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The Amateur

Published
Apr 1981
Main Genre
Suspense Suspense
Rating
Pages
302

About This Book

A spy thriller classic, now a major motion picture starring Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitriona Balfe, and Laurence Fishburne.

"A taut, chilling plot and a protagonist as memorable as one of Len Deighton's, or le Carré's Smiley."—The New York Times Book Review


Charlie Heller is an ace cryptographer for the CIA, a quiet man in a quiet back-office job. But when his fiancée, Sarah Diamond, is murdered by terrorists at the American Embassy in West Germany and the Company refuses to pursue her killers, Heller takes matters into his own hands.

Tracking down Sarah's killers behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia, Heller becomes both the hunter and the hunted—an amateur facing off against the world's deadliest assassins and spies. But nothing will stop him from getting revenge.

Expertly plotted with shocking twists and pulse-pounding suspense, The Amateur is a sleek and stunning novel that belongs on the shelves of every espionage fan.

Genres & Themes

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Formats & Editions

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Paperback

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Paperback
Feb 1982 Dell ISBN 0440101190
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Mass Market Paperback
Mar 1990 Bantam ISBN 0553283901
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Trade Paperback
Aug 2007 Penguin ISBN 0143038141
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Trade Paperback
Mar 2025 Soho Press ISBN 1641296887
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Hardcover

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Hardcover
First Edition Apr 1981 Simon & Schuster ISBN 0671418734
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Hardcover
Oct 2003 Overlook Press ISBN 1585674699
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eBook

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eBook
Nov 2024 -- Not Selected ISBN B0CZ8PZTWZ
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eBook
Mar 2025 Soho Press ISBN 1641296895
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eBook
Jul 2026 Penguin ISBN 1837311994
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Audio

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Audio CD
Nov 2003 New Millennium Audio ISBN 1590075137
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Audio Cassette
Nov 2003 New Millennium Audio ISBN 1590075129
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Audible
Dec 2003 Phoenix Books ISBN B0001A0WRK
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