The name of the book that Murray (Tony Barry) had was ''The Big Sleep'' by Raymond Chandler.
The three things that retired undercover detective Murray (Tony Barry) had learnt over the years were: 1. Things are never as simple as they seem ; 2. Everybody lies ; and 3. Always expect the unexpected. In the earlier movie, 'The Tamarind Seed' (1974), the three things that Jack Loder (Sir Anthony Quayle) had learned from working in British Intelligence were: (1) No one's to be trusted ; (2) Nothing is to be believed ; and (3) Anyone is capable of doing anything.