The Alamet Ambush

Dr David Audley & Colonel Jack Butler #2

by Anthony Price

The Assassin — He was right at home in Alamut. It was there, in Northern Persia in the eleventh century, that the sect of the Assassins began at Hashashin Castle. And it is from there today that a new killer comes to spread murder throughout the Middle East. From the moment the classic car belonging to the head of the Middle Eastern Section explodes, killing a young electronics expert, David Audley must put a cap on a deadly and explosive threat to security.

Genres: Espionage, Fiction, 20th Century, Thriller, Mystery, Middle East

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Born in Hertfordshire in 1928, Price was educated at King's School, Canterbury, and Oxford. His long career in journalism culminated in the Editorship of the Oxford Times. His literary thrillers earned comparisons to the best of Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, and Robert Goddard.

Reviews

[Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed a light book for a long train journey and used that as an excuse to read the next in Anthony Price's excellent "espionage" series. I was not to be disappointed. This is not your run-of-the-mill spy thriller, it's actually much more relaxed; conversations during an "office" meeting, at a "local" society get together, in a car, in a club, over tea and cake. We live in edge-of-seat times. Every spy story has to be an explosive thriller with gadgets, lunatics with desires to dominate the world and the like. Forget Bond or Mission Impossible... this is everyday. There's a lot here that has the feel of le Carre and of reality; espionage is brainwork and making contacts - "intelligence work". Having said that, no spoilers with me, it starts with the death of an agent in a car explosion and I certainly didn't foresee the sting in the tail ending.
I can see some people finding the whole thing a bit too casual, perhaps even dated... but no, turn on, folks, tune in!

[Pat Timpanaro · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is the second in a series that came highly recommended by a friend. The first was OK -- found the style overbearing and tiring, but enjoyed the plot, so I thought I'd try the second. The style is still overbearing and tiring, which also describes the plot. I kept reading it because the ending of the first book, The Labyrinth Makers was interesting and one of things I liked about it. In The Alamut Ambush, the ending was complicated and badly explained. This is last I will be reading by this author.

[David Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthony Price wrote cerebral thrillers in which the protagonists usually have an ulterior motive for their actions. The job of the unwitting amateur thrust into these affairs is to attempt to fathom out the game that David Audley and his ilk are playing whilst being personally dangerously expendable.
There’s a lot (to my mind) of tedious Arab-Israeli politics in this one which I found rather mind numbing — they may has well have been speaking in code. However, what Squadron Leader Roskill has to untangle is why terrorists should feel the need to assassinate his friend, a government technician who was checking a stolen car for evidence.
I loved the technical stuff about surveillance, weaponry and field-craft; the politics was stultifying.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start, but when it did pick up it was very lively, leading to a quite dramatic ending. I did get somewhat lost along the way. Unlike the first book in the series, David Audley does not play such a big role, but he has Hugh Roskill, a squadron leader in the RAF working along side him. It is Hugh's friend that has been blown up by a bomb left in another important persons car, that starts off the investigation. Was it the person who owned the car that the bomb was meant for, or the friend the of Hugh?

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had enjoyed the authors debut novel, The Labyrinth Makers, so I thought I would give this a go. And it was worth the read, as the same group of secret service characters investigate the death of a young scientist killed by a booby trapped car. But, for me, there was far too much chat and exploration of the characters' motivations, and not enough 'thriller' ... so a little disappointed.

[Sue Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the Anthony Price thrillers. The history link is tenuous in this one, but still a gripping read. Probably should be 3.5 stars because I do reread it occasionally, but not one of the regulars.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8 Not a bad read, well written and interesting story. Maybe a bit dated. Might be tempted to read another of his books.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Convoluted and complicated. Not one of his better ones.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this but a bit less than the previous two in the series because it did not work as well in terms of tying the plot to an interesting real historical event. Also, it had less action.

[Jorn Barger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange mindgames among spies. I'm guessing it's all just the author flattering himself at his own cleverness... but maybe if I tried harder I'd see more sense in it? I'll try one more...

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in the series featuring Dr David Audley, although he is less central to the plot in this book. It begins with a car bomb which kills Jenkins, a friend of Hugh Roskill. However, it is suggested the target is Llewelyn, who works in the Middle East department. Llewelyn is an idealist who was one of the reasons Audley was promoted away from that department as the two men did not see eye-to-eye. Audley and Roskill begin to investigate and there is a convuluted plot, involving a charitable foundation - coincidentally, Roskill is involved with one of the founders.

For much of this book I almost felt as though the plot hadn't quite got going and then, almost before it started, it was over. In a way, this is testament to the skill of the author. The plot is confusing and involved, but it is best just to relax into a series of meetings of shady characters in dark bars, all with an agenda. It is difficult to unravel, but enjoyable to read and - even if a little dated - certainly a series I will continue with.

[Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

In der Welt der Geheimdienste (bzw. der guten Spy-Thriller) ist es nicht so sehr die Antwort, die man suchen muss, als vielmehr die Frage. Und das ist geradezu ein Markenzeichen der Romane von Anthony Price: die Protagonisten verbringen fast die ganze Zeit damit, herauszufinden was sie überhaupt herausfinden sollen. In diesem Buch, wo der Nahe Osten um 1970 der Hintergrund und das Thema ist, sind die Fragen noch unklarer - aber umso tödlicher die Antworten ...

Der Reiz der Price-Romane ist auch in der Rückschau auf diese Zeit, in der sich Britannien noch seiner vergangenen Größe und den alten Verpflichtungen bewusst war. Vorbei, wie der kalte Krieg. Nur dass sich der Nahe Osten in keiner Weise verbessert hat.

[Charles Kerns · Rating 3 out of 5]

your basic mid east, cold war spy story. Double cross. Keeping the brass in the dark. Uzis.

[Edwin David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Jenny Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found it hard to read as the politics got in the way of the story and made it too complicated. Ending not great either.

[Colin Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great read

For devious intrigue and clever literate writing Anthony Price fits comfortably in the pantheon of the great British and American thriller writers

[Beth Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely twisty. Not as egregiously dated in the sexism department, but a complete Bechdel fail.

[Nick Pemberton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent writing, complicated plot, but well told.

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calling these novels spy "thrillers" is really a bit of a misnomer. There's not really a lot of technical "thrills," in the classic car chase / gunplay / explosions sense. (For example, this novel really only has two explosions.) While not really "thrilling," they are a compelling read, if only for the manner in which Price slowly reveals characterization and plot points. Like the cliched onion, layers are slowly pulled back until the plot and motivations are revealed, mostly through dialogue and observation.

In this book, the second in the series, Price also pulls off a nice narrative trick: The protagonist of the first novel, THE LABYRINTH MAKERS, appears here, too. Only this time, the POV character doesn't trust (or even, at times, LIKE) him.

Highly recommended for fans of intellectual spy novels.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second (of 19) David Audley spy novels (counter-espionage, actually) begins when the head of the Middle East section's expensive car is blown up while a bomb technician tries to defuse the bomb. But what if the target wasn't the big shot, but was the technician, or even the section for whom he worked (Audley's)? It becomes apparent, if not clear, that a professional assassin is behind the killing, and that he isn't done. So who is paying him, and to what end? Audley, who has deep ties to the Middle East, turns Roskill, Butler, and the other members of his formidable crew loose to find the killer.

I read the whole series years ago, and I'm running through the series again (just as I'm rereading Geoffrey Household, Eric Ambler, and John Buchan).

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Price has again brought together that mix of history, analysis, adventure, international espionage, misadventure, that has made the adventures of David Audley and company a personal favorite. I believe with regret that with this volume I have completed the entire cycle. However, the paean to the Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifle appearing near the end of this book was a more than satisfactory conclusion to the sagas - that with regret end for me.