Reviews

The Light of Day by Eric Ambler

tombennett72's review against another edition

5.0

Brilliant. I love Eric Ambler’s reluctant, amateur heroes and their escapades. As thrilling and fun as any of his books, this is a real page turner.

And little did I know until I sat down and read the introduction that this story is the inspiration for a film well remembered from childhood.

lostsailor's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

humdrum_ts's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

On a plane midway through a full 24 hours of travel, in the emotionally vulnerable state that leads one to shed a tear watching Creed (2015) on a seatback screen: The Light of Day is great, one of those tense and technical Cold War thrillers transformed by the perspective of Arthur Abdel Simpson, who is a perfectly-sketched buffoon.

On the ground a week later: The Light of Day is a fine caper. Enjoyable, not terribly memorable. 

That’s the nature of airport novels, I suppose. 

nigellicus's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

5.0

Just genuinely the absolute master, effortlessly conjuring up the un-heroic cosmopolitan European mongrel, scarred by English public schooling, a small-time rogue running a minor racket in Greece who picks the wrong mark and gets forced into driving a car across the border to Turkey, not even making it across the border before getting into even more trouble. The plot unwinds, our unheroic hero does his best to get out unscathed. Immensely readable and entertaining.

privileged_loitering's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

3.5

gbliss's review against another edition

3.0

OK OK. So I'm doing the Ambler thing. Need to go back in time now to the earlier books.

sharon61's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A good read. Slower than modern thrillers but doesn't have much violence so easier to read. The main character is very flawed and not likable yet I still wanted him to survive so it worked well.

pino_sabatelli's review against another edition

3.0

Tre stelle e mezza

yerfillag's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

rianokelly's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

3.5