The Intercom Conspiracy [Hardcover]

Eric Ambler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1969

Intercom Conspiracy, The by Ambler, Eric

Product Details

• Hardcover: 241 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; 1st edition (1969)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0006C04GC
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,434,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Ambler is the recipient of four Gold Dagger Awards and one Silver. In 1975, he was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Spy Classic!, June 24, 2007

By 

Katya "No. 1 Eric Ambler fan" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Intercom Conspiracy (Mass Market Paperback)

If you have read any Ambler at all, you MUST read this book. Everything that Ambler does well--characters, irony, suspense, world view--he does incredibly well here. I never tire of his intelligence and humor and just plain great writing style. The storyline is inspired and, according to one reviewer here, closer to the truth than we might think! Almost better than chocolate!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Retirement Fund for Spies, June 17, 2003

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Intercom Conspiracy (Mass Market Paperback)

Many espionage novels contain details about spies who have siphoned off some of their operating budgets into Swiss bank accounts. None other than The Intercom Conspiracy (to my knowledge) involves using a spy's awareness of how espionage is committed to encourage a retirement payoff by releasing "non-secret secrets."

The narration of The Intercom Conspiracy provides part of its charm. The central figure is Theodore Carter, the hard-drinking editor of a weekly newspaper that focuses on intelligence matters. He recounts his unpleasant experiences as editor when new owners begin providing him with real classified information . . . and various parties become interested in shutting down the Intercom, either by buying it out or by eliminating its editor.

Carter is approached by Charles Latimer, the inquisitive crime writer of A Coffin for Dimitrios, for his help in completing the story of those events at the Intercom. Latimer has learned about the background plot from one of the conspirators (a neighbor in Majorca) and wants to go public. Before long, Latimer disappears while Carter goes on to flesh out the story Latimer has dug up.

Using a combination of Carter's narration and Latimer's writing, you'll uncover what really happened. It's a chilling . . . but often perversely droll . . . tale of how espionage bureaucracies operate. Thinking back to the many intelligence "failures" that have been noted in recent years with regard to terrorism, it makes one wonder who may have been running a similar little game for their own benefit.

After you finish this intriguing story, think about how your work could be misdirected to harmful ends. How can you avoid that?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How It Really Works, June 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Intercom conspiracy

As a career intelligence officer, I can say that this is my favorite piece of espionage fiction because it is so authentic. No swashes, no buckles, but like "Our Man in Havana," a real look into the real world. The two intelligence chiefs with their OSS heritage, the author's acute observations on the "big battalions" of the CIA and KGB, the role of lawyers and bankers, are all wonderfully drawn, as is the hero: a victim of a "practical joke perpetuated by strangers." A very subtle book but well worth your time. A classic and one of Ambler's best.