The Tristan Betrayal

By: Robert Ludlum

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

In the fall of 1940, the Nazis are at the height of their power. France is occupied, Britain is enduring the Blitz and is under threat of invasion, America is neutral, and Russia is in an uneasy alliance with Germany. Stephen Metcalfe, the younger son of a prominent American family, is a well-known man about town in occupied Paris. He's also a minor asset in the U.S.'s secret intelligence forces in Europe. Through a wild twist of fate, it falls to Metcalfe to instigate a bold plan that may be the only hope for what remains of the free world. Now he must travel to wartime Moscow to find, and possibly betray, a former lover, a fiery ballerina whose own loyalties are in question, in a delicate dance that could destroy all he loves and honors.

©2003 Myn Pyn, LLC. (P)2003 Audio Renaissance, A Division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"The fast-paced plot reflects Ludlum's genuine knack for constructing good stories�" (Booklist)

Best Ever

Of all the books Robert Ludlum has written, this ranks among the best. The plot was excellent; he did a tremendous job in foreshadowing, as well as character development. I would highly recommend this book.

breathtaking historical novel

great details, including all the scenes and sights are accurate to those who have been there, the novel keeps you in suspense untill the lasted pages listened to.

Best Performance Ever

What did you love best about The Tristan Betrayal?

The absolute best thing was the acting ability of the performer Paul Michael. The story itself was good but somewhat predictable, however, the acting made it so much more interesting.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

No, as above, it was good but obvious in places.

Which character – as performed by Paul Michael – was your favorite?

All the foreigners. Michael's ability to do accents and read foreign languages well was superior.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction.

Any additional comments?

If I could've given Paul Michael a 6 I would have. He made the book worthwhile.

Good Choice

Starts slow but for a long drive, it's hard to stop. Sort of a page turner

Good tale of post-war Soviet Russia.

This was a page-turner about life in the Soviet Union after the second war. It was a good tale, classic Ludlum, with many twists and turns, ups and downs, the worst and best of the Russian people. I enjoyed it but was a bit surprised by the ending. I recommend if you have any interest in Cold War and/or Russia v Germany topics. The narrator did a solid job.

Fast paced but tedious

This story is well narrated, but it just seemed to go on and on and on, with the most implausible situations, and the hero getting into the most terrible bad luck but always getting out of trouble. And the end was predictable, too.
Personally, I found myself wishing it would just hurry up and finish!

perfectly awful

Does not listen like ludnam - perfectly bad in all aspects: writing, reading, directing. Our intrepid hero breaks trough the ice in a stream in the Russian winter, struggels to get out on limbs that are numb with cold walks miles to the house of his love and goes on an idylic horse back ride. The readers range is a repeating three tone and moves from one time, person, and place to another without a breath or pause.

To much just in time

This book was difficult to finish. A disappointment, at best.

If our hero carried all the stuff he easily and handily pulls out of his overstuffed pockets and backpack, the weight of the stuff would hold him in place and the book would stop. The book is simply an expanded short story. Finally, the ending revelations only surprised the hero.

Pick any other Ludlum Title, because it is probably better.

disappointed

I've read and listened to several of Ludlum's books in the past to my enjoyment----this was not one of them. The story started out interesting but soon followed a predictable and shallow plot. If one must listen to the book I would recommend the abridged version.

The Tristan Betrayal

This was not the Robert Ludlum I have always loved. Unfortunately I saved it to listen to on a long overseas flight and it only added to the tedium of the time on board. About one fourth of the way through, I wished I hadn't started it. It was a chore to complete. The main character is not the brightest bulb on the tree and the long descriptions of scenery and clothing smacked more of a romance novel. Read at you own risk.