The Light of Day

The appearance of a new book by Eric Ambler is always an exciting event for all connoisseurs of the novel of suspense. In this his latest work, Mr. Ambler returns to one of his favorite haunts—Istanbul, the most Oriental of European cities. The protagonist is a down-at-the-heels adventurer with the somewhat discordant name of Arthur Abdel Simpson. By birth Arthur is half English, half Egyptian; by nature—or inclination—he is wholly disreputable. For years he has led a perilous and impecunious existence as a pimp, pornographer, and petty thief, but when he suddenly finds himself involved in a mysterious international conspiracy, Arthur comes to the terrifying realization that he has finally overreached his talent for shady dealing, and that he is up to his neck in very serious trouble!

Once again Mr. Ambler asserts his position as a master craftsman, as an ingenious teller of unusual—but all too credible—tales. This is a swift-moving, sophisticated, memorable novel, written in a fine tradition created and perfected by the author himself.