The Intercom Conspiracy

Theodore Carter is the editor of a low circulation newsletter which is owned by an eccentric ex-US army general. Intercom publishes absurd fabricated stories with an anti-Communist narrative which are presented as genuine news, but entirely from the imagination of Carter (a bit like Fox News I suppose). When the General dies suddenly Intercom is taken over by unseen investors who require Carter to maintain the old style, but to publish additional articles which they supply. The additional items turn out to be big secrets from NATO and the Soviet Union and Carter finds himself at the centre of attention for the world's intelligence agencies.
Now I like Eric Ambler. When I pick up an Ambler I know it's going to be generally good writing show more with well-thought out plots, but with old-fashioned characters and plot settings. It's comforting stuff. The Intercom Conspiracy was however rather different with the tale told from three different angles in three very different styles. I initially found this to be a bit jarring and irritating, but as I settled in and adjusted to those styles it became more enjoyable. However, when I got to the end I was left feeling "is that it?", as things just stopped abruptly with no satisfactory denouement. In fact at the end it seemed that every aspect of the conspiracy actually didn't matter that much to any of the protagonists. If it had ended with the line "and then they all went home for tea", it wouldn't have been any less satisfying. show less

While more action-oriented episodes from everyday secret services work like hunting down terrorists and foreign spies grab the headlines it is amazing how many things get done in a quiet manner - with mild twisting of few arms but in general by payoff and without armed escalations.

So when you are in the know and see the opening to finally get the life you crave then .... why not take the chance.

This was the rule two senior intelligence officers decided to follow. They decided to buy out the Swiss-based crazy-conspiracy-theory Intercom circular letter (following the death of its owner, retired US general) and use it to force Russians or Americans to buy them out just to keep them quiet. Because problem with conspiracies is if you push show more too much everybody will say "AHA! So that was true" and if you do not do anything then the other side might control the narrative and water will get so muddled it wont serve anyone's purpose.

Swiss, country very serious about its neutrality is the best ground for this sort of operation. So everything is put in motion and now it is wait time - who will offer the biggest sum.

Caught in the middle of this ... endeavor (?) ... is Intercom's technical editor (and de-facto writer) Mr Carter. Working as an editor and following the strict rules given to him by the new owner, Carter will find himself in the cross-hairs of various clandestine services who are getting more and more interested in Intercom circular letter [as its content becomes more involved and no longer on-the-edge-crazy-conspiracy-talk]. Of course as time passes by, Carter finds himself ever so often on the short end of the stick and becomes regular guest in local hospitals [after meetings with secret agents].

Told in the form of a incomplete manuscript/book, one initially authored and written by Charles Latimer (recurring character from novel The Mask of Dimitrios), writer of detective novels interested in the Intercom affair after the media frenzy, and finalized by above-mentioned Mr Carter, this is very interesting and gripping story. It is very modern novel and where it not for mention of cables and telegrams story itself could be taking place today.
Ambler manages to draw very vivid picture of people caught between the secret services worried with what gets openly published and not sure who is actually the opposition (and thus following simple premise - consider guilty under further notice).

End of the story is what I might say realistic. It might not be to everyone's liking but it is very rare occurrence that people caught up in the dark cloak-and-dagger world live to tell their tale.

Very interesting novel, brings back memories of Umberto Eco's Numero zero and the movie Conspiracy Theory.

Highly recommended to all fans of thriller and spy stories. show less

A not altogether successful attempt by Eric Ambler to engage in a sort of modernist form. Multiple perspectives, differing mediums of reporting, and an unsure authorial voice are the result. It's still an interesting read, but once again I think Ambler was influenced by developments in feature filmmaking. This story seems to combine the surface imagery and technique of cinema verite with a final ambiguity that is frustrating--intentionally so. The Charles Latimer that has returned in 1969 is drastically different from the befuddled but well centered detailer of the narrative that was Latimer in 1939 in A Coffin for Dimitrios.

This book is indicative of its age, the late 1960s, even as Charles Latimer has himself aged into an old man. The show more moral certainties of the interwar years of the 1930s no longer exist. Cold War hijinks can be murderous. And they can yield comic results, even as they do result in killing and destruction. show less

I am unable to make my mind about whether I liked this book or not. It certainly held me in its grip, more due to the multi-perspective narrative that was confusing than to the pace of the story. I may sound dumb, but I could not understand what the Intercom Conspiracy was about for quite a long way into the novel. Even now, after finishing it, I have a very hazy understanding. But, I can say that I did not dislike this book. The characterisation is engaging, especially the character of Theodore Carter. And the multiple mediums of narration used in this book are quite unique, at least for me. The way the author has described the people and the events is very amusing. So, considering the positives and negatives, I can safely say that I show more enjoyed reading it - all the while cursing the author for the confusing narrative. show less

For me this had a slow start as I had some difficulty getting interested in the plot and more so, the characters. Once Theodore Carter ran into difficulties with the KGB and the CIA, the story picked up some steam. Carter was the editor of a monthly magazine financed by rich man who saw conspiracy theories in every government action. With his passing, Carter continued to be editor of the newsletter which was now financed by a mystery man. The articles he now was order to publish made him a target of the Intelligence Agencies.

A complicated plot.