Evidence for this narrator being different from the earlier novels comes from Deighton himself, who is quoted as saying that the narrator of "Spy Story" is not the same character as the narrator of "The IPCRESS File"; in fact, for most of "Spy Story", the narrator is named and addressed as "Patrick Armstrong" - although, as another character says, "We have so many different names." Additionally, he is reported to be in his late 30s, whereas the narrator of "The IPCRESS File" was born in 1922 or 1923 (making him in his 40s), and thus implying that this protagonist is different from that of the earlier novels.