Arthur Simpson
- ` British to the core`, but without a passport to prove it
- lives in Athens, scraping by as a driver, journalist & petty thief. When Simpson spots Harper at the airport he recognises him as a tourist new to the city & in need of a private driver. But an ill-judged attempt to relieve Harper of his traveller`s cheques reveals him to be a highly sophisticated criminal, & entangles Simpson in a complex double blackmail. Simpson becomes an unwilling member of an armed gang in Istanbul, tasked with driving a suspicious car across the border. Soon he is an even less willing agent for the Turkish secret police, who suspect Harper of planning a coup
- but his plans are far more audacious than that, & Simpson is in very deep water indeed. The Light of Day won the Edgar Award for best novel in 1964, & was the basis for the classic film Topkapi. Like much of Ambler`s finest work, the novel focuses on an innocent man caught in a web of intrigue & deceit, & Simpson is one of the most memorable heroes in any classic thriller.