As U.S. troops prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan, and the Taliban is poised to take over, the CIA calls upon the Austrian aristocrat Malko Linge to execute a dangerous and delicate plan to restore stability to the region. On the ground in Kabul, Malko reconnects with an old flame and hires a South African mercenary to assist with his mission. But Malko doesn't know whom he can trust. His every move is monitored by President Karzai's entourage, Taliban leaders, a seductive American journalist--and a renegade within the CIA itself. Before he can pull off his plan, Malko is kidnapped and nearly killed. When he finally manages to escape, he finds himself alone and running for his life in a hostile city.
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“Narrator Nicholas Guy Smith’saccent and enunciation make listening a pleasure. Often compared to the JamesBond series, de Villiers’s thrillers are known for their extensive displays ofspy craft and geopolitics that reflect current political and military events.Smith’s pacing and rhythm match the action, whether shoot-outs or explicit sexscenes. Using slight changes in intonation and timbre to differentiate genderand nationality, Smith shifts distinctly between diverse characters as Linge, anAustrian aristocrat under contract with the CIA, attempts to survive in Kabulas American forces withdraw from Afghanistan.”
— AudioFile
“Impoverished Austrian nobleman and secret agent [is] once again taking an extremely delicate contract job with the CIA…Malko reluctantly takes the job, and heads to Kabul, where his mission quickly begins to fall apart.”
— Publishers Weekly“How hard could it be to assassinate an inconvenient Afghan head of state?..Complications naturally arise, and soon Malko is himself on the run from his many enemies and from a few people he considered allies.”
— Kirkus Reviews“Ripped from the headlines…His books tell unvarnished truths that many prefer to ignore.”
— Wall Street Journal, praise for the author“De Villiers’s books are ahead of the news and sometimes even ahead of events themselves.”
— New York Times Magazine, praise for the authorBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Gérard de Villiers (1929–2013) was a French writer, journalist, and publisher. He remains the most popular writer of spy thrillers in French history. His two-hundred-odd books about the adventures of Austrian nobleman and freelance CIA operative Malko Linge have sold millions of copies. Malko Linge, who first appeared in 1965, has often been compared to Ian Fleming’s hero James Bond. The two secret agents share a taste for gunplay and sex, but de Villiers was a journalist at heart, and his books are based on constant travel and reporting in dozens of countries.
Nicholas Guy Smith, an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a highly rated and diverse voice-over actor who has been heard in feature films, television commercials, and video games. He has voiced characters for Disney, Warner Brothers, Universal, and the Cartoon Network.