The Gun Seller

By: Hugh Laurie

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Cold-blooded murder just isn't Thomas Lang's cup of tea. Offered a bundle to assassinate an American industrialist, he opts to warn the intended victim instead - a good deed that soon takes a bad turn. Quicker than he can down a shot of his favorite whiskey, Lang is bashing heads with a Buddha statue, matching wits with evil billionaires, and putting his life (among other things) in the hands of a bevy of femme fatales.

Up against rogue CIA agents, wannabe terrorists, and an arms dealer looking to make a high-tech killing, Lang's out to save the leggy lady he has come to love...and prevent an international bloodbath to boot.

©1996 Hugh Laurie. Recorded by arrangement with Harold Ober Associates. (P)2012 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"Fast, topical, wry, suspenseful, hilarious, witty, surprising, ridiculous and pretty wonderful. And you don't need a permit to buy it." ( The Washington Post Book World)

"A first-rate thriller...an awesome entertainment machine." ( Cleveland Plain Dealer)

"[A] ripping spoof of the spy genre." ( Vanity Fair)

Excellent story, once you get past the start

I almost didn't continue listening to this book after the first 30 to 60 minutes. The lead character narrates and he's just wordy and flippant, to a fault. I found myself wishing he'd be serious for once, or just shut up. But slowly, i either got used to him, or the yammering slowed a bit (or maybe both), and i really kind of got sucked into this story. I was surprised how much i ended up enjoying the book and definitely recommend it. Just be prepared for a rough beginning.

A diverting listen

Any additional comments?

About what you might expect from this author and the title/genre: a witty thriller with a lot of violence but, happily, a low body count. Also happily, it doesn't suffer from overly low humor, and the hero is neither a bumbling fool nor an egomaniac. He is, however, male, and I think the book skews toward things that male readers like to spend time on: cars, motorcycles, weapons, etc. As a female, I think I would have preferred more character development. But I definitely enjoyed the book, and found it laugh-out-loud funny at times. And although I would love to hear it read sometime by its author, I truly enjoyed the very skilled character portrayals and narration by Simon Prebble.

Sad at the end

author was kind of all over the place but if I hear it for a 2nd time then probably would get it.

Best Book

Love this book. My favorite book hands down! Hugh Laurie is the best! Amazing. Histerical!

A twisty espionage novel with a great narrative style

This book has style. The cover art refers to it as a “spoof of the spy genre”, but I think that’s wrong. It starts as a detective story and adds spy elements as it goes on, but I also wouldn’t call it a “spoof.” It has substance, and it treats serious moments with grave importance.

I’m rating this 4/5 only because I think it’s very obvious Laurie wrote this so he could play the lead in a potential adaptation (the main character is tall and thin and great with accents), and falls in love with (or possibly just lusts after) a woman much younger than him. There’s also a few times where the main character ruminates on his philosophy on life and sexuality and gender, and they go a little longer than needed. Otherwise, it’s a very tight, fun thriller with a strong narrative voice.

P. G. Wodehouse meets Robert Ludlum

Hugh Laurie (yes, Bertie Wooster, Dr. House, etc.) wrote this in the mid-'80s and it's a must-hear. As I said in my title, this is a tight thriller written in a style that P. G. Wodehouse would have found familiar. The opening paragraph is a rather detached and mildly humorous (humerus?) meditation on breaking arms, when you find out that the lead character is thinking of these things while someone is trying to strangle him. It only goes uphill from there. The only possible downside to this audiobook is that it wasn't read by the author.

(n.b.: This is one of those thrillers that takes place just before mobile phones and the internet became commonplace, so some of the younger readers/listeners may have to adjust their sense of disbelief.)

Great thriller filled with twists and turns

Absolutely amazing performance of a great novel. Laurie has a remarkable talent for coining clever, funny, and precise descriptions, turns of phrase that will pull you along at lightening fast speed through the narrative. Prebble creates such distinct characters that you don't even need Laurie telling you who's talking. His accents are authentic without being stereotypical, and his women are feminine without being cloying.

My only complaint (and it's a minor one) is that the narrator is incredibly unreliable. I was often listening while trying to do other things and often found myself having to flip back a few minutes and listen again to figure out what just happened.

could have been amazing.....

I really enjoy this type of story and was excited to have some humor thrown in to what is usually serious content but this book felt rushed.
It feels like you are dropped in about a quarter of the way from where the book should have started, and goes from there. several times the book jumps to a new scene with little to no segue like an over eager editor was cut happy. Toward the very end of the book, this is very apparent.
I am very glad that it was included in my membership and that I didn't have to pay for it.
the performance was spot on.

Not Fair

Disclaimer: I'm a major Hugh Laurie fan. I enjoyed Fry & Laurie, found his portrayal of House good and better than the series, to say nothing of his fabulous album.

This is a wonderful listen. A good tale, with quite a bit of humor. What is interesting is that Laurie has, so far, resisted the temptation to write "the next chapter".

Again, if you enjoy a fun read, that will drive you to the turn the next page, this is a pick for you.

I have to wonder if it might have been even better, if Laurie had done the narration.

great listen

loved it very quirky and interesting laughed allot.big Hugh Laurie fan and this did not disappoint