In this oddly entertaining audiobook, narrator Pete Cross takes listeners through the many experiments and devices created by the R&D branch of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII. As Cross recounts in a sometimes-bemused tone, the department was headed by Stanley Lovell, an industrial chemist dubbed "Professor Moriarty" by his boss, William "Wild Bill" Donovan. Through their efforts, poison pills, invisible inks, exploding dough, and even mini-bombs to be tethered to bats were developed to confuse and even destroy the enemy. As the war progressed, more thought was given to biological weapons and, of course, nuclear bombs, and Cross's narration takes on a more serious tone. Listeners will be both transfixed and horrified by the decisions weighed, and taken.
Pub Date: March 7, 2023
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781250880703
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Kristin Atherton is the absolute right choice to narrate this riveting and complex history of the rise of global terrorism. The research provided here is ambitious, providing a clear-eyed, deeply considered history of the nature of terrorist acts, the motivations for which were hard for news broadcasts of the 1970s to fully capture. Atherton's narration never wavers as Burke covers the well-known events of airplane hijackings, the Munich Olympic attacks, and the Beirut bombings of 1983, "the bloodiest year." The result is an insightful history that gives context to events that may have seemed disparate to casual observers. Atherton maintains a comprehensive, consistent voice throughout this long, gripping audiobook.
Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Duration: 25 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217018796
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Tim Campbell's sonorous voice is a splendid match for Wellerstein's account of the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan in 1945. Wellerstein, a scholar of the history of nuclear weapons and the creator of the website NUKEMAP, delves deep into American nuclear policy. His conclusion is that President Harry S. Truman was almost entirely out of the decision loop. After the bombings, Truman made sure that American nuclear policy was firmly under the control of the president. While somewhat staccato, Campbell's delivery is never hurried or hard to follow. His voice has a slight gravelly quality, but is quite winsome and appropriately expressive throughout. Campbell's narration quickly draws the listener into this history.
Pub Date: Dec. 9, 2025
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063379459
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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