Eric Ambler

Eric Ambler (1909-1998) graduated from London University and established himself as a writer with five classic novels of intrigue published between 1937 and 1940: Background to Danger, Epitaph for a Spy, Case for Alarm, A Coffin for Dimitrios, and Journey into Fear. During World War II he served in the British Army and was discharged as a lieutenant colonel. He wrote and produced a number of motion pictures and was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay of Nicholas Monsarrat's The Cruel Sea. He then returned to writing novels, many of which became New York Times bestsellers. He is widely considered the father of spy-espionage thrillers.