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The Schirmer Inheritance

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Ambler had developed the modern spy novel in the 1930s, then took time off from novel writing for army service in WWII. During the war, several of his early novels were made into Hollywood films he detested. When he resumed his output of novels in the early 50s, it would seem he had determined to exercise a degree of control over the eventual movies his stories might become by writing with a simple, vivid, forcefulness that no movie adapter could misinterpret or screw up. The prologue to Schirmer Inheritance is breathtaking in the speed and skill in which you are swept up into the story of the wounded Prussian cavalry sergeant, Franz Schirmer, who deserts during a retreat from a battle against Napolean. Fast forward 140 years to a Philadelphia law firm which is attempting to find heirs to the considerable estate of an elderly, childless woman, who turns out to be a descendant of the Prussian sergeant. A young associate at the firm is sent off to Germany to look for relatives and discovers that the only possible relative was last seen alive in 1945 in a Wehrmacht truck convey which was attacked on a Greek mountain road by partisans. No survivors were ever found including the NCO in charge of the convoy, Sgt. Franz Schirmer. The lawyer travels to Greece and Yugoslavia to try to get more definite proof of death which will satisfy the Pennsylvania Probate Court. The plot twists are ingenious without seeming contrived. The writing, as I said, is vivid. Schirmer Inheritance should be read in every college course on the modern English novel as a model of excitement with economy.

I am a huge fan of Eric Ambler. I have read all of the recent Ambler re-issues put out by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard and I think this is his weakest book. I would recommend it to an Ambler fan but it is not the best book to start with.

Although the story is good, it has none of the over the top flair of A Coffin for Dimitrios or Journey into Fear nor any of the weirdness of Judgement on Deltchev. In style, this book reminds me more of Epitaph for a Spy. It is a good procedural type story but the ultimate pay off just was not there for me.

Eric Ambler is a master of espionage genre. Even his weaker efforts are a lot better than most of the books coming out today.

I can't believe that it's taken me so long to discover Ambler. I first read Coffin for Demitrios on a whim (and a little help from Amazon), and The Schirmer Inheritance is the third Ambler book I've read. In relatively short novels, Ambler combines intrigue, vivid detail, political intrigue and complex character development. The Schirmer Inheritance stands out for its historical context, the ongoing and developing tension between the two main protagonists, and Ambler's ability to keep you completely engaged throughout the novel. Think of this book as a series of mouse-traps laid out in a dark room. As you carefully walk across the room, you "feel" the traps, know that one or more will spring, yet you are drawn to the other side of the room by the power of the story-telling. Great fun!

In many respects, Eric Ambler was to the modern British suspense novel what Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett were to the American detective novel. Ambler transformed the suspence novel from a simplistic black and white world of perfect good guys versus nefarious bad guys into a far more realistic world where sometimes the difference between good and evil is not all that great. Typically, Ambler takes an unassuming, unsuspecting civilian and immerses him in a world of mystery and intrigue in pre and post-World War II Europe. The result was a series of highly entertaining and satisfying books. "The Schirmer Inheritance", although perhaps not Ambler's best, nor best-known, novel, is nevertheless a fine example of good storytelling.

The story opens in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. A young soldier from Bavaria, Sergeant Franz Schirmer, finds himself and his fellow soldiers in something of a bad way. It is a brutal winter, there is little food to be found in the countryside, and they are cut off from the rest of their army. Although Schirmer had fought both well and honorably, he comes to the conclusion that his role in the war is over. He deserts. Near death from hunger, cold, and a saber-wound, Schirmer finds his way to a desolate farmhouse. It is in that farmhouse that Schirmer finds the person who will become his wife. He lives under an assumed name, raises a family, and makes a decent living.

The next scene begins about 145 years later, in the offices of a high-toned Philadelphia law-firm. George Carey, a WWII bomber-pilot and first year attorney, is handed his first assignment: find any surviving relatives of a widowed Pennsylvania woman, Amelia Schneider Johnson. She died with a fortune but without a will. The publicity over this case had led to thousands of false claims from people claiming to be relatives. Carey's assignment, one which he thinks will keep him far from the fast-track of advancement is to put the matter to bed, determine that there are no lawful heirs, and let the State of Pennsylvania take possession of the estate. But, as in every Ambler book, things do not turn out to be quite so simple. In short order Carey finds himself wandering through a devastated post-war Germany looking to follow up on some clues he obtained from an aging, retired partner at his law-firm. Accompanied by a pretty but seemingly repressed young translator Carey soon finds himself in post-war Greece and the Balkans. It is there that he tries to trace down a German soldier, one who fought both well and honorably in a losing cause. This soldier may be dead or he may have ended up working with a Greek-communist partisan group. Along the way Carey must deal with a varied assortment of people who may not be who they seem and whose propensity for the truth is a question for the ages.

Ambler's writing always places more emphasis on character development and a well-told story than on the type dramatic interludes found in James Bond stories, but this story is a bit more subdued than much of the rest of his work. Nevertheless, Ambler writes well and has a keen eye for details, both as to location and to personality. His description of post war Germany, Greece, and the Balkans has a very authentic ring to it.

Ambler knows how to tell a story. He does not waste words but those words move his stories along extremely well. The key question for me in reading any kind of suspense novel is: how well can I visualize what I'm reading. In the case of Ambler, I almost feel as if I am reading the screenplay of a film and that (for me) makes for a very satisfying read. So, even if this may not be the best of Ambler, it makes for a far more satisfying read than the best of many other books of this genre.

L. Fleisig

As one with guerrilla warfare experience,this story rings a bell. The descriptions of professionals and others in the disintegrating Greek Communist Vafiades-led ELAS Guerrillas of the late 1940s is striking. The plot twists are excellent, a are the brilliant thumbnail descrriptions of chaaracters, an Ambler forte. As a longtime Ambler devote, I feel this is his best mystery novel. Ringokid6

My father bought me this book in 1954. I started to read it but did not understand anything, since English is my adoptive language. For 55 years I was haunted by the fact that I never read it...I finally found the exact book I had in 1954, with the same dust cover...could have been my own book.

I read it last week in a couple of days. I found it very fast moving and intriguing ...so glad I read it.

This seems to be less well-known than many of Ambler's other stories, but in my opinion is one of his best. It involves interesting insight into how people survived in the Balkans during WWII - and the dastardly things they did to those who didn't. I thought that the ending was very interesting and worth waiting for.

The Schirmer Inheritance is Eric Ambler at his best. The introduction recounts the story of a German sergeant who deserts during the Franco-Prussian War and changes his name to conceal this desertion. Ambler then takes us to modern times and the tortuous complications that this seemingly-trivial event has on the search for the heir to an unclaimed fortune. Along the way we encounter the many interesting vignettes and insights into human behavior that typify Ambler's stories. If such revelatory insights coupled with compelling twists and turns of plot are more important to you than explicit sex and violence, then you too may find Eric Ambler to be THE master of intrigue as well as one of the finest novelists of this century in any genre. You may also decide, like I have, that The Schirmer Inheritance may well be his masterpiece.

Amelia Schneider Johnson, an unmarried woman, died in 1938 Pennsylvania without a will. Seemingly poor, her estate had over $3,000,000 (1938 dollars!). The law said any blood-relation could be entitled to a share; else it would revert to the state. A law firm was appointed administrator of the estate; they collected fees in their search for the rightful heirs. Thousands filed claims, and there had to be evaluated. The only relatives found would be in Germany, the origin of her parents. A lawyer was sent there in 1939, but the War prevented a settlement. The Nazis forged documents for one claimant in Dresden. Now in 1949 a new young lawyer is assigned to re-investigate the tons of documents and provide a final solution. Young George Carey interviews the now retired lawyer who previously investigated the claims. Carey now travels to Western Germany, hires an interpreter, and looks for a Schneider or a Schirmer (original name). If a Swiss citizen, then the inheritance would not be forfeit as Alien Property.

The official records said Franz Schneider was missing in action and presumed dead in 1944 Greece. But he could have survived and joined the guerrillas. So Carey travels to Greece to continue his search; that comes to a literal dead end. We are told of the historical events of that time. Something happens that draws Carey to further meetings. But what if the heir doesn't want to be found? This book explains what a court-appointed administrator does; so be sure to have a will. This is another story where an individual gets snagged in the gears of government; they survive by their self-reliance. To understand the ending you must know about the German laws of that era regarding nationality.

In writing The Schirmer Inheritance, Eric Ambler used a plot device very similar to one found in A Coffin for Dimitrios, one of his pre-WWII classics.

In A Coffin for Dimitrios, Charles Latimer, an English novelist, travels from country to country in order to trace the international criminal career of a sinister crook named Dimitrios. Presumably for the purpose of gathering material for a future novel. In The Schirmer Inheritance, American lawyer, George Carey, travels to post war Europe, visiting multiple countries (Germany, Switzerland, Greece, etc.) to locate a missing heir to a large fortune.

In the course of his journey, Carey encounters a number of interesting people and places as he learns more and more about the individual he is supposed to find. Ambler's encyclopedic knowledge of geopolitics is used to excellent effect in providing the very rich background against which the plot unfolds.

My only disappointment with this novel is the noncredible ending, especially as it pertains to Maria Kolin, Carey's interpreter. But all in all, The Schirmer Inheritance is a worthwhile read from an extremely capable author.