Passage of Arms - by Eric Ambler (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this classic thriller, two American tourists find more adventure than they bargained for when they get involved with Chinese gun smugglers and Muslim revolutionaries, learning first hand about the intrigue of the post-colonial world.

Greg and Dorothy Nilsen had wanted to go on an adventurous trip, see some of the more out-of-the-way places. But the cruise they were on was turning out to be a bore. So when the gracious Mr. Tan requests that Greg take a side trip to Singapore to resolve a bureaucratic detail involving a consignment of small arms, Greg is surprisingly receptive. All he has to do is sign some papers, he's told, and he'll be paid a handsome fee. And everything does go smoothly, until it comes to getting a check co-signed by the rebel leader...

Review Quotes

"A hot thriller in a cool style." --The Christian Science Monitor

"A thorough delight. . . . There is no one else writing suspense fiction who can match him." --Saturday Review

"Our greatest thriller writer." --Graham Greene

"Tops for its picture of Southeast Asia, in all its color and turmoil." --James M. Cain, The New York Times Book Review

"Ambler may well be the best writer of suspense stories. . . . He is the master craftsman." --Life

"Ambler towers over most of his newer imitators." --Los Angeles Times

"Mr. Ambler is a phenomenon!" --Alfred Hitchcock

"Ambler combines political sophistication, a gift for creating memorable characters and a remarkable talent for turning exciting stories into novels of wonderful entertainment." --Chicago Tribune

"Ambler is, quite simply, the best." --The New Yorker

"The foremost thriller writer of our time." --Time

"Ambler is incapable of writing a dull paragraph." --Sunday Times

About the Author

Eric Ambler was born in London in 1909. Before turning to writing full-time, he worked at an engineering firm, and wrote copy for an advertising agency. His first novel was published in 1936. During the course of his career, Ambler was awarded two Gold Daggers, a Sliver Dagger, and a Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain, named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers Association of America, and made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen Elizabeth. In addition to his novels, Ambler wrote a number of screenplays, including A Night to Remember and The Cruel Sea, which won him an Oscar nomination. Eric Ambler died in 1998.