The Apollo Murders

By: Chris Hadfield

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times bestselling author and astronaut Chris Hadfield comes this exceptional thriller and "exciting journey" into the dark heart of the Cold War and the space race (Andy Weir, author of The Martian and Project Hail Mary).

1973: a final, top-secret mission to the Moon. Three astronauts in a tiny spaceship, a quarter million miles from home. A quarter million miles from help.

NASA is about to launch Apollo 18. While the mission has been billed as a scientific one, flight controller Kazimieras "Kaz" Zemeckis knows there is a darker objective. Intelligence has discovered a secret Soviet space station spying on America, and Apollo 18 may be the only chance to stop it.

But even as Kaz races to keep the NASA crew one step ahead of their Russian rivals, a deadly accident reveals that not everyone involved is quite who they were thought to be. With political stakes stretched to the breaking point, the White House and the Kremlin can only watch as their astronauts collide on the lunar surface, far beyond the reach of law or rescue.

Full of the fascinating technical detail that fans of The Martian loved, and reminiscent of the thrilling claustrophobia, twists, and tension of The Hunt for Red October, The Apollo Murders is a high-stakes thriller unlike any other. Chris Hadfield captures the fierce G-forces of launch, the frozen loneliness of space, and the fear of holding on to the outside of a spacecraft orbiting the Earth at 17,000 miles per hour as only someone who has experienced all of these things in real life can.

Strap in and count down for the ride of a lifetime.

"Packed with cosmic action… Featuring undercover spies, scheming Russians and psychopathic murderers, sometimes all at once, it teems with authoritative details." —The New York Times

“Nail-biting . . . I couldn’t put it down.” —James Cameron, writer and director of Avatar and Titanic

“Not to be missed.” —Frederick Forsyth, author of The Day of the Jackal

“An explosive thriller by a writer who has actually been to space . . . Strap in for the ride!” —Gregg Hurwitz, author of Orphan X

©2021 Chris Hadfield (P)2021 Mulholland Books

Critic reviews

"Commander Hadfield takes us on an exciting journey into an alternate past. And who better to write about astronauts than an astronaut himself!"—Andy Weir, New York Times bestselling author of The Martian and Project Hail Mary

“A nail-biting Cold War thriller set against the desperate Apollo mission that never really happened … or did it? It’s a very rare book that combines so many things I love, from taut suspense and highly realistic action, to the golden age of space exploration. I couldn't put it down.”—James Cameron, Academy Award-winning writer and director of Avatar and Titanic

"Not to be missed. Even in fiction there is authenticity. It is either there... or it is not. With Chris Hadfield it is, because everything he describes he has really seen."—Frederick Forsyth, New York Times bestselling author of The Day of the Jackal and The Fox

A MUST for any hard sci-fi, retro space nerd!

This is a hard sci-fi book set in the vintage Apollo moonshot days, that makes 'The Martian' look soft. It is one of those audiobooks that you just have no choice but to listen to straight through, regardless of how many days you already went without sleep. The story has that adventure / exploration feel that you just can't walk away from because you just need to know what happens next, what DID the Russians find on the moon? It is even worse (in terms of causing more sleep deprivation) if you happen to be one of those uber space nerds that becomes a giddy child when you see a new video from Scott Manley or Tim Dodd appear on Youtube, You WILL be starting up Kerbal, to replicate at least one orbital misdirection and interception. Best of all, this book really gives you a new view on the Apollio Era that is really hard to obtain if you aren't from that generation.

A great read

Engaging, technical detail really adds to the story. Suspenseful. Narration well done. Looking forward Hadfield's next book.

Chuck Norris takes a day off when Chris is in town

The "Martian" by Andy Weir held 1st place in my list of stand-alone books until I listened to this. The way Col. Hadfield melded hard facts, believable fiction, and real characters made this book a real treat. Ray Porter's performance was ok. I've really liked him in some books(Power of the dog) and others he's ruined for me(The terminal list). If you start to struggle with the performance try 1.1x playback, it helps.
I'd recommend this book to everyone, especially if you loved the Martian.
Keep'em comin, Chris, and thanks for being such a bad a$$!

Insider Story

There’s absolutely nothing like the architecture of a novel written by an insider from the world they write about. This is NOT written by an astronaut trying to be a writer - but instead it is written by a skilled writer who used to be an astronaut. Five stars. Great narration - well worth the time and expense!

Best Read in awhile.

This is an excellent book written by a real astronaut. The scientific detail he goes into is amazing, basically because he lived it. But the story is top notch, with twists and unexpected turns, I didn't want to stop listening. Ray Porter is an excellent narrator and does the various voices of the characters well. I hope Mr. Hadfield writes another book soon. One last thought, listen to the epilog it is fascinating to see how close to fact and the amount of research the author had to do. Overall highly recommend this book.

Hoping to see more from Hadfield!

I really enjoyed this book. Some of the reviews mention that there is too much detail on science and operations and there is quite a bit. But that's what I loved about it. You can immerse yourself in the mission, the time period and the risks taken by the individuals in the space program. Also fascinating is the ingenuity that went into prepping, launching and landing missions. The murder mystery seemed like it was going to just starting to take hold, when the plot morphed into a more of a cold war thriller which was interesting but could have been a bit more engaging if some of the major plot points were held back. That said, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to future titles from this author who was an extremely engaging member of the ISS crew. Lots of fun and of course fantastic narration from Ray Porter who always hits it out of the park.

Great space tale

Chris Hadfield creates a great space thriller. A must read for space junkies. I hope he continues to write novels.

Absogoddamnedlutely amazing!

I really REALLY **REALLY** enjoyed this book. I am not usually a fan of historic fiction, but this story captured my imagination from the first chapter. The real people were bit characters in the story and didn’t affect the major outcomes. I hope you like this book as much as I did.

Just What I Was Looking For!

I love hard science fiction about space travel that is realistic and not too heavy on military. I thought I had read them all and I found "The Apollo Murders!" And, as a huge bonus it was narrated by Ray Porter!! The author is a former astronaut (I found out after the fact) so the story was very realistic. It had real life characters too, but the story itself was fiction. And, a damn good story it was! There was never a moment that the book lulled and you wanted to zone out. It was non-stop interesting and action. I was driving for most of the book and almost missed a major exit that would have been bad because I was so engrossed in the story. And as usual, Ray Porter was perfect for this book. Please Ray, don't retire while I can still hear!!

Great Detail in a Creative Story

Hadfield uses his experiences and historical knowledge to weave an interesting fiction story of ego and Cold War intrigue.