The Ability to Kill - Hardcover

Ambler, Eric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0892962380 ISBN 13: 9780892962389

Publisher: Mysterious Press, 1987

Synopsis

Discusses real life murder cases of the past, attempts to characterize the mind of the killer, and tells the stories of inventors and spies

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

This first American edition of collected true-crime pieces from the '50s and '60s by the master author of Epitaph for a Spy, Journey Into Fear, The Light of Day et al. belongs on every fan's bookshelves. Ambler's polite, leisurely stroll down memory lane is a delight. He deals with classic villains from England (Jack the Ripper), Scotland (William Burke and William Hare) and France (Marcel Petiot) along with more recent miscreants: England's James Hanratty (1961) and America's Raymond Finch and Carole Tregoff (1960). Ambler also turns his good-natured, sharp eye on film-writing and the pleasures of Maxim's, and there are lovely semifictional pieces on spies and spy-spotting. Especially delicious is the tale of "Annettee" in 1937 Tangier. There's nothing heavy here, and even Ambler's opposition to the death penalty is quietly posited. His new introduction has its share of graceful nuggets, too.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Mysterious Press
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0892962380
• ISBN 13: 9780892962389
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240