The Handler

By: M.P. Woodward

Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom

Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

A disgraced former CIA operative must go back in the field with only his ex-wife as his handler in this electrifying thriller from a former intelligence officer.

Meredith Morris-Dale is a CIA case officer and a damn good one...even if this last mission did go terribly wrong. Now she has been summoned back to Langley where she expects to be fired. Instead, she is met by the Deputy Director with stunning news.

A single well-placed CIA mole in Iran’s uranium enrichment program has kept the terrorist nation from building a bomb by sabotaging the performance of their covert centrifuge arrays. But after losing his daughter in an airliner shootdown, the mole wants out—leaving the world on the brink. His one demand: a reunion with the only handler he ever trusted, John Dale—Meredith's disgraced, fired, wayward ex-husband. As Meredith and John struggle through their fraught relationship, a craven CIA political hierarchy, Russian interference, and the rogue spy’s manipulation, they must reach deep within their shared connection to maintain, recover, or kill the asset.

©2022 M.P. Woodward (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"In this immersive, action-packed thriller we follow Senior CIA officer Meredith Morris-Dale as she is forced to recruit her former colleague and ex-husband, to run an asset for in a case with enormous stakes. Woodward does everything right: he creates complicated and compelling characters—the beating heart of all great spy novels—and puts them in a gripping and authentic narrative that will have you hooked right to the last page."
—Carlton Cuse, co-creator of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and writer/showrunner of Lost

"A spectacular tale, brimming with intrigue, suspense, and richly-drawn characters. Fantastic storytelling." —Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Clancy Chain of Command

"The Handler is the finest kind of story—a tale that knocks the breath from your lungs and leaves you screaming for more. Simply the best debut I’ve read in years." —Don Bentley, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Clancy Target Acquired and the Matt Drake series

Best!

for a first time novel, debut, this is a great book and I hope he keeps writing. I love espionage, military and ass kicking books.!

Awesome

This was my first book by M.P. Woodward; it was impressive
The story moves quickly; Jon Lindstrom transforms the story by bringing to life.
I highly recommend The Handler.

Author and Narrator Knocked It Out of the Park!!

Audible library of > 1300 plus books - wide range of genres - fiction, nonfiction, hy fiction, science, health, religion, sociology, political science, legal and “special ops” type including Greaney, Flynn, Thor, Andrews and Wilson, Winslow, Dugoni, etc. I have rated (stars) books, but not reviewed … until now! Really enjoyed this book! Could probably have been shorter, but, glad it wasn’t! Will be alert to what I hope will be a series/more to come - can think of quite a few possibilities! Well written, characters with dimension, good technical detail and even a bit of humor. Narrator also knocked it out of the park! Thank you and Congratulations to all involved for high level of entertainment!

What a ride!

Invested and clinging to the storyline within the first five minutes, pained to set it down. This is a deliciously complex thriller written with such detail I found myself cheering for the characters, hanging on each word and holding my breath through intense yet plausible situations... This book delves into politics, religion, love, desire, war, good and evil hitting all the marks 10/10. Sadly finished this in to few days and left wanting for more. M.P. Woodward is a wickedly intelligent and colorful writer. Can’t wait to read his next one!

Great thriller

Was not expecting this to be as good as it was. Engaging and thrilling. Kept me wanting more. I’m looking forward to the authors new book.

Relentless Action

I really liked most of the book. I got frustrated with the military acronyms and procedural jargon. There is a lot going on lots of countries and characters.. Don’t get me wrong , I liked book, but this book was a little different.
Overall, this book was intense, fast-paced, action-oriented, and a powerful page-turner. This novel should delight those readers that enjoy spy thrillers that have strong male and female characters, intense fight scenes, and an absorbing plot. If you are looking for action, drama, and tension, this book will provide it. A few threads could provide story lines for future novels. This debut is excellent and I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

Fantastic!!!

Loved this book. About halfway through the action built to the point I couldn’t stop listening. Great and fun listen. Narrator also did a fabulous job. Get this book!!

Rich satisfying ending!

Brilliant story and characters you care about! I’m downloading the next one asap! Beautiful job!

great addition to the genre

I had this book on my wishlist for a while and I'm so glad I finally purchased it. Finished it in two days! looking forward to the second book. Keep 'em coming!

Started out good

Overall I enjoyed the book but found it sorta lost the audience in the last quarter of the book.