• Six Days of the Condor

  • By: James Grady
  • Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
  • Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (618 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Six Days of the Condor  By  cover art

Six Days of the Condor

By: James Grady
Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.95

Buy for $17.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

When CIA operative Malcolm, code-named Condor, discovers his colleagues butchered in a blood-spattered office, he realizes that only an oversight by the assassins has saved his life. He contacts CIA headquarters for help, but when an attempted rendezvous goes wrong, it quickly becomes clear that no one can be trusted.

Malcolm disappears into the streets of Washington, hoping to evade the killers long enough to unravel the conspiracy - but will that be enough to save his life?

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction written and read by author James Grady.

©2008 James Grady (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

Top 100 "Killer Thrillers" (NPR)
100 Must-Read Thrillers (International Thriller Writers)

What listeners say about Six Days of the Condor

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    288
  • 4 Stars
    205
  • 3 Stars
    96
  • 2 Stars
    24
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    268
  • 4 Stars
    179
  • 3 Stars
    50
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    246
  • 4 Stars
    170
  • 3 Stars
    76
  • 2 Stars
    20
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Terrible Book!!

I gave this book one star because a lower rating is not an option. If you are considering this book because you liked the film, don't!! Typically, films are (bad) summaries of the movies with condensed characters and simplified plots. That is NOT the case here. Any association between the superb movie "The Three Days of the Condor" and this book is casual at best. How the film is an "adaptation" of this laugahbly bad b-rated story defies explanation. The movie has a much more complicated plot, better developed characters, darker social commentary, and immensely superior dialogue.
SPOILER ALERT------------------
The book reads (or hears in this case) as the teenage fantasy of a reluctant James Bond character (Ronald Malcom in the book, Joe Turner in the movie) who spends 6 days eluding the CIA, the police, the FBI etc. while seducing women (who unlike the character of F. Dunaway in the film) believes him immediately, agrees to help him, and sleeps with him, almost immediately after meeting him. The "bad guys" have ludicrous motivations for their deeds, and Malcom's revenge in the end is laughable. In the film the Joubert evades justice and is re-hired by the CIA and has probably one of the most memorable exchanges in spy films with J. Turner. Joubert in the book is laughably inconsistent. I could go on and on listing the numerous inconsistencies, outrageous coincidences, and idiotic plot twists from the book but it is hardly worth it. My recommendation to you, watch the film again, if you want to listen to something, listen to the film.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

First book I've read where the movie was better.

Would you listen to Six Days of the Condor again? Why?

Nope, because I've seen the movie so many times.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, its a little slow. Had trouble keeping track of the names.

Any additional comments?

The love store isn't believable. I can see why they re-worked the book for the movie. Still a great read. Probably would have been better if I wasn't such a huge fan of the movie.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Mediocre book that was made into a great movie

What would have made Six Days of the Condor better?

Six Days of the Condor caught my attention because I loved the 1975 movie with Robert Redford so much. It was a cool, taught thriller about the world of the CIA and its questionable moral code. But as I listened to the source material, I realized very quickly that James Grady was a novice novelist and Nick Sullivan's narration is so academic that you feel you're listening to a non-fiction textbook, rather than a thriller. It makes me appreciate the direction of Sydney Pollack, the screenwriters, and the cast, for making Three Days of the Condor so enjoyable.

Would you be willing to try another book from James Grady? Why or why not?

No, he seems to be a weak novelist who happened on a great idea that turned into a One-Hit Wonder.

Would you be willing to try another one of Nick Sullivan’s performances?

No, his delivery is so academic that it's devoid of suspense.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It's short.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Oldy but a Goody

I was not sure about this book when I started but by the end it was very enjoyable albeit fairly short. It is a fast and action packed book. I have never seen the movie I may now. Excellent novel if you like the Thiller / Spy genere of books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Rare

Any additional comments?

This is the rare instance where the movie was better than the book. I liked the author discussing the differences between his work and the screen play. It was very interesting. As a first try the book is ok, but not the very fine story the screenplay became. The changes to the female character and the villan were much more interesting in the movie than they were in the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

I could be a spy!!!

Where does Six Days of the Condor rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Its in the upper 25%. The story is fairly intense and Condor is quite creative. The narrator adds a lot to the overall rating. Four stars on the story because the ending wasn't as tight as the rest of the story. Nick Sullivan was five stars on this one.

What did you like best about this story?

It feeds my middle-aged male fantasy. Condor reads spy novels; I read spy novels. Condor is being chased by assassins; I might be chased by an assassin...hey...it could happen. Condor, armed with his spy novel education, surprises the spy world by outsmarting them repeatedly; I might outsmart a spy....well you get the picture.

Which character – as performed by Nick Sullivan – was your favorite?

The old man and Wendy.

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

I have two:1) The worst bad day at work ever...2) I am soooo calling HR when this is over.

Any additional comments?

The book is set in the 70's which levels the playing field for Condor and forces the writer to be more creative. Modern books sometimes get carried away with technology. Also, in modern spy novels you can overcome any plot problem with some new spy tech "the public doesn't know exists" which can make writers lazy. Condor's solutions were actually inventive and didn't employ the far-fetched tricks in some of our modern stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good Story

This book was super fun to listen to and very intense, I also liked the narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good yarn- a little dated- I recommend it.

I enjoyed the book. Great storyline, excellent plot, and well written. However, was written in the '70s and a felt little dated. I'm from that era, and I felt comfortably nostalgic. The narration was perfect, and I was completely absorbed.

James Grady's introduction to the book was useful and made the audiobook experience more meaningful.



Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Fast pace - enjoyable read

The underlying premise of the story is great and the story flows well, as does the narration.

I did find it a bit of a stretch to think that someone who was not a field agent would have all the skills needed to take on the "bad guys" in the way the hero does....(which is why I went for 3 stars - the underlying plot is more 4+)... but it is fiction after all.

Never-the-less it kept me listening and wanting to come back for more until it was finished.

The narration was well modulated and clear.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great story!

Any additional comments?

This is a terrific story and I enjoyed the update in the prologue about how the story was viewed as factual by the Soviets who then set up a special department themselves. The narrator was fine but not exceptional.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful