My version: Paperback
Genre: Fiction, World War II, Turkey, Greece, Italy
Publisher: Penguin Classica
First published: 1940
ISBN: 978-0-141-19030-3
Pages: 211
Bought
From the cover:
It is 1940 and Mr Graham, a quietly spoken engineer and an arms expert, has just finished high-level talks with the Turkish government.
And now someone wants him dead.
The previous night three shots were fired at him as he steppedinto his hotel room, so, terrified, he escapes in secret on a passenger steamer from Istanbul. As he journeys home – alongside, amongst others, an entrancing French dancer, an unkempt trader, a mysterious German doctor and a small, brutal man in a crumpled suit – he enters a nightmarish world where friend and foe are indistinguishable. Graham can try to run, but he may not be able to hide for much longer…
Journey Into Fear by Eric Ambler is a ‘classic’ thriller set in the months leading up to World War II. The story follows Howard Graham, an English engineer working on a munitions project for the Turkish government. After a late-night encounter with a cabaret dancer in Istanbul, Graham finds himself the target of a group of Nazi assassins who are determined to prevent him from returning to England with crucial defense plans.
The novel is, for some reason, known for its intense suspense and masterful plotting. Ambler’s writing being praised for its claustrophobic atmosphere and vivid descriptions of settings, from the seediness of a Turkish nightclub to the tension-filled environment aboard an Italian freighter. The story is meant to explore themes of fear, intrigue, and the impact of international espionage on ordinary individuals.
But is, in all honesty, really rather dull. Quaint, but dull.
Journey Into Fear might well be considered a pioneering work in the genre of political thrillers and earned a reputation as a ‘must-read for fans of espionage and suspense,’ but there’s absolutely nothing to stop you in your tracks here and say “Good lord! This is one of the best spy novels ever written!” My final thoughts were (and sorry compilers of Best Ever Spy Novels Ever lists who put this high up on their lists) “Journey Into Boredom, more like.”
Couldn't I Just Tell You 