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

Well Executed, (but didn't stick the landing)

Points off for a lack of plot twists, turns and surprises (there's only a slight veil of a mystery surrounding "whodunnit" in this one). But this slight lapse is more than made up for by the author's strong, deep and fully fleshed-out character development as well as the arc of the main character's journey of discovery. The book spans decades, so we get to see Leo as a young, sharp secret police agent, as well as a "consultant" in Afghanistan who has hit rock bottom. This book is a good read, artfully done. I enjoyed it as much as the first Leo Demidov thriller, Child 44, and even more than the second one, The Secret Speech, which was, still, very well done. Dennis Boutsikaris does a great job in all three.

amazing suspenseful thriller

incredible treology. very bold move for a writer, who was not only born during Stalin rural time, but had not have any Russian roots or ancestry of any kind connected to Russia, all three books had been written with such an acuracy of events during very specific time periods of communist Russia and other ocupied by Russia countries , that you are starting to believe in true existence of the characters and their involvement in the actions of the books.

Good Book, end to an interesting series

This was the 3rd and final installment in the Leo Demidov series. While not as good as the first two, this was still a good book and I think ends the series quite nicely. I really enjoy Dennis Boutsikaris and his performance again does not disappoint. He reads all three book in the series, which makes for great continuity in voices, pace, etc. Overall a great series which I highly recommend.

Epic Spy/War/Adventure/Family story

One of the best series ever written. This seems to be the final book of three. I still hope for more!!! Absolutely great narration too! I just would have liked to hear more about Zoya......

Excellent.

Any additional comments?

I've enjoyed every one of Tom Rob Smith's books in this series, this is no exception. Great narrator too

Good to the end.

All three books in the series were well written. I enjoyed listening to these audiobooks.

Let down of an ending

Throughout this third book in the trilogy, I found myself thinking, "of all the ways to end this..." I kept hoping that everything would come together, but it just fell short... In my opinion. I have nothing but glowing things to say about the the first two books (you should definitely read all three) but it felt like "Agent 6" was written by an entirely different author. Well written though it is, when it comes to book 3, suffice it to say, I just didn't get it.

I have waited till now........

I have read the other reviews regarding firstly Child 44 then The Secret Speech then finally Agent 6. The reviews on Child 44 and honestly I saw the movie several times and then as a audible junkie I had to listen. I was hooked. Child 44 was fantastic gripping and enthralling all at the same time. The Secret Speech got mixed reviews. Honestly it was different from Child 44 but in a good way. A very good way. Then Agent 6. This is where Leo finally gets the redemption he so deserves. I personally love this series and I think it’s definitely worth a listen.

Compelling, thorough, entertaining, riveting

An story that takes the listener from Moscow to New York, Afghanistan and delivers characters that are finely drawn, real and compelling. This book is more than worth listening to. History, Politics, Suspense.

TRS keeps it going, but..

Have you listened to any of Dennis Boutsikaris’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, several. As good as he always is.

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

.

Any additional comments?

Not great like the first two, but still good enough. If you are a fan of TRS, then go ahead.
The last 3rd of the book missed a great opportunity to enrich the story. It felt a bit rushed in spots.
I gave it a 3 overall, because there was no 3.5 choice.