Judgment on Deltchev
 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Eric Ambler |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton (UK) Alfred A. Knopf (US) |
Publication date | 1951 |
| Media type | |
| OCLC | 978598449 |
| Preceded by | Journey into Fear |
| Followed by | The Schirmer Inheritance |
Judgment on Deltchev is a 1951 novel by Eric Ambler. It was his first novel for eleven years, and Ambler was worried about producing a bad novel, but did not.[1] The book is a courtroom drama based on the show trial of Bulgarian politician Nikola Petkov.[1] It provoked hostile responses from Communist fellow travellers.[2][3]
It is regarded as one of Ambler's finest books.[4] James Fenton called the book "Ambler's best novel... the most interesting politically and the most profound".[5]
Plot
Foster is a playwright who is hired by an American newspaper to visit an unnamed East European country, to report on the show trial of fallen politician Yordan Deltchev. Deltchev is accused of plotting to assassinate the country's leader. Foster meets Deltchev's powerful wife, but gets caught up in a bewildering conspiracy.
References
- ^ a b Evans, Julian (28 March 2013). "The faces behind the mask". Julian Evans. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ Jones, Thomas (5 June 2009). "Thomas Jones on thriller writer Eric Ambler". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ Hanks, Robert. "Socialism and Suspense". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ^ Cornwell, Bob. "Screening Eric Ambler – His Work in Films | Crime Time". Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ Wolfe, Peter (1993). Alarms and epitaphs : the art of Eric Ambler. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. p. 89. ISBN 0879726032.