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A Most Wanted Man (Abridged) Audiobook
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Publisher Description
A half-starved young Russian man is smuggled into Hamburg in the dead of night with an improbable amount of cash secreted in a purse around his neck. He is a devout Muslim. Or is he? He says his name is Issa.
Annabel, an idealistic young German civil rights lawyer, determines to save Issa from deportation, even if the price is her career—and her safety. Searching for clues to his mysterious past, she confronts the incongruous sixty-year-old scion of a failing British bank—and a triangle of impossible loves is born.
Meanwhile, scenting a sure kill in the "War on Terror," the rival spies of three nations converge upon the innocents.
Thrilling, compassionate, peopled with characters the reader never wants to let go, A Most Wanted Man is a work of deep humanity with uncommon relevance to our times.
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"Superb, if your'e into espionage, and if you are, you probably already know that no one does it better than Le Carre, except maybe Graham Greene when he aimed his pen in that direction. This book is a great yarn about the spooks in the newest incarnation of espionage, the "war on terror." The quotation marks were intended."
— Erik (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“This is le Carré's strongest, most powerful novel…Extraordinary.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Intricately plotted, beautifully written, propulsive, morally engaged, but timely as today's headlines…The protagonists are brilliantly drawn.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“What le Carré has always done terrifically is to capture the nuances of the spying game. His spooks are wonderful…In A Most Wanted Man you are, unlike the modern world, in thrillingly deft, safe hands.”
— Guardian (London) -
“Astounding, nearly perfect…beautifully paced, awesomely crafted…desperately readable.”
— San Francisco Chronicle -
“Le Carré's…secret agents exist in a world of stalemate, moral compromise, ambiguity and betrayal…Like his books, le Carré is a mix of unblinking realism and hopeful humanism.”
— Associated Press -
“An instant classic…A provocative and incendiary ending that only le Carré, the master, can pull off.”
— USA Today -
“As sharp as he ever was…Le Carré…remains a class above his neighbors on the bestseller list.”
— Chicago Sun-Times -
“Highly recommended.”
— Library Journal
Awards
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A Publishers Weekly bestseller
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A New York Times bestseller
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A 2008 Christian Science Monitor Book of the Year for Fiction
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One of the 2008 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Fiction
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Selected for the October 2008 Indie Next List
A Most Wanted Man Listener Reviews
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Marie Claire Zanatta, 1/17/2021
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" This book is so clever and interesting. A great example of Le Carre's style. I could barely put it down, its totally captivating. "
— Annie, 2/12/2014 -
" Le Carre always writes beautifully but I just didn't care enough about these characters to be able to finish the last third. "
— Judith, 2/9/2014 -
" I'm not even a great fan of Le Carre, but decided to bring this along on an overseas trip since it was lying around at home. I like the fact that Le Carre spends a lot of time on characterisation, but otherwise, I'm just personally not very interested in spy operations - Cold War, terrorism or whatever. "
— Wanrong, 1/27/2014 -
" Pretty good overall. I liked the idea of focusing on intelligence informants. "
— Greg, 1/23/2014 -
" Let's face it, LeCarre is a master. He has spawned a generation of writers who would like very much to do what he does. He knows how to create a scene, a dialogue, a character, a story. He did it all here again, in very fine form. A European banker, a young activist, an emigrant, all likeable, all believeable. But somehow I wasn't as involved as I often am. I think it might have something to do with the motivation of the characters. Never thought I was so picky, but when it comes to life and death spy stories, my motivation has to ring absolutely true. Makes me want to go back to the ones I always thought were fantastic and see what made me believe. "
— Trish, 1/13/2014 -
" Listened to it. Roger Rees was the reader. Probably the best recording I have listened to. His voices and accents added much to the book. The ending was chilling. "
— Melanie, 1/11/2014 -
" Very character driven and not as action packed as I was expecting... "
— Erin, 12/31/2013 -
" I thought I would try one of le Carre book's since I haven't read one in a long time. But I still don't care for his stories "
— Naomi, 11/12/2013 -
" Solid spy thriller with a nice mix of mysterious characters from Chechens and Russians to a number of agents with the usual inter-agencies' rivalries. In the end though, the real villains turn out to be much more familiar. Good writing and pacing; lousy politics. "
— Aramis, 10/29/2013 -
" While this novel may be le Carr "
— Bookmarks, 10/2/2013 -
" Really tense, well crafted novel about a shocking but sadly real part of the 'war on terrorism' - really makes you think. "
— Clare, 8/19/2013 -
" I really like the fact, that some of it played in Hamburg "
— Itzehoe, 11/9/2012 -
" This book started well, I had hopes of a gripping drama, unfortunately it then became bogged down in inter-agency politics which were tedious in the extreme. By the end I disliked all of the characters and would have happily seen them blown up by the very target they were trying to turn! "
— Jaye, 10/15/2012 -
" Le Carre is the best at what he does--thoughtful and morally complex tales of espionage, corruption, and political failure. This one doesn't match up to his best, but it's still pretty darn good. "
— Ken, 4/26/2012 -
" One of le Carre's better recent books. "
— Ben, 12/26/2011 -
" A Most Wanted Man by John le Carre (2008) "
— Kathleen, 10/15/2011 -
" Glad to see it end. "
— Margaret, 9/27/2011 -
" Was it just me? Maybe I wasn't in the right mood or frame of mind, but I just never got into it. I really didn't care about the characters or the outcome. "
— Tom, 5/14/2011 -
" A most chilling account of secret renditions and the war on terror. Le Carre is only on spot. Great writing, great reading. I'm a fan, obviously. "
— Marc, 3/23/2011 -
" The master does it once again "
— Bobkelley1, 1/1/2011 -
" La Carre is my favorite 'spy thriller' author. "
— Jeanne, 5/15/2010 -
" Very good. This story is very well conceived and the characters are striking. Once again LeCarre is spectacular. "
— Carlos, 4/7/2010
About John le Carré
John le Carré, the pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell (1931–2020), was an English author of espionage novels. Eight of his novels made the #1 spot on the New York Times bestsellers list between 1983 and 2017. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, his third book, secured him a worldwide reputation as one of the greatest spy novelists in history. Numerous major motion pictures have been made from his novels, as well as several television series. After attending the universities at Berne and Oxford, he taught at Eton and spent five years in the British Foreign Service, serving briefly in British Intelligence during the Cold War. Being a member of MI6 when he wrote his first novel, Call for the Dead in 1961 in Hamburg, it necessitated the use of a nom de plume, by which he continued to be known. His writing earned him several honorary doctorate degrees and the Somerset Maugham Award, the Goethe Medal, and the Olof Palme Prize.