The Statement

By: Brian Moore

Narrated by: James D'Arcy

The Statement is the story of Pierre Brossard, a man condemned to death in absentia by French courts for crimes against humanity during WWII. Sheltered by the Catholic Church for over forty years, Brossard suddenly finds himself on the run when a new police investigation is opened. But someone else is after him too and Brossard finds himself outwitting his many pursuers whilst figuring out exactly who they are and whether they want him dead or alive. A tense thriller about loyalty and corruption, The Statement uncovers some dark secrets lying at the heart of Europe's religious and political establishments.
Read by James D'Arcy

Fast paced, absorbing listening!

Where does The Statement rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Audiobooks have to grab and keep my interest start to finish when I am driving long distances. The Statement was one of the best at starting a fast paced story and continuing the ride with an absorbing story. The main character was a challenge but the author creates a backstory that at once sets him up as a villain but also makes him a multi-dimentional man so that when he races ahead of his fate, the reader understand his vulnerability.

What other book might you compare The Statement to and why?

In general, I listen to real-life adventure stories and biographies. This story is compelling and compares to a true story in its pace and detail.

Have you listened to any of James D'Arcy’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. However, he did a great job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The wife who comes back to her little apartment and finds her husband waiting for her made me cringe for her. She loathes him and all he's done and fears for the little dog she loves, She knows he is capable of demanding something of her and hurting her little Bobby if she doesn't comply.

Any additional comments?

After I listened to the book, I came across the movie version and was pleasantly surprised at how closely the plot followed the book.

Fast Moving

I was hooked to the story within 10 minutes of listening. Brian Moore's novels are fast-moving and deal with complex topics such as faith, the church and being Irish.

Good story

I enjoy this genre and time period, and the plot in The Statement was interesting, but the characters never came to life. The writing in The Statement was fine but workaday, not artful like Le Carre, Ben MacIntyre or Alan Furst.