All the Queen's Men

By: Linda Howard

Narrated by: Kate Forbes

Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

No one can get close to John Medina, the CIA's legendary Black Ops specialist who works in the shadows of the government's deadliest missions. He is a virtual invisible man, with no friends, many enemies, and a cloud of suspicion surrounding the death of his wife.

And no one knows the dangers better than Niema Burdock. A sharp, steely-nerved communications expert, Niema and her husband, Dallas, worked side by side with Medina on an explosive mission that went tragically wrong.

She could hear it all play out, horribly, on the radio: Dallas set off the detonators at John Medina's command - and found himself trapped in the crossfire. In a shattering blast, Niema's hope and her love were destroyed....

Now Niema has withdrawn to a quiet Intelligence position, and a safe - if predictable - existence that has helped her heal her scars from five years ago. And she never planned to see Medina again. But now John Medina needs her....

A French arms dealer is supplying international terrorist units, and John Medina must infiltrate his compound and crack the deadly ring. But only Niema can plant the undetectable bugs needed to nail the dealer - a feat that begins by going undercover and winning his trust. But when their careful strategy begins to crack, Niema and John take flight - and find their partnership sparking with an erotically charged, unquenchable electricity. In a world of deception, one thing is clear: John Medina has once again set Niema on a free fall into danger and desire - and one can't exist without the other.

©2012 Linda Howard (P)2012 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A high-suspense romance.... Howard's trademark darkly sensual style and intense, layered plot will delight her fans." ( Booklist)

"Ms. Howard has made the character [of John Medina] irresistible.... A fascinating novel of suspense and sensual tension." ( Rendezvous)

"[A] sexy thriller.... Another explosive hit.... When it comes to mixing that perfect blend of romance and danger, Ms. Howard is unbeatable!" ( Romantic Times)

Enchanting

With all the espionage, death and mayhem; yes, enchanting. The characters deep and engaging. The plot, poignant.

WOW

narration was good, it always takes me and I feel the narrator a chapter to get into it, wasn't sure if I was going to keep with it at first but then She got so good! story was great and they anticipation was astounding! I couldn't stop listening

Once Again She is GOOD!

I LOVED this book. Action, Heat, Romance, more ACTION! Her writing just gets it going, and I just can't stop reading (listening) to her books.

Can I be her?

Would you listen to All the Queen's Men again? Why?

I would. I like all the characters and I thought that the story was good.

What other book might you compare All the Queen's Men to and why?

I have listened to quite a few of Linda Howard's books and this is probably my second favorite to far. The story is good and so are the characters.

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

I have not listened to Kate Forbes but I thought she did a good job with this.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

All for the Job.

Any additional comments?

I liked that this book kept moving. It wasn't repetitive like one of her other books. It was also unpredictable and kept me on my toes.

John Medina~ HOT sexy CIA ops~ RUTHLESS ~ LOVER~

PLOT: 2 cia ops take on French Arms Terrorist and find desire and sexy intrigue~

John Medina and "Dallas" on a mission ends up with DALLAS DEAD~ now John is out to recruit the widow of Dallas the lovely sexy Niema Burdock~ John Medina is legend and little is known about him.He is one of the most reclusive and secret CIA spies~ With a sexy air of mystery he ruthlessly adds Neima to his team to take on a French Arms dealer who is part of a TERRORIST network. HOT and SEXY is the only way to descibe the "under cover(S) " assignment of John and Neima who over come their lack of trust and faith in each other and find a common goal to destroy some old enemies. a very early excellent story by the ever fun Linda Howard and we first hear about John Medina in Kill and Tell. This story is first rate and takes off and builds and you will want to listen to the whole thing. This is the first time the unabridged edition has been released in over 10 years. I give this 5 STARS for first rate thriller story, sexy couple and great thrills til the end of the story~ also recommend Mr. Perfect, Now You See Her and Open Season that audible have finally obtained in the last few weeks in unabridged forms~ all first rate early Linda Howard audio books~

All the Queen's Men

One of my favourite stories. I really enjoyed this presentation. The characters were well represented and do not blend together in the reading.

Not one of my favorite Linda Howard books,

but still a good story. Characters were good.

The plot is a long slow build up of two people going undercover to get information from an arms dealer in France. Some parts were a little slow, but other parts were good.

CAUTION SPOILER:
I did not like the part where the two main characters made a stupid decision. They had been fleeing from bad guys and finally got away. After a short while being safe, they decided to treat themselves to a tourist-style walk in a nearby town. This was stupid because the bad guys were still searching for them in that area As a result, they got caught and hurt by the bad guys.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Kate Forbes did a good job.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 374 pages. Swearing language: strong but not often used. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: about 5. Setting: current day mostly Iran and Europe. Copyright: 1999. Genre: contemporary romantic suspense.

Not what I had hoped

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

Got no feel for the characters. Picturing John Medina as sweaty with a receding hairline, non-descript pencil pusher, perhaps with pop-bottle glasses didn’t help. Don’t think that was how he was supposed to come across, but that’s how I saw him due to the narration. Niema seemed like a whiner.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Kate Forbes?

Natalie Ross, Joyce Bean, Kirsten Potter, Julia Whelan.

Enjoyable enough, but not Howard's best

Solid narration by Kate Forbes. Fair story. Nothing special, but not bad. I liked the scenes where John Medina (Tucker) was teaching self-defense to Niema Burdoch. There's explicit sex towards the end. The two protagonists did something very stupid, hanging around in France when danger clearly lurked.

Linda Howard's "CIA Spies" series get lots of acclaim, but personally, I think they are half-baked. They didn't feel complete as a romance nor as a suspense thriller.

The three books in the series, in order:

1. Kill and Tell. An old US Marine (retired) sent his "Sniper killbook" to his estranged wife and daughter. It contains evidence that would expose a corrupt senator. When said sniper is murdered, his daughter Karen turns to New Orleans PD detective Marc Chastain for help. A CIA agent (John Medina) gets involved because the bad guys also killed his father. Too much torrid sex in this one, but a decent plot.

2. All the Queen's Men (this book). Covert CIA agent John Medina (introduced in Kill and Tell) puts the sting on a deadly explosives operation, meanwhile putting the moves on CIA techno-geek Niema Burdoch. He's loved her for five years. We also learn that John Medina has a soft spot for Karen and Marc (book 1), keeping watch over them.

3. Kiss Me While I Sleep (very slight overlap with the two previous books). There is a mole in the CIA, and the highly trusted CIA director is in critical condition. Special agent Lucas Swain doesn't know who to trust, so he's on his own, bringing down a renegade operative in France. However, Lily Mansfield is more than he expected. Together, Lucas and Lily put a stop to a bioterrorism plot.

Favorite male character

If you could sum up All the Queen's Men in three words, what would they be?

Intriguing improbable romp

What other book might you compare All the Queen's Men to and why?

Kiss Me While I Sleep, Cry No More, Burn, Shadow Woman, Kill and Tell, Midnight Rainbow

What about Kate Forbes’s performance did you like?

Good strong voice. Easy to understand.

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

"Le pant" and cheer

Any additional comments?

Reality isn't nearly as interesting as fiction.