Otto Penzler's best thrillers

New York Magazine tasked Otto Penzler, owner of the Mysterious Bookshop and editor of the Agents of Treachery, a collection of previously unpublished spy fiction, to name some thrillers under the theme "If You Liked My Book, You’ll Love These."

One title on his list:

A Coffin for Dimitrios (1939)
by Eric Ambler

Ambler practically invented the modern spy novel by turning the protagonist from a fearless James Bond superhero into a victim of circumstance out of his depth, who performs courageous acts primarily to survive.

Read about another book on the list.

A Coffin for Dimitrios is one of Charles Cumming's favorite thrillers.

--Marshal Zeringue