Journey Into Fear, Ambler - B +

                                             Eric Ambler was one of Britain's great mid-century authors of spy and suspense thrillers. He had an uncanny ability to write novels that were made into movies, which is how I stumbled across this 1940 masterpiece set in Istanbul, the Aegean, Athens, and Genoa. Graham (Joseph Cotten in the film) is a British naval engineer who attracts the murderous intentions of the Germans. His local contact and the police chief, Col. Haki (Orson Welles) decide to send him home on an Italian freighter, rather than the Orient Express. Unfortunately, the German killer, as well as his boss, is also aboard. Their plan is to assassinate Graham in Genoa when he leaves the ship.  Somewhat implausibly, he slays a bunch of bad guys in a pretty weak finale.  The story is somewhat dated, but Ambler had a mastery of the English language.