ThingsAsianPassage of Arms
Image © 1987 Eric Ambler
Title: Passage of Arms.
Author: Eric Ambler.
Publisher: Vintage (2004)
ISBN: 0375726780.
Details: paperback, 5" x 8", 246 pages.
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From the back cover:
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 firsthand about the intrigue of the postcolonial 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 are on is 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 cosigned by the rebel leader...
About the Author:
Eric Ambler is often said to have invented the modern suspense novel. Beginning in 1936, he wrote a series of novels that introduced ordinary protagonists thrust into political intrigue they are ill-prepared to deal with. These novels were touted for their realism, and Ambler established himself as a thriller writer of depth and originality. In the process he paved the way for such writers as John Le Carre, Len Deighton and Robert Ludlum.
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