Old Flames

An Inspector Troy Novel, Book 2

By: John Lawton

Narrated by: Lewis Hancock

Length: 16 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

In April 1956, at the height of the Cold War, Khrushchev and Bulganin, leaders of the Soviet Union, are in Britain on an official visit. Chief Inspector Troy of Scotland Yard is assigned to be Khrushchev's bodyguard and to spy on him. Soon after, a Royal Navy diver is found dead and mutilated beyond recognition in Portsmouth Harbor. Troy embarks on an investigation that takes him to the rotten heart of MI6, to the distant days of his childhood, and into the dangerous arms of an old flame.

Brilliantly evoking the intrigue of the Cold War and 1950s London, Old Flames is a thrilling adventure of intrigue and suspense.

©1996 John Lawton (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

great, if a bit long

Maybe it is lust me, but I find that Lawton does a great job of making the reader understand the time (and place period. Lewis Hancock invests the characters with, well character. Hancock has done a great job with the series which is demonstrated by how disappointed I was with Sara Coward's reading of part 1 in "A Lily of the Field." For me, narrators are an underrated part of the success or failure of a book reading. Hancock is reason enough to try the series.
Lawton's characters are interesting, although if Larissa Tosca were to be excised, I would not mind a bit. Sometimes the plot seems to get sidetracked, but I found these sidetracks at least as fascinating as the plot. The Britain of the fifties in England is not the fifties of "Father Knows Best" nor "leave It to Beaver." Lawton does not show a land of milk and honey. British films at this time were black and white, not color in cinemascope, so while Troy drives his Bentley, little kids in the country can't identify the vehicle. I see more than hints of class consciousness, and a subtle despair that England and its empire may not have lost the war, but they are losing the peace.

Old Flames, The Golden Bough

While the characters are interesting, believable, and often redeemably flawed, and the story moves at a fascinating pace, what I love most is the historical and literary context. The reader is terrific except for the sound of Tosca's voice. It was too grating for someone who was supposed to be so desirable.

A terrific tale, brilliantly narrated.

A John Lawton novel is always a treat, but Lewis Hancock narrates this beautifully. His mastery of regional British accents is brilliant (Derbyshire, anyone?) and I really liked his pacing. I’ll be looking for more Lawtons and more Hancocks!! Enjoy!

Excellent

Loved the story and Lewis Hancock as reader. Lawton books are a real treat and I am working on listening to all of them.