Spies telling lies in disguise...

Sunday I finished The Great Impersonation (previously quoted in this here blog). This was a 'spy' novel written in 1920 about a german who impersonates an englishman returning to england after a 10 year hiatus in african lands just prior to WWI, or should I say the Great War? In any event, though a little melodramatic, with a subplot about a crazy man that lives in the crazy woods as a crazy animal, this was, as quoted on the cover, One of the best of all mystery stories. The trick to this story is that it's really the story of the englishman impersonating the german impersonating the englishman (i.e. the englishman impersonating the german...). For some reason, I picked up on this sub-impersonation about 2/3rd's the way through, (though perhaps I suspected it all along?).

This on the heels of 2 other similar books, both by Eric Ambler, somewhat spurred by the recommendation of JG's to read Coffin For Dimitrious. Before I found Coffin I found 2 other Ambler novels, one of which I couldn't read (may I introduce you to Steve Zissou?). The other though, The Dark Frontier, was about as lightweight as The Great Impersonation and equally silly, or actually more so. This book was written in 1936, and I believe was Ambler's first novel (but don't quote me...). First of all it was about the atom bomb, the first one, which was built originally in the country of Ixania (presumably this was some small eastern european country that has since been absorbed by one of it's neighbors...). Ixania's atom bomb isn't quite as powerful the Hiroshima bomb, but never the less ultimately will bring Ixania's neighbors (and presumably the world) to their knees. What was absolutely wonderful about this book was the main character, a british physics professor who thinks he's a super spy impersonating a british physics professor pretending to be a photographer. This all comes about because the professor is overtaxed ("about to suffer a nervous breakdown"), is on his way to take a relaxing vacation, meets a munitions agent who lets him know about Ixania's bomb, then starts reading a super spy novel about the super spy Conway Carruther. Prest-oh-didj-oh-change-oh, the professor wakes up and believes he is in fact super spy Conway Carruthers and hops on the next train to the continent... Ultimately, of course, he ends up saving the world. God bless Conway Carruthers!

Perhaps, I should say I went on to read Coffin for Dimitrious. Perhaps I should say something about that novel? Yes, perhaps I should...