In this thrilling historical novel, Johnathan McClain has command of the pacing, the multiple characters, and their varied accents. He adds zest to a twisty plot about how the U.S. once planned to bring down the German economy. The story starts in 1939, when a young tax attorney joins a small group of Treasury Department misfits who plan to wreak economic warfare on the Reichsbank. That their efforts involve everyone from Maynard Keynes to Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau and FDR himself adds to what is a remarkable true story. Throw in some spies, and the stakes climb higher. Though the author moves around some characters and timelines, it only adds to the tension. McClain keeps listeners on the edge even though we think we all know the ultimate outcome.
Pub Date: May 21, 2024
Duration: 12 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593908280
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Leighton Pugh's resonant baritone and evenly paced performance help orient listeners in this detail-packed novel. The alternate-history story posits that famed WWII mathematician Alan Turing invented a machine that he used to influence the location of the Normandy Invasion after the fact. The time machine is then passed to his son (born of a one-night stand with a female friend who knew that Turing was gay), and thence to his granddaughter. Each must wrestle with how to use the machine to influence history. Pugh's authoritative English voice and skill with accents lend verisimilitude to the premise. Some audible animation might have made the story sound more action-packed, but in truth, his equable delivery suits the writing in this imaginative debut.
Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2025
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063485105
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 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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