The Odessa File

i've heard several books, audible and elsewhere. some i read first, but never read this one or saw the film. the story has excellent character descriptions and actions, believable and character specific dialogue, a well crafted plot with twists that kept pulling me along and details that made the story very engaging and a twist at the end that shifted the focus, for me, of the whole story, actually kind of shocked me.
i found the reader exceptional, able to shift dialects between characters, which kept them, in my minds eye, visually present, clarified who was speaking and gave the words emotional context. this guy is a good reader/actor, in my opinion, and an excellent choice for German, British English and Israeli dialect.

Great story - not crazy about the reader though....

Frederick Forsyth has written a gripping story of post WWII Nazi SS men's escape from prosecution for their war crimes. Based on historical fact, he has told the story of the lives of these men, the millions he killed and the story of one man journey to bring one of these SS men to justice. His story line soon has you forgetting you are listening to a story, and has you engaged in the lives of the characters. He did a superb job of developing the character of the main characters, especially the journalist Miller.

It isn't until the final 50 minutes of the story that the real reason Miller tracked the Nazi SS officer down is revealed.

This is my first Frederick Forsyth audiobook, but it will not be my last.

Be warned, the narrator is HARD to get used to but once I did, I enjoyed the book much more. I learned lots and enjoyed some of the twists and turns. Not a top favorite but I would recommend as a bargain buy.

This is a very interesting story, it made me think about things in a new way regarding the period after the war in Germany. I would recommend it to anyone with the only caution being that the reader does a terrible job with reading the voices of female characters. It is really grating, you just have to be happy that these parts don't go on for long, just endure it because the story is so rich and intriguing.

That most of the S.S. were not only able to get away but even come back and live peaceful lives in Germany is a tragedy.

When this book was originally released many decades ago it was likely created the scandalous outrage Forsyth intended and it still packs a punch as good investigative journalism should.

(I'm certain the book has been re-narrated at more listenable speed now MP3 players rule the day before too many cassettes or CDs were cumbersome and cut into profits so narration was so fast it took much of fun out of listening and led to many "abridged versions") e.g. I once heard (at a book store one of the Harry Potter books (still on the old C.D. format) and think... "Wow... that narrator is reading aloud FAR TOO quickly to enjoy.)

The book is well narrated with a sophistication befitting the people who will buy this book having a much better sense of history than much of the modern "pop culture" generation.

If you once saw it as a crummy movie (as I did long ago as a child) you can be certain, as usual, the book is far.. far.. BETTER! (Isn't it always?)

This is a "must read" as Forsyth in his forward lists all the research he did. I have no doubt that there is a similar organization even if its members are now rapidly dying of old age. Why they were/are able to go to their graves without any legal action or accountability for their many vicious war crimes is the reason is why one needs to read this book... especially if you believe in the phrase "Never again."

I like this book very much. I never saw the movie, but I am now a Forsyth fan. It kept me going throughout and I looked forward to my commute. If you like stories of the war, and international intrigue then this is your book. It is sort of a Bourne Identity in the 60's, but based on truth

This is a story about the enduring network of former nazis and how they plan and act to perpetuate their influence and protect the former SS members. Still a very good plot well worth the time.
Someone (the narrator?) opted to have all the german characters speak english in a squeaky pitch with a german (?) accent. Irritating and distracting,

Who doesn't like that arch British accent.
An important story, compulsive listen, hard to turn off.
The book itself, of course, is a classic now, as it should be.
The performance is seamless and accents are not over acted.
Doesn't get much better than this.

A bad reader can wreck a great book, and this was pretty much the case. Frederick Davidson's accents may have been accurate, but they were also cartoonish and incredibly annoying. It's a credit to the story that I stuck it out, but such a shame that this particular reader was selected to deliver it.