An Englishwoman who is unhappily married to a Russian financier in London becomes the object of American spies who are trying to entice her to turn on her husband. The process requires that Lyndsey Duncan of the CIA befriend the wife, Emily. As Emily's suspicions grow, the world closes in on her husband, Mikhail. The tag-team narration wonderfully pulls it all together with varied voices that fit the American, English, and Russian characters. It's not just accents that differentiate the characters; Mozhan Marno and Fiona Hardingham employ a range of emotional tones to appropriately reflect individuals. Emily alternates between scared and angry, Mikhail sounds controlling, and Lyndsey remains calm in the face of danger. The well-done narration moves the interesting plot along.
Pub Date: March 14, 2023
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593672426
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Lakin makes this globe-trotting thriller feel breathlessly personal.
Christine Lakin's narration transforms an espionage thriller into a taut psychological journey. Lakin captures Anna Vaughn's evolution from a B-list actress to a reluctant spy with remarkable vocal precision. When Anna goes undercover to rescue her missing friend, Lakin doesn't rely on dramatic vocal flourishes; instead, she conveys tension through subtle shifts in pacing and breath control that mirror Anna's mounting fear. Her portrayal of FBI handler Kevin Matthews balances authority with ambiguity, keeping listeners guessing about his true loyalties. Lakin maintains clarity during the fraught action sequences without sacrificing urgency, making combat choreography comprehensible. Her vocal distinctions among supporting characters, from menacing oligarchs to Anna's troubled sister, feel organic.
Lakin makes this globe-trotting thriller feel breathlessly personal.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063393073
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2026
George Blagden's pleasant performance of William Boyd's second suspense novel about occasional spy Gabriel Dax floats equably along like a story told over a glass of postprandial whiskey. It's an adventure set in 1963 England and Berlin, where, between conducting MI5 jobs, Dax and his compatriots savor many cocktails and cigarettes. Blagden's vocal register rarely varies from mid-tenor, a range that risks sounding uninflected but seems right for our hero, who is a young man, a young man caught up in the Cold War and world-changing events, including President Kennedy's famous Berlin visit. Blagden's command of American, Russian, and Latin accents adds to the verisimilitude. While indistinguishable females all murmur softly, it makes them sound mysterious and of another era.
Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781668157763
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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