Eric Ambler

While vacationing in Istanbul, English novelist Charles Latimer decides to investigate the intriguing past of one of Europe's most sinister criminals, the notorious Dimitrios, a search that will lead him into a shadowy web of espionage, drugs, intrigue, and assassination. Reprint. 12,500 first printing.

A Coffin for Dimitrios

With a new Introduction by Mark Mazower 'A gripping thriller . . . still fresh as new' Guardian English crime novelist Charles Latimer is travelling in Istanbul when he makes the acquaintance of Turkish police inspector Colonel Haki. It is from him that he first hears of the mysterious Dimitrios - an infamous master criminal, long wanted by the law, whose body has just been fished out of the Bosphorus. Fascinated by the story, Latimer decides to retrace Dimitrios' steps across Europe to gather material for a new book. But, as he gradually discovers more about his subject's shadowy history, fascination tips over into obsession. And, in entering Dimitrios' criminal underworld, Latimer realizes that his own life may be on the line. 'Not Le Carré, not Deighton, not Ludlum have surpassed the intelligence, authenticity or engrossing storytelling that established The Mask of Dimitrios as the best of its kind' The Times

The Mask of Dimitrios

Josef Vadassy, a Hungarian refugee and language teacher living in France, is enjoying his first break for years in a small hotel on the Riviera. But when he takes his holiday photographs to be developed at a local chemists, he suddenly finds himself mistaken for a Gestapo agent and a charge of espionage is levelled at him. To prove himself innocent to the French police, he must discover which one of his fellow guests at his pension is the real spy. As he desperately tries to uncover the true culprit�s identity, Vadassy must risk his job, his safety and everything he holds dear.

Epitaph for a Spy

It is 1940 and Mr Graham, a quietly-spoken engineer and arms expert, has just finished high-level talks with the Turkish government. And now somebody wants him dead. The previous night three shots were fired at him as he stepped into his hotel room, so, terrified, he escapes in secret on a passenger steamer from Istanbul. As he journeys home � alongside, among others, an entrancing French dancer, an unkempt trader, a mysterious German doctor and a small, brutal man in a crumpled suit � he enters a nightmarish world where friend and foe are indistinguishable. Graham can try to run, but he may not be able to hide for much longer �

Journey Into Fear

Taking a job in Milan to save money for his upcoming nuptials, Nicky Marlow becomes concerned when he learns about his predecessor's untimely death and is approached by two dangerous agents. Reprint. printing.

Cause for Alarm

The grand master of suspense has created an engaging thriller about a bumbling petty thief caught up in an international jewel heist.

The Light of Day

1937. L'ingénieur Nicolas Marlow accepte la direction d'une usine de machines-outils britannique à Milan. À peine arrivé en Italie, il voit son passeport confisqué. Puis il reçoit la visite d'un étrange général yougoslave aux joues fardées. Plus tard, il est contacté par un non moins mystérieux importateur. Marlow aimerait se contenter d'effectuer son travail, mais l'entreprise qu'il dirige fournit au gouvernement fasciste italien des machines destinées à la fabrication d'obus.

Peut-il rester neutre alors que les périls montent en Europe ? Et pourquoi son voisin de bureau est-il si bien renseigné sur son compte ? Marlow navigue en eaux troubles et le piège pourrait bien se refermer sur lui. 

Je ne suis pas un héros

When Josef Vadassy arrives at the Hotel de la Reserve at the end of his Riviera holiday, he is simply looking forward to a few more days of relaxation before returning to Paris. But in St. Gatien, on the eve of World War II, everyone is suspect–the American brother and sister, the expatriate Brits, and the German gentleman traveling under at least one assumed name. When the film he drops off at the chemist reveals photographs he has not taken, Vadassy finds himself the object of intense suspicion. The result is anything but the rest he had been hoping for.

A Spy Thriller

A thrilling, intense, and masterfully plotted classic suspense tale from one of the founders of the genre. Returning to his hotel room after a late-night flirtation with a cabaret dancer at an Istanbul boîte, Graham is surprised by an intruder with a gun. What follows is a nightmare of intrigue for the English armaments engineer as he makes his way home aboard an Italian freighter. Among the passengers are a couple of Nazi assassins intent on preventing his returning to England with plans for a Turkish defense system, the seductive cabaret dancer and her manager husband, and a number of surprising allies.

Charles Latimer, auteur de romans policiers en panne d’inspiration, se trouve à Istanbul lorsqu’il rencontre le colonel Haki, chef des Services secrets turcs. Haki lui raconte une étrange histoire : celle de Dimitrios Makropoulos, un dangereux criminel dont le cadavre vient d’être repêché dans le Bosphore. Y voyant un sujet pour un prochain livre, Latimer se plonge dans les archives de la police, puis entame une enquête à travers l’Europe, sur les traces de cet homme aux multiples visages.

Dimitrios est-il vraiment mort ? Peut-être est-il déjà trop tard pour se poser la question… 

Le masque de Dimitrios

Care Of Time

Topkapi.

The Light of Day was the basis for Jules Dassin’s classic film, Topkapi. When Arthur Abdel Simpson first spots Harper in the Athens airport, he recognizes him as a tourist unfamiliar with city and in need of a private driver. In other words, the perfect mark for Simpson’s brand of entrepreneurship. But Harper proves to be more the spider than the fly when he catches Simpson riffling his wallet for traveler’s checks. Soon Simpson finds himself blackmailed into driving a suspicious car across the Turkish border. Then, when he is caught again, this time by the police, he faces a choice: cooperate with the Turks and spy on his erstwhile colleagues or end up in one of Turkey’s notorious prisons. The authorities suspect an attempted coup, but Harper and his gang of international jewel thieves have planned something both less sinister and much, much more audacious.

Mr. Tan, a Chinese pirate, offers American Greg Nilsen a job as a front man in a gun-running stint, a business in which the stakes are as high as the pay-off. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.

Passage of Arms

Inglaterra, 1937. Nicky Marlow acepta un trabajo en Milán. Al poco tiempo de llegar, conoce la siniestra realidad sobre la muerte de sus predecesores en el empleo cuando se ve perseguido por dos agentes con objetivos muy diferentes. Marlow enseguida cae en la cuenta de que no es tan fácil hacer el trabajo por el que le pagan en la Italia fascista en la víspera de una guerra mundial.Eric Ambler nació en Londres en 1909. Escribió nueve novelas, entre las que destacan Epitafio para un espía, Viaje al miedo y La máscara de Dimítrios(Grup 62, 2002), el más conocido de todos sus libros, y guiones de películas tan memorables como La última noche del Titanic y The Cruel Sea que le llevaron a ser uno de los seleccionados al Oscar al mejor guión.

Eric Ambler

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