Death of a Citizen

By: Donald Hamilton

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 5 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

The first installment in the legendary Matt Helm thrillers

Matt Helm, one-time special agent for the American government during the Second World War, has left behind his violent past to raise a family in Santa Fe, New Mexico. When a former colleague turns rogue and kidnaps his daughter, Helm is forced to return to his former life as a deadly and relentless assassin.

Originally released in the era of the James Bond novels, the Matt Helm novels were considered grittier and more realistic than Bond, garnering them critical praise and an ardent audience.

©1960, 2014 Donald Hamilton (P)2014 Blackstone Audio

Great tension... and that VOICE!

Would you consider the audio edition of Death of a Citizen to be better than the print version?

Didn't read the print but i really appreciate the reader. It was weird when he was speaking as a woman (when is it not?) but beyond that... man. Just perfect. Greatly added to my experience. Especially considering Helm's pragmatic disposition.

What other book might you compare Death of a Citizen to and why?

Casino Royale. Obviously. Endless parallels. The vixens effecting the protagonist, the callous protagonist, both spies blah blah blah. Helm is essentially retired here where as Bond is still operating. Bond is presented as monster then stripped into a man. Helm is presented as a man and abruptly revealed to be a monster.

Which scene was your favorite?

The climactic portion of the hotel because it was a moment where the tension exploded.

OR

The portion where Tina's husband follows Matt.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Matt's savagery and directness during an important scene. It really shows his "shoot first, talk... eventually" training. He his very decisive and does not flourish just because " thats what cowboys do" or "a speech would sound good here".

Any additional comments?

A more than decent story. The ending wasnt as exciting as id hoped but the build up was fantastic. Matt was believable and consistent in his ideals methods so it made him feel more real. I felt like the world bent around him. Rather than "Our hero" changing bit by bit to make him more human or relatable. Matt is a force. The reader is more than noteworthy!

3 people found this helpful

Perfect Reading

I have been a fan of Matt Helm for a lot of years, read them all multiple times, and even purchased the new one that was done by someone else (War years?) so when I got this I was afraid that the voice would not be what I expected Eric to be.

But let me say that I'm extremely impressed with his work on this book! Thank you very much for doing this and for doing the series.

I've finished 1 & 2 and going to purchase 3 shortly.

If you have not read Matt Helm he's an ex spy and if you had him meet Mr Bond by the time that James introduced himself Matt would have shot him or used his knife on him. He does not pull any punches and is just a fun read.

2 people found this helpful

Not the Matt Helm you're thinking ...

Where does Death of a Citizen rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very good thriller.

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

Yep. Loved Helm's being torn between two worlds. I enjoyed the grittiness of the writing; so far from the Hollywood Dean Martin movies as you can imagine.

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

Top of his game. He's always amazing. Could read my grocery list.

Any additional comments?

Book is too short! I'm on to the next in the series.

2 people found this helpful

Vicious fun

A very pulpy and serious story, not at all like the terrible Dean Martin movies. Think Ian Fleming's Casino Royale'. Like if Bond had been American and retired and then got drug back into espionage. It's a cool story, well narated by Rudnicki, who has a harsh quality to his voice that works well in this ruthless story.

1 person found this helpful

OMG

My first thought as I listened to this was that this thing is as dull as can be. Granted, it didn’t really pick up in pace or really change in story line. But it did get better. I was curious hi different it was compared to the movies. I fully realize that those Dean Martin flicks were pretty campy and unflinchingly stupid. Most of the spy movies of the sixties were. Still, it is a start.

1 person found this helpful

lets face it, it's Helm!

to be perfectly honest, the guy reading this book, does not seem to be misreading anything in the book, its all there! surprisingly how adult ,slight smokey voice, sounds about the right age that Helm would be, perfect mesh of book and reader,really with this audio version giving you the works, makes you wonder why you need to actually read books any more, just exactly right!!

1 person found this helpful

New to the series.

Really enjoyed this story and will be buying the rest of the series. I like it more then the Bond books.

1 person found this helpful

Hmmmm...wanted to like it...did not

I do not understand the other positive reviews for this book. It is a five hour reading. The narrator did great. But 5 hours is not enough time to develop characters, etc. This story never captured my attention. So many things wrong with it, I don’t know where to begin. I have really enjoyed the Ian Fleming Bond books. Have read them all. Vince Flynn’s books, I have read them all. Was really hoping this was going to be my new series. But I don’t think so.

American James Bond. Worth listening to.

The book reminds me very much of the literary Bond. Not the polished movie character, but the ruthless, hard man that appears in Fleming's earlier books. Without much conscience or compassion Matt Helm goes to work in this pseudo spy thriller. I will listen to it again probably and definitely go on to the Wrecking Crew, the only book with a film adaptation starting Dean Martin as Matt Helm.