''The Levanter'' is a 1972 novel by

Eric Ambler Eric Clifford Ambler OBE (28 June 1909 – 23 October 1998) was an English author of thrillers, in particular spy novels, who introduced a new realism to the genre. Also working as a screenwriter, Ambler used the pseudonym Eliot Reed for books ...

Plot

Michael Howell is a "levantine mongrel" who has inherited his family's Middle-Eastern business. He is forced by the Palestine Action Force to produce bombs for them. The story is framed by a description from a journalist of Ghaled, a Palestinian terrorist and extortionist. Howell's company has its Syrian assets frozen by the new socialist government. Hoping to make the best of a bad situation, he proposes to the government that they start various joint ventures, with Howell's foreign companies getting exclusive export rights. One of these joint ventures is a battery company. Howell's mistress/colleague Teresa discovers the battery business has been ordering unnecessary and unauthorized extra materials. Michael recognizes these materials as ingredients for bombs, and they visit the factory at night. There, they discover an employee is hosting bomb-making classes. The security guard turns out to be Ghaled, the notorious terrorist, who threatens Howell and his mistress, and forces them to join the Palestinian Action Force (PAF). He forces them to sign confessions of being Israeli spies, and to assist with ordering crucial parts for bomb detonators. Ghaled has two plans. The first is to build hundreds of suitcase bombs and distribute them throughout Israel on tourist buses. These are all to be detonated simultaneously using radio receiver parts from one of Howell's companies. The second is to shell the Tel Aviv coastline from a small wooden boat the PAF has bought, shielding it from radar with one of Howell's larger ships. Ghaled and Howell travel on Howell's ship. Howell has secretly given orders to the captain to remain sufficiently far from the coast that the shells are out of range. In a struggle between the ship's crew and Ghaled's men, Howell shoots Ghaled dead, and destroys the remote control for the suitcase bombs. It turns out the Israeli authorities have already destroyed the suitcase bombs, by reverse-engineering the detonation signal using a part Howell supplied them, and broadcasting it before the bombs could be distributed.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' described the main character as "the most attractive antihero who's been around in some time."

Alan Furst Alan Furst (; born 1941) is an American author of historical spy novels. Furst has been called "an heir to the tradition of Eric Ambler and Graham Greene," whom he cites along with Joseph Roth and Arthur Koestler as important influences. Most o ...

wrote that it "features some of the strongest action scenes to be found in Ambler". The book won the

Gold Dagger The CWA Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year. From 1955 to 1959, the organization named their top honor as the Crossed Red Herring Award. ...

award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levanter, The English thriller novels 1972 British novels Novels by Eric Ambler Weidenfeld & Nicolson books