The Paris Plot

By: Joseph Aragon

Narrated by: Ben Werling

Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Izzy Stone, a top Secret Service agent, is in charge of a presidential visit to Paris. Without warning, a powerful French magistrate charges the US President with war crimes and crimes against humanity after an American counterterrorist strike goes awry. Now Izzy finds herself in a bloody, desperate race to save POTUS from certain death.

A lethal cat and mouse chase unfolds across the City of Lights as Izzy uses her knowledge of Paris' ancient catacombs, a buried chateau fort, and the great Louvre to elude their pursuers. As France and the US approach an unthinkable military crisis and uneasy world powers move toward Defcon One, only Izzy can prevent an international catastrophe.

©2017 Joseph Aragon (P)2018 Joseph Aragon Oakhurst Print

Timely, Compelling, Original

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to any reader who has enjoyed the novels of writers like John Grisham, Alan Furst, and Tom Clancy, all of them great storytellers and highly entertaining writers who know how to capture and sustain the interest of their readers.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Paris Plot?

Without a doubt, it is the hazardous and spine-chilling movement of the escapees through the seemingly endless labyrinth of the Parisian underground, the likes of which this reader had no knowledge, culminating in an unforgettable, galloping, "grand tour" of the Louvre.

What does Ben Werling bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This had to be a very demanding assignment for any reader, given the many characters and their personalities, idiosyncrasies, voicings, and intonations. Ben Werling proved more than worthy of the challenge in delivering an outstanding performance. He comes across as such a polished and seasoned reader that I was surprised to learn later that this was only his third book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No – but I was swept away by the gripping and unrelenting momentum of the narrative. It is one thing for a writer to achieve moments of intensity, but quite another matter for a writer to sustain that intensity or over the course of an entire novel, which is what Aragon does.

Any additional comments?

Just finished listening to Paris Plot. The novel opens with a high-level of intensity which is sustained throughout. Aragon is a writer in total command of his subject, with his insider’s view of the White House’s decision-making rituals, protocols, its perennial internal jockeying for power, and it’s Tom Clancy-like command of the high-tech national security apparat in all its intricate detail. I was struck by the originality and the timeliness of the plot, the richness and authenticity of the characters, and a setting that is second to none. The book has “movie” written all over it, especially because much of what comes out of “script-land” is often bereft of such qualities.

I recall reading shortly after 9/11 that the government had solicited the services of Tom Clancy and his like for the purposes of contriving a series of otherwise unimaginable scenarios that might pose a threat to national security, and thus allow for the formulation of contingency plans. Well, this one’s a dead ringer that belongs among those scenarios.

Non-Parisian lovers of the city will be fascinated to learn about its long-shrouded underside, which is so richly illuminated. Perhaps even Parisians will as well. All the buried arcana that is central to the novel is rooted in fact and history and is undoubtedly the product of countless hours of laborious and dedicated research by an ex-pat’s loving embrace of the city.

As a “charter member” of Audible and an avid consumer of audio literature going all the way back to the 1970s and Books on Tape, the worthy predecessor of Audible, I have assembled a library of many hundreds of readings. Though most of my “reading” is in nonfiction, I frequently indulge in suspense fiction and I have read just about everything John Grisham and Alan Furst have written, along with several of the books Clancy has written, and I will state, categorically, that this book is in their league. I also see shades of Dan Brown’s da Vinci Code, though I much prefer Aragon’s story and its Parisian arcana to his.

Aragon’s Paris Plot is a singular achievement, a tour de force in its own right, and all the more remarkable because this is his first novel.

I want to say something about the reader. I have long felt that the reading of a book can provide its recipient with a dimension beyond the reach of a reading. One of the things that makes this possible is the quality of the reading. Kudos to Ben Werling for delivering an outstanding performance that brings that special dimension to a novel that has been so skillfully crafted and beautifully written.

Extremely exciting

Ben Werling does a fantastic job of narrating this exciting international story of intrigue. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.