Agent 6

By: Tom Rob Smith

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

THREE DECADES. TWO MURDERS. ONE CONSPIRACY

WHO IS AGENT 6?

Tom Rob Smith's debut, Child 44, was an immediate publishing sensation and marked the arrival of a major new talent in contemporary fiction. Named one of top 100 thrillers of all time by NPR, it hit bestseller lists around the world, won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and the ITW Thriller Award for Best First Novel, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. In this spellbinding new novel, Tom Rob Smith probes the tenuous border between love and obsession as Leo Demidov struggles to untangle the threads of a devastating conspiracy that shatters everything he holds dear. Deftly capturing the claustrophobic intensity of the Cold War-era Soviet Union, it's at once a heart-pounding thriller and a richly atmospheric novel of extraordinary depth....

Leo Demidov is no longer a member of Moscow's secret police. But when his wife, Raisa, and daughters Zoya and Elena are invited on a "Peace Tour" to New York City, he is immediately suspicious.

Forbidden to travel with his family and trapped on the other side of the world, Leo watches helplessly as events in New York unfold and those closest to his heart are pulled into a web of political conspiracy and betrayal-one that will end in tragedy.

In the horrible aftermath, Leo demands only one thing: to investigate the killer who destroyed his family. His request is summarily denied. Crippled by grief and haunted by the need to find out exactly what happened on that night in New York, Leo takes matters into his own hands. It is a quest that will span decades, and take Leo around the world - from Moscow, to the mountains of Soviet-controlled Afghanistan, to the backstreets of New York - in pursuit of the one man who knows the truth: Agent 6.

©2011 Tom Rob Smith (P)2011 Hachette Audio

Excellent

Wonderful storyline. Interesting depiction of Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Compelling characters. A very satisfying experience.

If you liked the other two,you will like this

If you could sum up Agent 6 in three words, what would they be?

Compelling,fast-paced,satisfying

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

To a great extent yes.smith does a good job of moving the plot along and throws in just the right amount of twists. There were plent of driveway moments

What about Dennis Boutsikaris’s performance did you like?

The narration fits the story perfectly. He is a pleasure to listen to in the same way as it was listening to Simon Vance reading the milennium trilogy-you savor every moment and you don't want the story to end .the 13 hours goes by quickly

Well written and well told.

A story worth reading and hearing more than once. No more needs to be said.

A strong finish to a solid trilogy

Exceeded my expectations. Better than Secret Speech imho. Good writing and excellent narration. I would recommend to anyone who read/listened to the first two books of the series and would recommend the series as a whole. Hope they make all 3 into movies.

Must read.

Must read / listen. Great end to a great story.
Thank you 15 words???? 15 words required???

A Disappointing Final Chapter to the Trilogy

Still fueled off my initial enjoyment of Child 44, I put my feelings of disappointment for it's follow-up (The Secret Speech) to the side and dove into the third and final book of the trilogy, hoping to re-connect to the characters that had been so vivid in the first novel.

The first few chapters of the book were excellent. Then, suddenly and without warning, the book starts to jumps time - by the decades.

All the characteristics that made the second book a disappointment were magnified in Agent 6; the huge over-reach of time, place, and plot, and the lack of attention to any sort of personal story that had made us originally care about Leo and his family in the first book.

For a series that started off with such an extraordinary first installment, it's a shame that the second and third books proved to have little understanding of what had made people interested in the first place.

A Real Russian Thriller

What a thrilling ride with unexpected twists and new characters all along--well developed. Couldn't wait to finish this book. Highly recommend the first two books in this "series". Well written and researched. A good look into the KGB, their ruthlessness and the change possible in some. Near the end, however, the author has a character watching the sun go down from "Brighton Beach."-- did the author forget that the Atlantic is facing east from this area? Perhaps I misunderstood. Highly recommend this book.

TRS did a great job with what he had to work with.

What did you love best about Agent 6?

The incredibly wonderful description of the characters and their thoughts ideas and values. Coupled with the fantastic narration by Dennis Boutsikaris, I found myslef laughing, shouting exclaiming and sometimes even on the verge of tears.

What did you like best about this story?

The long span of time we follow the characters (at least Leo) and the detailed description of each character. Also the way the whole story was put together finally. Although it seemed some of it towards the end was a stretch, and kind of rushed and anticlimactic, but still it was a work of art.

Which character – as performed by Dennis Boutsikaris – was your favorite?

This is a tough question.He performs each character so convincingly I cant really say but I would say Leo Dimidov because he had a large amount of dialogue.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes. When Leo was on the phone with Raissa and she said Elena was behaving strangely and she didnt know what to do. I was moved by Leo taking the huge risk telling Raissa "Dont allow her to attend the concert". He followed his instincts even when he could not explain why he felt how he felt. It seemed like a pivotal part of the story, which if Raissa had done what he said would have changed the rest of their lives.

Any additional comments?

Many reviewers complain of The Secret Speech and Agent 6 being disappointing after Child 44. You have to keep in mind, Child 44 is just such an amazing book, its a tough act to follow. Its hard to make it any better than that. I mean if you combined all 3 books and made them one book, you would still have one huge amazing novel. Also the amount of research TRS did was impressive.

Good but a little slow

Where does Agent 6 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

We like to listen to books while traveling. It makes the time go so much faster. This book was a little slow initially and didn't really get really interesting until the second half. We like to listen to books with fast action and lots of plot changes so this one was not up to our favorites but it was interesting enough to keep us engaged to the end.

What did you like best about this story?

There was a lot to learn about the old Communist society and how it related to the US.

What about Dennis Boutsikaris’s performance did you like?

He is an entertaining reader and his use of different voices keep things interesting.

Not nearly as good as first two

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, but only if you've read the first two.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Expected more.

What does Dennis Boutsikaris bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He was very good.