motion picture starring Frank Sinatra in the outstanding role of his career.”

“It will surely be ranked as one of the finest suspense novels since the war.” — London’s Books and Bookmen 

“Really chills… practically turns the reader inside out… should be on your MUST READ list.” — Cleveland Press 

Plot Summary (From Packaging):

What was it that turned a decent, respectable and quite ordinary businessman like Sam Laker into a lethal human weapon whose every instinct was primed to kill? 

Was it his lost mistress who reappeared from the dead? Was it an accident? Was it the message he agreed to smuggle into East Germany? Or was Sam Laker the chosen and prepared victim of the most audacious and amoral spy plot ever conceived—by either side?

Interior Opening Text:

“He thought she was dead…”

The novel follows an English businessman who reluctantly agrees to act as an unpaid agent for the West, carrying a secret message from London to a British spy in East Germany. Initially described as routine and without risk, the mission quickly spirals into a nightmare. Within days, Sam Laker finds himself transformed into a hunted man—armed, desperate, and no longer the person he once was.

Critical Praise (Interior Pages):

- “An exercise in suspense as electrifying and nerve-rubbing as any novel of recent years.” — Chicago Heights Star 

- “Compelling… rises above the formula to become a searing story of a man’s anguish under terrible pressures.” — Minneapolis Tribune 

- “Delivers the scalp-tingling feeling that is the hallmark of a genuine thriller.” — Detroit Free Press 

Additional Details:

- Signet Books paperback edition 

- Published by The New American Library, New York 

- First Printing: July 1967 

- Authorized reprint of hardcover edition (Coward-McCann, Inc.) 

- Printed in the United States of America 

- Includes listing of other Signet novels by Francis Clifford 

Notes:

- Classic Cold War espionage novel 

- Basis for the 1967 film adaptation starring Frank Sinatra 

- Vintage paperback collectible 

Keywords:

The Naked Runner Francis Clifford Signet 1967 Spy Thriller Cold War Novel Frank Sinatra Movie Tie In Vintage Paperback Suspense Book