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Judgment On Deltchev (2002)

Judgment on Deltchev (2002)

Book Info

Author
Rating
3.88 of 5 Votes: 1
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ISBN
0375726756 (ISBN13: 9780375726750)
Language
English
Publisher
vintage

About book Judgment On Deltchev (2002)

I've read so many beautifully written books lately that this was disappointing. It's adequately written yet it never sings. Still, the plot, once it gets going, is damn good, and the writer has a wonderful command of real-world intrigue. The protagonist, who is a playwright working as a journalist, is the proper mix of heedless naif and sharp observer. The plot is damn clever and a lot of fun, and the book takes some interesting chances with the timeline, realpolitik, and murky and opaque character motivations. Again, it's written well, and it's a damn fine book, but I've been spoiled lately by an endless succession of authors who craft word-magic, and Ambler, despite his vast talents, is not a word-magician. He's a decent craftsman who takes pride in his work, but he doesn't have that crazy streak of genius that I've been craving.

When I recieved this book as a gift from a co worker, I expected something that would be an amusing period piece. Surprisingly it is less so than I had thought. Yordan Deltchev, the prominent politician and resident of the Balkans, is on trial in Red Russia for supporting plans in post war Europe which would have minimized the success of Russia to fill the void left by the collapse of Nazi Germany.I read this book during Pennsic War xxxv, and could not put it down. It is well written and very engaging.

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This is the first book I've read by Eric Ambler, and it was terrific. British playright Foster has been asked to report on a show trial in a Balkan country in the late 1940s. The previous head of government is being tried as a traitor. The evidence against him is flimsy and apparently trumped up, and Foster digs around a bit, trying to find some small bits of the truth. As he himself puts it, he doesn't so much blunder into trouble as walk into the wrong part of town, and once he realizes the danger, he can't find his way out again.The book is hardly full of slam-bang attraction but it commands your attention from the very first page. Foster is the narrator, but most of the focus is on the other characters, and their agendas. A really terrific political thriller that I would recommend to anyone.
—Graham Powell

Found by chance on a second-hand bookstall: it has been really a nice surpriseAmbler is the father of the modern spy story. His post-war anti-Communist novel Judgment on Deltchev (1951), is based on the Stalinist purge-trials in Eastern Europe without referring to the country in which it is settled. With a simple way of writing he defines his characters and a peculiar political situation where nothing is what it appears to be.It is an extremely enjoyable reading. As for the story it is not out of date at all because it could be applied to any current political party “working for its own régime”.
—Barbara Ab

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