Crossword Genius

English thriller writer left in shade? (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ambler

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'english thriller writer' is the definition.
'ambler' can be an answer for 'writer' (I've seen this before). I'm not certain of the 'english thriller' bit.

'left in shade?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'left' could be 'l' (common abbreviation) and 'l' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'amber' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ambler that I've seen before include "Walker who's rather slow" , "English thriller writer; walker" , "Stroller" , "Writer called Eric" , "Leisurely walker" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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