Series
Publication
Pan MacMillan (2011), 320 pages
Original publication date
1962
Collections
Genres
Subjects
Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Novel — 1964)
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 1962)
Description
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.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member spartacula2
Written in first person, a street-smart confidence man/petty thief, finds himself in over his head in a rather mysterious, international conspiracy. Getting more than he bargained for, Arthur Abdel Simpson is forced to commit crimes beyond his abilities for both the criminals and persuing law. Eric
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Ambler conveys all the thoughts running through our disreputable protagonists mind, with a flair for credibility and a little comedy thrown in. An easy read, I'm looking forward to other stories written by Ambler about Istanbul and his talent for espionage suspense. Show Less
LibraryThing member annbury
This is the book on which the movie "Topkapi" was based, and it is a terrific caper story. Ambler's strong characterization and vivid sense of place add another layer to this excellent suspense nove.
LibraryThing member benfulton
Told with Ambler's usual sense of authenticity. You always have the feeling that he's actually met the people in his novels, and was wandering along behind them when they were spying at the Kremlin or stealing jewels from the Louvre. Adding to this feeling in this novel is a startling sense of
So don't come here if you're looking for a fairy tale. You don't end up knowing at the end if the bad guys get what's coming to them, or even who the bad guys are. For all of that, if you want a good, realistic spy novel involving the crazy complexities of mid 20th-century Europe, look no further than Eric Ambler, or The Light Of Day.
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ambiguity, both of the main character's thoughts and feelings, and of the thoughts of the people around him as he describes them. In many novels like this the characters are straightforward; there are James Bonds - good through and through, as well as being tough and smart; there are Darth Vaders - evil personified that you wouldn't want to get within miles of; there are little, dishonest, snakelike sycophants. You don't get that in an Ambler novel. Our hero, a petty crook scratching out a living in Turkey, doesn't have many good points, but you have to admire his tenacity in attempting to keep his head above water and still working on getting his British passport. The police come across as completely convoluted in motives - worrying simultaneously about revolutions, jewel thieves, illegal immigrants, how many bribes they can get away with, and whether or not their own bosses are honest.So don't come here if you're looking for a fairy tale. You don't end up knowing at the end if the bad guys get what's coming to them, or even who the bad guys are. For all of that, if you want a good, realistic spy novel involving the crazy complexities of mid 20th-century Europe, look no further than Eric Ambler, or The Light Of Day.
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LibraryThing member auntieknickers
The basis for the film TOPKAPI, this novel is much more than a heist/caper story. It is told in the first person by Arthur Abdel Simpson, a half-British, half-Egyptian who lives in Athens on the shady side of the law. He's one of life's losers and a terrible whiner, but Ambler somehow manages to
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make him an engaging character and we care what happens to him. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member weird_O
Eric Ambler is known as a writer of international thrillers; I knew the name, but never read anything he'd written until I read The Light of Day, published in 1962.
The main character, Arthur Simpson, is a product of the British empire's melting pot--father in British military, mother an Egyptian.
The main character, Arthur Simpson, is a product of the British empire's melting pot--father in British military, mother an Egyptian.
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He's a low-life preying on tourists in Greece and Turkey in the late 1950s/early 1960s. When he's caught in the act of stealing traveler's checks from a "client," said client blackmails him into driving a Lincoln from Athens to Istanbul. He's detained at the Turkish border because his Egyptian passport has expired, and the Turks discover the Lincoln's doors are loaded with guns and grenades. He's blackmailed by Turkish authorities to continue on to Istanbul, acting as their spy. It's all twisty-turny. It was just what I was looking for--respite. Show Less
LibraryThing member pnorman4345
Slick. Delightful. Our hero is short, fat , not too smart, dishonest, does poorly with women, unscrupulous, cowardly, you-name-it.
LibraryThing member dottieph
A cleverly written, suspenseful thriller. A quick fun read. Exciting twists in the story make this fun to read.
LibraryThing member pgmcc
"The Light of Day" was a treat. Ambler's protagonist was not as naive as the majority of his hapless heroes who fall into dangerous scenarios. He was a petty crook who was portrayed as the ordinary man. It was very cleverly done. Also, Ambler used the thoughts of his not-so-innocent innocent to
Would I read more stories by this author?
Yes!
Would I recommend this book?
Yes.
Who would I recommend it to?
Anyone who likes well written mystery novels involving espionage, criminality, adventure, intrigue, counter-espionage, etc...
Did this book inspire me to do anything?
Yes. It has strengthened my resolve to read all of Eric Ambler's stories. It has also pushed me to dig out the book I have on Kemal Atatürk.
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analyse the situations he found himself in and to comment on events. There is one passage where he describes the interrogation process. This involves his telling the truth, which is never believed, then having a fall-back story which is partially believed, and then continuing with a modified fall-back story, and on and on, until he works out the story the interrogator wants him to tell and which they chose to believe. It was passages like this that show me why John Le Carré and Graham Greene said they found inspiration for their own work in Ambler's stories.Would I read more stories by this author?
Yes!
Would I recommend this book?
Yes.
Who would I recommend it to?
Anyone who likes well written mystery novels involving espionage, criminality, adventure, intrigue, counter-espionage, etc...
Did this book inspire me to do anything?
Yes. It has strengthened my resolve to read all of Eric Ambler's stories. It has also pushed me to dig out the book I have on Kemal Atatürk.
Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1447201116 / 9781447201113
Physical description
320 p.; 5.12 inches
Pages
320