Ratlines

De: Stuart Neville

Narrado por: Alan Smyth

Ireland 1963. As the Irish people prepare to welcome President John F. Kennedy to the land of his ancestors, a German national is murdered in a seaside guesthouse. Lieutenant Albert Ryan, Directorate of Intelligence, is ordered to investigate. The German is the third foreigner to die within a few days, and Minister for Justice Charles Haughey wants the killing to end, lest a shameful secret be exposed: the dead men were all Nazis granted asylum by the Irish government in the years following World War II.

A note from the killers is found on the dead German's corpse, addressed to Colonel Otto Skorzeny, Hitler's favorite commando, once called the most dangerous man in Europe. The note simply says: "We are coming for you."

As Albert Ryan digs deeper into the case, he discovers a network of former Nazis and collaborators, all presided over by Skorzeny from his country estate outside Dublin. When Ryan closes in on the killers, his loyalty is torn between country and conscience. Why must he protect the very people he fought against 20 years before? Ryan learns that Skorzeny might be a dangerous ally, but he is a deadly enemy.

©2013 Stuart Neville (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Thrilling.... Readers will hope to see more of Ryan, a formidable yet damaged hero." (Publishers Weekly)

“Another moody winner mixes Nazis into Neville's usual Irish noir.” (Kirkus Reviews)

"Neville, whose debut, The Ghosts of Belfast, won the 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Best Mystery/Thriller, concocts a believable plot with an intriguing protagonist torn between duty to country and his distaste for Nazi criminals. Fans of Jack Higgins and Ken Follett will enjoy this novel." (Library Journal)

It was interesting and had some good twists.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

If they were interested in WW2 fiction. It's worth a free credit.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ratlines?

Decent plot twists.

What three words best describe Alan Smyth’s voice?

Tries too hard.

Could you see Ratlines being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I actually could, but have no idea who would be main characters.

Any additional comments?

It wasn't bad. If you're thinking about getting it you should. It's worth the credit and your time to listen. I realize its a difficult job but the narrator could have done better and takes some getting used to.

Wanted to Like This Book

I really liked every book by Stuart Neville a lot until this one. The other books by Mr. Neville had well drawn protagonists. I might not have admired them but they behaved consistently with character as developed. To me, Albert was all over the place. He was a competent experienced intelligence officer who broke into a house and screwed around until the bad guys came back. He was tough sometimes and ineffectual other times. I have been given to understand the Irish sympathized with Germany. The gold caper was so predictable. The ending was unsatisfying.

Great plot and well written mistery/thriller

Some people have commented on the narration and if you listend to, and liked Nevill's earlyer books narrated by Gerrard Doyle you should listen to the sample and see how you like Smyth's narration and it would not have been fitting to have Doyle narrating this one, it is not a part of the Jack Lennon series.

The story is gripping and I recommend it for all Neville fans

Disappointing for Ghosts of Belfast Fans!

I loved Neville's first novel, "Ghosts of Belfast", But his second book "Collusion", didn't match up to the first, and unfortunately, the third "Ratlines", was even more of a disappointment. The narrator's voice was too nasal or hesitant for me.

I would rather hear more of the Irish writer, Gene Kerrigan, especially his new one called "The Rage", but it is not on the U.S. version of Audible. I don't know why that is.

I wish Audible would add a "Suggestions List" for books we want to hear but are not in their canon.

Great book

Oh, I liked this! Neville is one of my pre-order authors but I'm just getting caught up on his books.

Nazis, Mossad, Irish G2, bad guys, good guys who could be bad guys, I loved it.

The audio production, not so much. Smith's voice was great and his accents were okay but why do production people not verify pronunciations?