A Coffin for Dimitrios

A Coffin for Dimitrios

Rating

9.5

The Pequod Review:

Eric Ambler (1909-1998) wrote a number of intelligent and well-plotted spy novels, frequently involving ordinary people who find themselves in over their heads — a more subtle variant of the innocent-man-accused theme. In A Coffin for Dimitrios, Ambler's fifth novel and possibly his best, a mystery writer (Charles Latimer) is vacationing in Turkey when he stumbles onto the apparent murder of an international criminal named Dimitrios. Driven by curiosity (and the possibility of a plot idea for his next novel), Latimer unwisely decides to look into Dimitrios's death, an investigation which brings him contact with the shadowy Balkan underworld. This is a first-rate book, with lucid prose, complex characters, and a well-structured plot. Highly recommended. (The book was published internationally under the title The Mask of Dimitrios.)