What is the author's style in A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler?

Eric Ambler uses language, and particularly naming, to make distinctions between characters in his novel, contrasting the uncivilized underworld with the civilized world of Latimer. Peters, for example, a philosophical criminal, is always referred to as Mr. Peters, creating a sense of formality that separates him from the other characters. Marukakis and other sympathetic characters are referred to more informally, by their last names only. Referring to Peters as "Mr. Peters" keeps him distant from Latimer, just as Latimer is distant from the criminal world that Peters inhabits. Similarly, Colonel Haki is referred to along with his title. He is a distant, suspicious character.