Prince of Spies

The Richard Prince Thrillers, Book 1

De: Alex Gerlis

Narrado por: Rupert Bush

Find the truth; risk everything. A gripping WWII spy novel full of intrigue and peril from a modern master.

1942: a German spy comes ashore on a desolate stretch of Lincolnshire beach. But he is hunted down by a young detective, Richard Prince. The secret services have need of a man like him....

In occupied Europe, Denmark is a hotbed of problems for British intelligence. Rumours of a war-ending weapon being developed by the Germans are rife. Sent to Copenhagen, Prince is soon caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Dodging Gestapo agents, SS muscle and the danger of betrayal, his survival - and the war effort - hangs in the balance.

Gripping and intense, Prince of Spies is the first in a new espionage series that will delight fans of Alan Furst, Philip Kerr and John le Carré.

©2020 Alex Gerlis (P)2021 W F Howes

Good spy story

I’ve listened to several of this author’s books and they’ve all been excellent. The previous series, The Best of our Spies, and now with the Prince series.

The plots are original, complex and interesting. Plus the narration has been top flight.

The one quibble I have with this book, which other commenters have mentioned, is the ending - or lack of one. Think of the Perils of Pauline where an episode ends with the heroine hanging from a cliff by her fingernails. So just be aware of that.

Samples at end of book

EXTREME DISLIKE OF SAMPLES AT END OF BOOK THAT I HAVE FOUND NO WAY TO STOP!!!

Most story ok to excellent, but plot simply does not end at end of book

If you are prepared to see this as part 1 of 4 of a very thick book, then this is quite a nice story about a spy in WW2. The plot has mostly reliable twists and turns, albeit that some elements require the reader to be “somewhat helpful” to stay in the storyline. Some elements, meant as cliffhangers, unexpectedly turned out to be”hang on” at the end, basically making this an unfinished book.
I am interested enough to continue, in fact, but the reader should know this, as effectively you’re starting a 2000-page book covered in 4 volumes.
Two things that truly stood out are the excellent performance of the reader and the tension that the author knows to “pass on” to the reader. Most historic elements from WW2 and spy life in there are accurate and believable, and the main character displays sufficient complexity to be interesting, although there are, for those aware where to look, some obvious unrealistic elements. But alas, that is inherent to almost all interesting fiction :-) -> performance 5 stars, story 4 stars.

great intrigued

loved the descriptive writing could sé the places as they were told withing even gave the sense of urgency the desperation of the characters apparel they were in.

Great WWII spy thriller!

Good plot line, interesting historical fiction. Some things a bit predictable, but overall well-written story.

a nice story with a good performance

an interesting story with some plot twists that have been done by others before some good characters if you enjoy spy John Ronnie you'll enjoy this

Great spy book!

I’m a big fan of the genre and this is one of the best books. Exciting, believable and a lot of detail on the nuts and bolts of espionage. Looking forward to the next one and the series. Also the narrator.

The spies and the mission in WW2 Denmark.

If you have not read Alex Gerlis’s spy thriller novels this is your opportunity to correct the oversight. Certainly one of the two or three best living espionage or spy writers, his books are set during World War 2 and depict the horrors thrust upon the Allies and the Free World by Hitler and Germany in exemplary fashion.
THE PRINCE OF SPIES introduces Richard Prince and with great economy Gerlis lays out the setting and the plot, and sketches in Prince’s character with carefully crafted brush strokes. A mid-thirties Detective Superintendent who tracks down a German spy, Prince is seen by MI6 as the ideal man for a mission to Germany to gather information on the building of the V1 and V2 rockets. He would much prefer to be at home in Lincolnshire apprehending burglars and caring for his three year old son. His anguish over the death of his wife and daughter in a car smash two years before and love for the boy, fleshes out the human side and deftly depicts a man torn between what he wants and his duty to King and Country.
In short order he is on his way to Denmark where he meets his contact, Hanne Jakobsen and an array of well-drawn, tri-dimensional characters; friend, foe and unknown and thrust into one dangerous situation after another. The reader is in the hands of a master as the Germans close in and the suspense is ratcheted up as Prince narrowly escapes, or does not. And all this against the background of a spy’s daily routines and the critical elements of remembering changing identities, nationalities and stories.
No discerning reader could not be impressed with Richard Prince’s first mission and the care taken by spy-master Alex Gerlis.
Rupert Bush does a fine job narrating the story and capturing the numerous characters.
Highly recommended. Happy reading, Eric.

Pronunciation issues — otherwise fine

Wonderful story, and overall the performance is very good. I just wish they took a moment and researched the correct pronunciations of the Danish cities and districts. Being a spy means fitting into one’s surroundings, and if Richard Prince can pass for a Dane, it’d be nice if the Rupert Bush could as well for those few words in the story.

Great story, strange narration

First let me say that initially I was not into this book or the way the dialogue was written. However, as I continued along, I think that the story was great, it was the performance that took away from the story. At times I wondered if this voice was AI, as it hardly differentiated from character to character and often times created a strange cadence that took away from the story. This is a good read, he isn’t on the same level as Alan Furst, but few people are.