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For our (00)7th James Bond Book Club selection, we’re spotlighting the novel that sits at the very heart of the genre. It is a book that James Bond himself reads. A book that helped inspire Ian Fleming’s creation of James Bond and has influenced generations of espionage writers. Without further ado, our June Book Club pick is… Eric Ambler’s The Mask of Dimitrios.
OVERVIEW
Set in the uneasy years between the two World Wars, The Mask of Dimitrios begins in Istanbul, where English crime writer Charles Latimer hears of Dimitrios Makropoulos, a notorious criminal whose body has been found in the Bosphorus. Intrigued by the man who seemed to appear at the centre of one shady affair after another, Latimer decides to trace his movements across Europe to learn more.
His search takes him from Turkey through the Balkans and into Western Europe, where each new encounter reveals another piece of Dimitrios’ past. What begins as research for a book becomes something more personal as Latimer finds himself drawn into a criminal world of political intrigue and hidden loyalties.
First published in 1939, The Mask of Dimitrios offers a fascinating glimpse of Europe on the eve of enormous change and it remains widely regarded as one of the greatest espionage thrillers ever written.
WHY WE CHOSE IT
Eric Ambler was one of the writers Ian Fleming acknowledged as an influence. Ambler helped shape the modern thriller before Bond existed, replacing larger-than-life adventurers with a darker, more realistic world of international crime and political uncertainty.
In From Russia with Love, Fleming actually has Bond reading The Mask of Dimitrios while travelling to Istanbul. It’s one of the rare occasions we are told exactly what Bond is reading. Some scholars have even suggested that Ambler’s novel influenced aspects of From Russia with Love itself, making this more than a passing literary reference.
As our (00)7th book, The Mask of Dimitrios offers a chance to explore one of the novels that helped shape the world from which James Bond emerged: a journey into the roots of the spy thriller before Bond, before SPECTRE, and before the Cold War made 007 a global phenomenon.
THEMES TO CONSIDER
– Crime and politics – The novel presents crime and politics as deeply interconnected. How does Ambler blur the lines between them?
– Curiosity and obsession – Latimer begins his investigation out of curiosity, but becomes increasingly consumed by Dimitrios’ story. At what point does interest become obsession?
– Before Bond: Ambler and Fleming – Fleming admired Ambler and later had Bond reading The Mask of Dimitrios in From Russia, with Love. What similarities and differences can you see between Ambler’s thriller and Fleming’s approach to character?
REVIEWS
The Times – ‘Not Le Carré, not Deighton, not Ludlum have surpassed the intelligence, authenticity or engrossing storytelling that established The Mask of Dimitrios as the best of its kind’
The Wall Street Journal – ‘A startling, elegant masterpiece of espionage fiction’
The Guardian – ‘A gripping thriller … still fresh as new’
John le Carré – ‘The source we all draw on’
Graham Greene – ‘Unquestionably our best writer’
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eric Ambler is often said to have invented the modern thriller. Beginning in 1936, he wrote a series of novels that thrust ordinary protagonists into political intrigues they were ill-prepared to deal with. Praised for their realism and sophistication, Ambler’s books transformed the genre and established him as one of the most influential thriller writers of the twentieth century. He paved the way for many thriller writers including John Le Carre, Len Deighton, Robert Ludlum and, of course, Ian Fleming.
Eric Ambler is often credited with helping to invent the modern thriller. Beginning in 1936, he wrote a series of novels featuring ordinary protagonists drawn into political conspiracies and international intrigue far beyond their control. Praised for their realism and sophistication, Ambler’s books transformed the genre and established him as one of the most influential thriller writers of the twentieth century.
Alongside The Mask of Dimitrios, some of Ambler’s best-known novels include Cause for Alarm, Journey into Fear, and The Light of Day.
We can’t wait to dig into this cornerstone of the spy fiction canon and the impact it had on Ian Fleming’s writing. Follow our social channels for discussions, highlights, and more.
