• Satellite Boy

  • The International Manhunt for a Master Thief That Launched the Modern Communication Age
  • By: Andrew Amelinckx
  • Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
  • Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (78 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Satellite Boy  By  cover art

Satellite Boy

By: Andrew Amelinckx
Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

On April 6, 1965, Georges Lemay was relaxing on his yacht in a south Florida marina following one of the largest and most daring bank heists in Canadian history. For four years, the roguishly handsome criminal mastermind hid in plain sight, eluding capture and the combined efforts of the FBI, Interpol, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. His future appeared secure.

What Lemay didn't know was that less than two hundred miles away at Cape Canaveral, a brilliant engineer named Harold Rosen was about to usher in the age of global live television with the launch of the world's first twenty-four-hour commercial communications satellite. Rosen's extraordinary accomplishment would not only derail Lemay's cushy life but change the world forever.

Brimming with criminal panache and technological intrigue, and set against a turbulent and iconic period that includes the moon landing and the civil rights movement, Satellite Boy tells the largely forgotten, high-stakes story of the two equally driven men who inadvertently launched the modern era.

©2023 Andrew Amelinckx (P)2023 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

What listeners say about Satellite Boy

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    24
  • 4 Stars
    26
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    33
  • 4 Stars
    20
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    25
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Similar to an Erik Larson book. Excellent!

Great book in terms of storytelling and no issues with the narration. Good story on aerospace and crime history.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED — this is a gripping history!!

If I could rate this 10 stars, I would! Once I started listening, I couldn’t put my phone down. The author weaves together two disparate histories of two very different men in a compelling way. You’ll learn how the commercial communication satellite industry began, and was fostered, by the actions of my dynamic and brilliant late husband Harold Rosen… and how the worldwide hunt for a crafty bank robber was facilitated by this new technology. And so much more! You’ll love it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

53 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This was fun

I’m the kind of nerd that enjoys all brands of history so this book which bridges science history and true crime was quite a bit of fun.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting at times

I found parts of this historical novel interesting, but the fawning depiction of a largely immoral bank robber and murderer certainly could have been shortened.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprised how well it kept my interest

This is not something I normally would have listened to, pretty random. Once I started listening, I found it hard to stop. I was really surprised how fascinating the stories were as they developed. Very well read/performed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Patrick Lawlor’s French is Horrible

I spent the first 35 years of my life in Montreal, which is why this book interested me.

While I enjoyed this story overall, I found Patrick Lawlor’s pronunciation of French streets, cities, or names to be so far off from how they are pronounced locally, and what I was used to, that it was painful to hear and it took me out right of the story. So French speakers be warned that you will hear the narrator phonetically pronounce French words as if they English and just butcher what your ear expects. Oh and listen for Lawlor’s pronunciation of Chicoutimi, that one was cringeworthy!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Keeps You Going

Good book. True story. It keeps you going and doesn't bog down with a great deal of fluff. The guy was a crook, but really smart.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It was OK

It was only OK. The story was not compelling. The reader was a good narrator until he tried to imitate voices. His French-Canadian accent was almost painful.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not really what I expected

I expected a real exploration of satellite tech. This was mostly a crime story and not that interesting a one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent Book

This is a well written and researched book about bank robbers and how new technology caught them. Fascinating.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

23 people found this helpful