-
The Washington Decree
- A Novel
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 22 hrs and 23 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $27.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Keeper of Lost Causes
- Department Q, Book 1
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl - who didn’t draw his weapon - blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: A liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead...yet.
-
-
Dark, Cold, and Danish
- By Ted on 11-28-12
-
The Alphabet House
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
British pilots James Teasdale and Bryan Young have been chosen to conduct a special photo-reconnaissance mission near Dresden, Germany. Intelligence believes the Nazis are building new factories that could turn the tide of the war. When their plane is shot down, James and Bryan know they will be executed if captured. With an enemy patrol in pursuit, they manage to jump aboard a train reserved for senior SS soldiers wounded on the eastern front.
-
-
Leaped before I looked. Happy I did.
- By John S on 02-26-15
-
The Cuckoo's Calling
- By: Robert Galbraith
- Narrated by: Robert Glenister
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, creditors are calling, and after a breakup with his longtime girlfriend, he’s living in his office. Then John Bristow walks through his door with a shocking story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry - known to her friends as the Cuckoo - famously fell to her death a few months earlier.
-
-
Unbelievable debut mystery set in London
- By Tracey on 05-26-13
By: Robert Galbraith
-
Reykjavík
- A Crime Story
- By: Ragnar Jónasson, Katrín Jakobsdóttir
- Narrated by: Bert Seymour, Tamaryn Payne
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Iceland, 1956. Fourteen-year-old Lára decides to spend the summer working for a couple on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík. In early August, the girl disappears without a trace. Time passes, and the mystery becomes Iceland‘s most infamous unsolved case. What happened to the young girl? Is she still alive? Did she leave the island, or did something happen to her there? Thirty years later, as the city of Reykjavík celebrates its 200th anniversary, journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation into Lára's case.
-
-
Better than expected
- By Shopper on 11-18-23
By: Ragnar Jónasson, and others
-
The Deserter
- By: Nelson DeMille, Alex DeMille
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 20 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Captain Kyle Mercer of the Army’s elite Delta Force disappeared from his post in Afghanistan, a video released by his Taliban captors made international headlines. But circumstances were murky: Did Mercer desert before he was captured? Then a second video sent to Mercer’s Army commanders leaves no doubt: The trained assassin and keeper of classified Army intelligence has disappeared.
-
-
Did you have to shoot the mule????
- By shelley on 10-23-19
By: Nelson DeMille, and others
-
The Murderer's Son
- A Jackman and Evans Thriller
- By: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Crimebusting duo DI Jackman and DS Evans are back, solving another crime that will make your skin crawl. Twenty years ago: a farmer and his wife are cut to pieces by a ruthless serial killer. Now: a woman is viciously stabbed to death in the upmarket kitchen of her beautiful house on the edge of the marshes. Then a man called Daniel Kinder walks into Saltern police station and confesses to the murder. But DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans of the Fenland Constabulary soon discover that there is a lot more to Daniel than meets the eye.
-
-
Audible ruined this one for me.
- By Julie on 12-29-18
By: Joy Ellis
-
The Keeper of Lost Causes
- Department Q, Book 1
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl - who didn’t draw his weapon - blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: A liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead...yet.
-
-
Dark, Cold, and Danish
- By Ted on 11-28-12
-
The Alphabet House
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
British pilots James Teasdale and Bryan Young have been chosen to conduct a special photo-reconnaissance mission near Dresden, Germany. Intelligence believes the Nazis are building new factories that could turn the tide of the war. When their plane is shot down, James and Bryan know they will be executed if captured. With an enemy patrol in pursuit, they manage to jump aboard a train reserved for senior SS soldiers wounded on the eastern front.
-
-
Leaped before I looked. Happy I did.
- By John S on 02-26-15
-
The Cuckoo's Calling
- By: Robert Galbraith
- Narrated by: Robert Glenister
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, creditors are calling, and after a breakup with his longtime girlfriend, he’s living in his office. Then John Bristow walks through his door with a shocking story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry - known to her friends as the Cuckoo - famously fell to her death a few months earlier.
-
-
Unbelievable debut mystery set in London
- By Tracey on 05-26-13
By: Robert Galbraith
-
Reykjavík
- A Crime Story
- By: Ragnar Jónasson, Katrín Jakobsdóttir
- Narrated by: Bert Seymour, Tamaryn Payne
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Iceland, 1956. Fourteen-year-old Lára decides to spend the summer working for a couple on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík. In early August, the girl disappears without a trace. Time passes, and the mystery becomes Iceland‘s most infamous unsolved case. What happened to the young girl? Is she still alive? Did she leave the island, or did something happen to her there? Thirty years later, as the city of Reykjavík celebrates its 200th anniversary, journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation into Lára's case.
-
-
Better than expected
- By Shopper on 11-18-23
By: Ragnar Jónasson, and others
-
The Deserter
- By: Nelson DeMille, Alex DeMille
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 20 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Captain Kyle Mercer of the Army’s elite Delta Force disappeared from his post in Afghanistan, a video released by his Taliban captors made international headlines. But circumstances were murky: Did Mercer desert before he was captured? Then a second video sent to Mercer’s Army commanders leaves no doubt: The trained assassin and keeper of classified Army intelligence has disappeared.
-
-
Did you have to shoot the mule????
- By shelley on 10-23-19
By: Nelson DeMille, and others
-
The Murderer's Son
- A Jackman and Evans Thriller
- By: Joy Ellis
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Crimebusting duo DI Jackman and DS Evans are back, solving another crime that will make your skin crawl. Twenty years ago: a farmer and his wife are cut to pieces by a ruthless serial killer. Now: a woman is viciously stabbed to death in the upmarket kitchen of her beautiful house on the edge of the marshes. Then a man called Daniel Kinder walks into Saltern police station and confesses to the murder. But DI Rowan Jackman and DS Marie Evans of the Fenland Constabulary soon discover that there is a lot more to Daniel than meets the eye.
-
-
Audible ruined this one for me.
- By Julie on 12-29-18
By: Joy Ellis
-
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- A Lisbeth Salander Novel
- By: Stieg Larsson, Reg Keeland - translator
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
-
-
A Classic Mystery with Wonderful Characters
- By Robert on 12-22-08
By: Stieg Larsson, and others
-
The Hypnotist
- A Novel
- By: Lars Kepler
- Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The police are desperate for information on the triple homicide. Detective Joona Linna enlists the help of hypnotist Erik Maria Bark. But when Bark unlocks the secrets in the boy’s memory, he triggers a terrifying chain of events that will put all their lives in jeopardy.
-
-
Gripping and mysterious!
- By 311CHICK on 09-20-18
By: Lars Kepler
-
The Tenant
- By: Katrine Engberg
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a young woman is found brutally murdered in her own apartment with an intricate pattern of lines carved into her face, Copenhagen police detectives Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner are assigned to the case. Soon, they establish a link between the victim, Julie Stender, and her landlady, Esther de Laurenti, who’s a bit too fond of drink and the host of raucous dinner parties with her artist friends. Esther also turns out to be a budding novelist - and when Julie turns up as a murder victim in the unfinished mystery she’s writing, the link between fiction and real life grows.
-
-
THOROUGHLY enjoyed this!!!
- By Mary C. Garrison on 02-10-20
By: Katrine Engberg
-
The Secret Hours
- By: Mick Herron
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two years ago, a hostile Prime Minister launched the Monochrome inquiry, investigating "historical over-reaching" by the British Secret Service “to investigate historical over-reaching.” Monochrome’s mission was to ferret out any hint of misconduct by any MI5 officer—and allowed Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, the two civil servants seconded to the project, unfettered access to any and all confidential information in the Service archives in order to do so. But MI5’s formidable First Desk did not become Britain’s top spy by accident, and she has successfully thwarted the inquiry at every turn.
-
-
Herron's best writing yet, and that's saying a lot
- By Patrick Lynch on 09-19-23
By: Mick Herron
-
Songbird
- Kings Lake Investigation Series, Book 1
- By: Peter Grainger
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Sergeant Chris Waters got the call at 05.29 that July morning. This is it, said DCI Reeve, you'll be first there, it's all yours, you're the crime scene manager. Suddenly, after months of waiting and wondering, Waters finds himself in at the deep end, and alone at the scene of a puzzling murder. As the investigation proceeds, the detectives at Kings Lake Central find themselves visiting familiar places and talking to some familiar faces, while old enmities reappear in the incident room. Before this is over, Chris Waters will need to make a career-changing decision.
-
-
Loved it...
- By Kelly on 09-20-19
By: Peter Grainger
-
Still Life
- Chief Inspector Gamache, Book 1
- By: Louise Penny
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.
-
-
A rare find
- By Alex on 01-16-15
By: Louise Penny
-
American Assassin
- By: Vince Flynn
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before he was considered a CIA superagent, before he was thought of as a terrorist's worst nightmare, and before he was both loathed and admired by the politicians on Capitol Hill, Mitch Rapp was a gifted college athlete without a care in the world...and then tragedy struck.
-
-
Flynn never disappoints
- By lesley on 10-12-10
By: Vince Flynn
-
A Great Deliverance
- Inspector Lynley, Book 1
- By: Elizabeth George
- Narrated by: Donada Peters
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an ax in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry".
-
-
good debut novel
- By Stevon on 11-11-19
By: Elizabeth George
-
The Whole Truth
- By: David Baldacci
- Narrated by: Ron McLarty
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Pender Associates is a shadowy organization that specializes in managing seemingly impossible situations for its clients. Sometimes, those services extend to managing - and creating - armed conflict.
-
-
Hopefully not a new trend...
- By Colin on 07-30-08
By: David Baldacci
-
The Quiet Game
- By: Greg Iles
- Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When former prosecutor Penn Cage returns to his hometown of Natchez, Mississippi, he doesn't find the peace he desperately craves. He finds that his own father is being blackmailed by a corrupt ex-cop. And when Penn investigates, he uncovers a murderous secret - and the small town's violent past.
-
-
Complex and Good Courtroom Drama!
- By R. Pontiflet on 02-09-15
By: Greg Iles
-
Term Limits
- By: Vince Flynn
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In one bloody night, three of Washington’s most powerful politicians are executed with surgical precision. Their assassins then deliver a shocking ultimatum to the American government: set aside partisan politics and restore power to the people. No one, they warn, is out of their reach—not even the president. A joint FBI-CIA task force reveals the killers are elite military commandos, but no one knows exactly who they are or when they will strike next.
-
-
Vince Flynn's first novel
- By Wayne on 08-24-15
By: Vince Flynn
-
While Justice Sleeps
- A Novel
- By: Stacey Abrams
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo, Stacey Abrams
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Avery Keene, a brilliant young law clerk for the legendary Justice Howard Wynn, is doing her best to hold her life together - excelling in an arduous job with the court while also dealing with a troubled family. When the shocking news breaks that Justice Wynn - the cantankerous swing vote on many current high-profile cases - has slipped into a coma, Avery’s life turns upside down. She is immediately notified that Justice Wynn has left instructions for her to serve as his legal guardian and power of attorney.
-
-
Good story, Bad Reader, I still recommend
- By Renee A. Kaplowitz on 05-12-21
By: Stacey Abrams
Publisher's summary
The New York Times and number one internationally best-selling author of the Department Q series is back, with a terrifyingly relevant stand-alone novel about an America in chaos.
"The president has gone way too far.... These are practically dictatorial methods we're talking about."
Sixteen years before democratic Senator Bruce Jansen was elected president of the United States, a PR stunt brought together five very different people: 14-year-old Dorothy "Doggie" Rogers, small-town sheriff T. Perkins, single mother Rosalie Lee, well-known journalist John Bugatti, and the teenage son of one of Jansen's employees, Wesley Barefoot. In spite of their differences, the five remain bonded by their shared experience and devotion to their candidate.
For Doggie, who worked the campaign trail with Wesley, Jansen's election is a personal victory: a job in the White House, proof to her Republican father that she was right to support Jansen, and the rise of an intelligent, clear-headed leader with her same ideals. But the triumph is short-lived: Jansen's pregnant wife is assassinated on election night, and the alleged mastermind behind the shooting is none other than Doggie's own father.
When Jansen ascends to the White House, he is a changed man, determined to end gun violence by any means necessary. Rights are taken away as quickly as weapons. International travel becomes impossible. Checkpoints and roadblocks destroy infrastructure. The media is censored. Militias declare civil war on the government. The country is in chaos, and Jansen's former friends each find themselves fighting a very different battle, for themselves, their rights, their country...and, in Doggie's case, the life of her father, who just may be innocent.
Critic reviews
“Adler-Olsen writes as if he’s lived in the United States his entire life, and the novel reads as if it were written recently, not years ago. This thought-provoking and timely political thriller shows the author can craft more than compelling crime scenarios.” (Associated Press)
“A tantalizing and timely premise makes this political thriller one of those all-too-real scenarios that leave you thinking once you’re done. Spicy, smart, and entertaining.” (Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author)
“Adler-Olsen weaves a thought-provoking dystopia. . . . A hauntingly timely political thriller.” (Booklist)
More from the same
What listeners say about The Washington Decree
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Caoimhin
- 09-08-18
Fan of Dep't Q, but "Decree" bombs - it's horrible
Frustratingly absurd and uninformed. Too many mistakes to make it readable.
I have enjoyed Jussi Adler-Olsen's books, so the author's branching into U.S. politics for a thriller seemed like a fun departure from Dep't Q. I love a good conspiracy/thriller and enjoy Mr. Adler-Olsen's ability to create interesting characters and plot lines. Naturally I purchased this book as soon as became available in English. BIG MISTAKE.
The Washington Decree is comically frustrating in its failure to understand the simplest, most basic, and fundamental aspects, laws, history, practical operation and facts regarding:
1. The U.S. media;
2. The general U.S. political process and particularly the the presidential election process, including the political parties' primaries/caucuses; and the general election;
3. Fundamental bureaucratic & governmental processes at the federal level and the state level (particularly the State of Virginia which figures prominently in the book);
4. U.S. President and Presidential candidate federal security laws, requirements, institutions and practices;
5. Congress' constitutional duties as well as its practical operation, traditional role and its normal operation.
6. The relationship among the three branches of federal government in both "normal" times and periods of "national emergency," to the extent they differ.
7. Normal White House and, specifically West Wing, jobs, practices, operations and personnel duties.
8. The clearly delineated and specific Constitutional and statutory process governing the Presidential line of succession;
9. The role of U.S. federal agencies and their enabling legislation, authority, budgets, etc. -- PARTICULARLY the federal emergency management agency (FEMA).
Especially relative to FEMA, the author presents a completely fictionalized description of the agency's (a) personnel, (b) budget, (c) expertise & infrastructure/assets/equipment; and (d) the book completely misrepresents FEMA's congressionally authorized (and funded) scope of authority. The author has, effectively, created from whole cloth a federal agency that even the most deranged, paranoid, straight-jacketed, mentally challenged & babbling conspiracy fantasist could possibly believe exists -- even while drooling under the influence of the most exotic cocktail of psychotropic pharmaceuticals. The author's description of FEMA, and its (non)enabling statutes is, genuinely, that extreme.
10. Enough already, I'm stopping, literally, at the tip of the phantasmagoric iceberg.
Artistic license, bending truth and asking a readers to suspend disbelief are part of the process for fiction writers: particularly those writers who create thrillers. That is not, however, the situation in "The Washington Decree." Rather, and in addition to its factual errors, the book is further undermined by the inclusion, apparently for the reader's convenience, a reference Appendix. The Appendix, rather than offering the reader historical or legal background, is almost complete fiction. It begins, for instance, by stating "FEMA was created by executive order of President Nixon" and subsequent Presidents granted additional "powers" by executive orders/decrees. Not true. In fact, Congress - not President Nixon - created FEMA through the regular legislative process in 1974. Next, President Nixon signed the congressional FEMA legislation into law. Similarly, Congress reorganized the agency in the late '70s, and President Carter signed the updated legislation detailing FEMA's responsibilities. FEMA continues to be enabled, statutorily governed and funded by Congress. Despite this, in the book's factual "Appendix," Mr. Adler-Olsen claims FEMA has no statutory authority, was not created by Congress and further states the agency derives all its authority solely from Presidential Executive Orders. All patently false statements. Furthermore, the book's Appendix states, after fabricating a FEMA "creation myth," that FEMA also has the authority to suspend the U.S. Constitution. Believe that whopper, and I have a bridge to sell you.
Similar to the ahistorical description of FEMA's statutes and funding, "The Washington Decree's" reference Appendix lists multiple government documents and executive orders to which the author writes his own paraphrased brief explanation of how these documents control the U.S government. Essentially, the paraphrased analysis of each Executive Order in the Appendix claims that these "Orders" authorize a shadow government that can take, control, impound or imprison all persons and property as well as suspend/revoke every state and federal statute, confiscate all private property, ignore citizen rights, privileges personal freedoms, cease any government function. To ice the cake, the author asserts these Orders empower FEMA to suspend the U.S. constitution.
"The Washington Decree's" reference Appendix is presented as the "factual" and "legal" basis for the book's fictional story. However, the Appendix is only a list of existing public documents, which are relayed via excessively imaginative paraphrasing. Even artistic license does not extend to claiming these public documents say or do the opposite of what they actually say or are intended to do.
The factual, practical and legal misunderstandings of the how the branches of government, the media, the military and various agencies operate, either individually or in relation to each other, make it impossible to appreciate this book as either a conspiracy thriller or mere frightening political fantasy.
After several decades and thousands physical and now audible books, I don't believe I have ever felt compelled to write a book review. My surprise at the excessive number, and extreme nature, of the factual errors (i.e. fiction presented as "fact" and used to underline the story) is too egregious to ignore. Particularly when the misapprehensions and historical falsehoods emanate from such a well recognized and best-selling author; and and author whom I otherwise hold in high regard.
Can't wait for the next Dep't Q book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
31 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ann
- 08-18-18
A poor imitation of Grisham
I love the Department Q series and began the Washington Decree with great anticipation.
It is hard to believe that this book was written by the same author. No finesse, no complexity, poorly developed characters and a plot that raises the eyebrows in skepticism at every turn.
Stick to Denmark Jussi, and to Carl, Assad and Rose
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
19 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- WordGuy
- 08-28-18
Badly conceived, badly written, badly performed
I'm a fan of the Department Q novels and also of Adler-Olsen's first novel, Alphabet House, but The Washington Decree is dreck and this performance by Jason Culp is hardly better. This long novel includes not one interesting/sympathetic character. The main characters who are supposed to be sympathetic are mere caricatures and never evoke a sense of reality; so we never really care when they avoid capture or succeed in their pursuits. In fact, the caricatures are so broad that they seem like parodic. The plot is unconvincing in its rush to deliver its dystopian vision. The author has a few too many slips in which his lack of familiarity with American government show. (And the translator may have contributed to that.) The reader presents almost every character as having a Southern accent though the text suggests only three or four members of this enormous cast are from the South; and the presentation of African-American voices is offensive.
I'm two-thirds of the way through the 22-hour listen and have decided to abandon it. I just don't care about what lies in the final third.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
18 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- apb
- 08-20-18
A disappointment...
I have enjoyed this authors books in the past and was excited for a new story, but this was a disappointment. The story was not well developed, shallow and predictable. It was also without the humor I’ve enjoyed previously from the writer. The narration was also unfortunate, at times almost unbelievable in the assumed regional accents.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nancy Young Rapp
- 01-06-19
Olsen wrote this?
I have never written a review before. I love love love Olsen's Dept. Q novels. Great characters that develop naturally throughout the series, plots that surprise the reader, and such intelligence in the writing. Wonderful. The Washington Decree had NONE of these qualities. The characters were shallow, unrealistic events and vague explanations did not seem to me written by the same person at all. Such a disappointment. Olsen would do much better that whomever penned this.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 08-20-18
Bad Translation?
I have read all of Adler-Olsen's Department Q books and have liked every one of them, so I was excited to find a new title. This one really falls flat. The main female character is named "Doggy". Yikes! Whose idea was that? The plot line had a lot of potential, but the prose was so bad! Choices of idioms were almost laughable at times. The political scene seemed unrealistic and uninformed. The "good guys" and the "bad guys" were flat and predictable. And the narrator did nothing to punch this up..
I eagerly await the next Department Q installment. This one was a bad idea.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- erik
- 01-27-19
So glad its over
Jussi Adler Olsen is a brilliant writer. The Q series and the Alphabet house are just great but better leave this one alone. Flimsy, predictable and faaaaar too long for such a weak story. Performance didn’t help either. Please Jussi ignore the American market and write another brilliant European novel (preferably read by Steven Pacey)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joseph
- 10-12-18
BORING
I was surprised I thought this book might be interesting. I have enjoyed the authors prior works.The Performance was questionable. The story was long and unreasonably drawn out. The character development was unimpressive.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joyous
- 08-30-18
disappointment
I think that Jussi Adler Olsen should stick to Dept. Q. I also hope that DJT never reads this.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Barb Haagenstad
- 01-05-19
Disappointed
This is not Jussi Adler-Olsen"s best work. There were inconsistencies and characters behaving stupidly, as in no reasonable person would have done the activity or believed what another character was telling them. too much handwringing and soap opera.
I am a big fan of Jussi's books so I am disappointed.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Alphabet House
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
British pilots James Teasdale and Bryan Young have been chosen to conduct a special photo-reconnaissance mission near Dresden, Germany. Intelligence believes the Nazis are building new factories that could turn the tide of the war. When their plane is shot down, James and Bryan know they will be executed if captured. With an enemy patrol in pursuit, they manage to jump aboard a train reserved for senior SS soldiers wounded on the eastern front.
-
-
Leaped before I looked. Happy I did.
- By John S on 02-26-15
-
The Keeper of Lost Causes
- Department Q, Book 1
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl - who didn’t draw his weapon - blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: A liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead...yet.
-
-
Dark, Cold, and Danish
- By Ted on 11-28-12
-
Hidden in Snow
- The Åre Murders, Book 1
- By: Viveca Sten, Marlaine Delargy - translator
- Narrated by: Laura Jennings
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the day Stockholm police officer Hanna Ahlander’s personal and professional lives crash, she takes refuge at her sister’s lodge in the Swedish ski resort paradise of Åre. But it’s a brief comfort. The entire village is shaken by the sudden vanishing of a local teenage girl. Hanna can’t help but investigate, and while searching for the missing person, she lands a job with the local police department. There she joins forces with Detective Inspector Daniel Lindskog, who has been tasked with finding the girl. Their only lead: a scarf in the snow.
-
-
More of a soap opera than a mystery
- By Cheryl Lynn on 12-07-22
By: Viveca Sten, and others
-
Erbarmen
- Carl Mørck 1
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Wolfram Koch, Ulrike Hübschmann
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Merete. Du bist jetzt seit 126 Tagen hier: Carl Mørck kehrt nach einem schweren Trauma in den Polizeidienst zurück. Im neu gegründeten Sonderdezernat Q soll er alte ungelöste Fälle archivieren. Mit seinem Mitarbeiter Assad kommt er der Politikerin Merete Lynggaard auf die Spur. Sie ist seit fünf Jahren verschwunden - entführt und in einem schalldichten Raum gefangen.
-
The Jealousy Man and Other Stories
- By: Jo Nesbø, Robert Ferguson
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith, Christian Coulson, Mark Deakins, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jo Nesbø is known the world over as a consummate mystery/thriller writer. Famed for his deft characterization, hair-raising suspense and shocking twists, Nesbø’s dexterity with the dark corners of the human heart is on full display in these inventive and enthralling stories.
-
-
Pretend you don't know Hole and it's pretty good
- By Doug M on 10-08-21
By: Jo Nesbø, and others
-
The Third to Die
- By: Allison Brennan
- Narrated by: Suzanne T. Fortin
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Kara Quinn, on leave from the LAPD, is on an early morning jog in her hometown of Liberty Lake when she comes upon the body of a young nurse. The manner of death shows a pattern of highly controlled rage. Meanwhile in DC, FBI Special Agent Mathias Costa is staffing his newly minted Mobile Response Team. Word reaches Matt that the Liberty Lake murder fits the profile of the compulsive Triple Killer. It will be the first case for the MRT. This time, they have a chance to stop this zealous, if elusive, killer before he strikes again.
-
-
Frustrating Read
- By celeste curley on 03-02-20
By: Allison Brennan
-
The Alphabet House
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
British pilots James Teasdale and Bryan Young have been chosen to conduct a special photo-reconnaissance mission near Dresden, Germany. Intelligence believes the Nazis are building new factories that could turn the tide of the war. When their plane is shot down, James and Bryan know they will be executed if captured. With an enemy patrol in pursuit, they manage to jump aboard a train reserved for senior SS soldiers wounded on the eastern front.
-
-
Leaped before I looked. Happy I did.
- By John S on 02-26-15
-
The Keeper of Lost Causes
- Department Q, Book 1
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl - who didn’t draw his weapon - blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: A liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead...yet.
-
-
Dark, Cold, and Danish
- By Ted on 11-28-12
-
Hidden in Snow
- The Åre Murders, Book 1
- By: Viveca Sten, Marlaine Delargy - translator
- Narrated by: Laura Jennings
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the day Stockholm police officer Hanna Ahlander’s personal and professional lives crash, she takes refuge at her sister’s lodge in the Swedish ski resort paradise of Åre. But it’s a brief comfort. The entire village is shaken by the sudden vanishing of a local teenage girl. Hanna can’t help but investigate, and while searching for the missing person, she lands a job with the local police department. There she joins forces with Detective Inspector Daniel Lindskog, who has been tasked with finding the girl. Their only lead: a scarf in the snow.
-
-
More of a soap opera than a mystery
- By Cheryl Lynn on 12-07-22
By: Viveca Sten, and others
-
Erbarmen
- Carl Mørck 1
- By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Narrated by: Wolfram Koch, Ulrike Hübschmann
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Merete. Du bist jetzt seit 126 Tagen hier: Carl Mørck kehrt nach einem schweren Trauma in den Polizeidienst zurück. Im neu gegründeten Sonderdezernat Q soll er alte ungelöste Fälle archivieren. Mit seinem Mitarbeiter Assad kommt er der Politikerin Merete Lynggaard auf die Spur. Sie ist seit fünf Jahren verschwunden - entführt und in einem schalldichten Raum gefangen.
-
The Jealousy Man and Other Stories
- By: Jo Nesbø, Robert Ferguson
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith, Christian Coulson, Mark Deakins, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jo Nesbø is known the world over as a consummate mystery/thriller writer. Famed for his deft characterization, hair-raising suspense and shocking twists, Nesbø’s dexterity with the dark corners of the human heart is on full display in these inventive and enthralling stories.
-
-
Pretend you don't know Hole and it's pretty good
- By Doug M on 10-08-21
By: Jo Nesbø, and others
-
The Third to Die
- By: Allison Brennan
- Narrated by: Suzanne T. Fortin
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Kara Quinn, on leave from the LAPD, is on an early morning jog in her hometown of Liberty Lake when she comes upon the body of a young nurse. The manner of death shows a pattern of highly controlled rage. Meanwhile in DC, FBI Special Agent Mathias Costa is staffing his newly minted Mobile Response Team. Word reaches Matt that the Liberty Lake murder fits the profile of the compulsive Triple Killer. It will be the first case for the MRT. This time, they have a chance to stop this zealous, if elusive, killer before he strikes again.
-
-
Frustrating Read
- By celeste curley on 03-02-20
By: Allison Brennan
Related to this topic
-
Cash Landing
- A Novel
- By: James Grippando
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every week a hundred million dollars in cash arrives at Miami International Airport, shipped by German banks to the Federal Reserve. A select group of trusted workers moves the bags through customs and loads them into armored trucks.
-
-
Good Start To The Series
- By Lia on 10-21-18
By: James Grippando
-
Hunter
- A Thriller
- By: Robert Bidinotto
- Narrated by: Conor Hall
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From its first moments, Hunter takes you on a nonstop thrill ride: from the top floor of the CIA, to the marbled corridors of Capitol Hill...from the posh hotels of downtown Washington, to the city's mean, violent streets. It introduces a colorful new hero for our time - and a dazzling heroine every bit his equal. A spy mystery...a crime thriller...a passionate romance: Hunter is a genre-bending novel unlike any you've read. Deviously plotted, filled with vivid characters, and propelled at a breakneck pace.
-
-
Best Vigilante Story since Without Remorse
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 04-16-16
By: Robert Bidinotto
-
Lies She Never Told Me
- By: John Ellsworth
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael Gresham been trained as a lawyer. He believes in the rule of law, and he believes that no man is above the law. But his grandmother won't let him go. She tells him a certain man must die for his crimes. Michael loves his grandmother with every cell in his body. Can he refuse her dying wish? Will he honor the vow he makes to this most important woman in his life? And so, the hunt begins.
-
-
Glad I did not listen to this one first!
- By Wayne on 01-24-19
By: John Ellsworth
-
At All Costs
- By: John Gilstrap
- Narrated by: Chris Kayser
- Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jake and Carolyn have lived a lie for 14 years to protect themselves. But now they have to protect their 13-year-old son, Travis. Their only chance is to return to the hellish scene of an unprecedented crime, and collect the evidence that may finally set them free - if they can elude a massive manhunt long enough to get there.
-
-
Avoid AT ALL COSTS
- By cristina on 04-05-16
By: John Gilstrap
-
Aphrodite
- By: Russell Andrews
- Narrated by: Buck Schirner
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It looked for all the world like a terrible, tragic accident. Susanna Morgan had gotten up in the middle of the night, tripped, fallen, and broken her neck. Yet when detective Justin Westwood inspects the victim's apartment, he can't help noticing that the details don't quite add up. The glass on the bedside table is knocked over but there are no cuts on her body. The scrape on her knee looks suspiciously fresh. And then a terrified witness comes forward, confirming his worst fear.
-
-
Just Works - Wonderfully
- By Ted on 05-03-12
By: Russell Andrews
-
Secret Sanction
- Sean Drummond Series, Book 1
- By: Brian Haig
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A battalion of Serbs has been senselessly murdered in Kosovo, and the Green Berets stand accused. Now, Major Sean Drummond, a top Army lawyer, is assigned to investigate this unspeakable atrocity. But of course, no one saw anything. Drummond gets consistently suspicious depositions from all of the Green Berets: Supposedly pursued by Serb soldiers, they left the engagement with wounded Serbs firing at them, and no one can explain the number of deaths.
-
-
I want the rest of the Sean Drummond series!
- By shelley on 11-10-16