A mature masterpiece in my opinion. Layer upon layer of ambiguous psychological character analysis feeds this story set in one of Ambler's favorite locales, the French Riviera. So much of this novel takes place within the untrustworthy mind of its main character, Paul Firmin, that it ends up questioning the very stability of memory, as well as revealing self deception, intentional lies that have become "truth," and personal confusions. Has Firmin tricked himself or the reader in this tale?

Ostensibly the story of a so-called "Able Criminal," someone an obsessed Dutch criminology professor, Frits Krom, believes is among a shadowy elite of criminals who justice and the police are unable to apprehend, Siege of the Villa Lipp is more than that. It is the discovery of the price someone pays not only for "success" but for the realization that in the modern world success revealed to the public and the self leads to psychosis.

Essentially, the author of the study of the Able Criminal, despite his nagging ways and intrusive manner, is right about Firmin. Firmin is a liar. Most of all to himself. Somewhere, he has lost his "self," his inner being. In its place is a jumble of disorganized memories that may or may not be true. The only thing making Firmin somewhat sympathetic is the cast of characters that surround him. True master criminals that make him look like a playful amateur. Academics who seek the satisfaction of their ego over knowledge and the science of their discipline. Colleagues capable of betrayal, directly and indirectly, meaning you cannot trust anyone. Except perhaps one of them. The one who is willing to follow him to the metaphorical ends of the Earth. ( )

è la prima volta che, dopo decenni di letture, un po' mi delude. Per essere un libro degli anni '70 mostra una capacità di preveggenza straordinaria del mondo che verrà (le astuzie dei malfattori in colletto bianco). Ma la trama è un po' contorta. Al solito, i dialoghi, e l'ironia sono sono il punto di forza del racconto. E l'ambiguità del protagonista - chissà se stupido pasticcione o astuto truffatore - è cio che, al solito, amo di Ambler perchè lascia al lettore l'onere del giudizio nello stesso momento in cui gli segnala che un simile dubbio riguarda tutti noi 'reali' protagonisti delle nostre esistenze.
Oh, attenzione! Non è un romanzo di introspezione psicologica: è solo un libro 'giallo' per l'estate ( )