“To the master from one of his disciples,” read a cable from Graham Greene to the author of A Coffin for Dimitrios, in acknowledgment of the latter’s influence not only on Greene’s own literary achievement, but also on the development of the international novel of intrigue. In its depiction of an amateur’s embroilment in unsuspected villainy, its attention to the nefarious predilections of government and business interests, its immersion in the seedy attractions of decadence, and—last but by no means least—its sheer page-turning pleasure, A Coffin for Dimitrios is a perfect example of Ambler’s contributions to the genre that has flourished in his wake.