Shadow State cover art

Shadow State

Murder, Mayhem and Russia's Remaking of the West

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Shadow State

By: Luke Harding
Narrated by: John Sackville
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $30.99

Buy Now for $30.99

About this listen

FROM THE AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST and #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF COLLUSION

A gripping investigative account of how Russia's spies helped elect Donald Trump, backed Brexit, murdered enemies and threatened the very basis of western democracy.
'Luke Harding is one of the best reporters in the world . . . [they are] an oustanding writer, stuck in the beating heart of political and criminal power, sinking their teeth in and never letting go.'
ROBERT SAVIANO

' Shadow State raises fresh questions about the way the UK government has handled claims of Kremlin interference in Britain's democratic processes.' FINANCIAL TIMES
'If you doubt that hostile foreign powers were happy to assist Britain into decline, I recommend Shadow State . . . dazzling and meticulous.'
OBSERVER

'Excellent.' THE SCOTSMAN
'Reads like a thriller.' IRISH TIMES
'Detailed and compelling.' GUARDIAN

***
No terrorist group has deployed a nerve agent in a civilian area or used a radioactive mini-bomb in London. The Kremlin has done both.

Shadow State is a riveting and alarming investigation into the methods Russia has used to wage an increasingly bold war in the UK and beyond. In this updated edition, featuring a new afterword, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Luke Harding uncovers fake news, cyber intrusions, dirty money and ruthless spies in disguise, showing how Vladimir Putin helped elect Donald Trump, backed Brexit, and now threatens the very basis of Western democracy itself.

'A superb piece of work . . . essential reading for anyone who cares for his country.'
JOHN LE CARR É, on Collusion

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Luke Harding (P)2020 Guardian Faber Publishing
Corruption & Misconduct Espionage Politics & Government Russia True Crime Soviet Union War
All stars
Most relevant  
If you like Kremlinology thrillers and the Guardian and John Le Carré you'll love this. Heavy on detail, which can be hard to follow in places, but it flows well. It fleshes out the news on topics like the Steele Dossier, impeachment, collusion etc. Narrator seems to be going for 'the James Bond voice' which is naff but suits the subject matter.

The Handy Guide to Trump/Russia

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Like a spy novel but alarmingly reflects reality. I enjoyed the narration by John Sackville. The only issue for me was the Russian names..harder to follow in audio rather than written form. Great “read”. Thanks Luke.

Gripping story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

started off interesting talking about Russian assassinations and KGB and FSB hitmen, as the title and synopsis suggest. Then unfortunately took a burnt out turn and simply bashed Trump and other right wing people for the last 7 chapters, with no interesting or convincing ties to Russian shadow states. At one stage in chapter 12, when pointing out Biden's dodgy dealings with Ukraine somehow turns it around to again burn Trump and Republicans. I really don't have a dog in the fight I'm Australian. I purchased the book to read about shadow states and Russian underground assassinations and political strategy. if I wanted to read about Trump and American politics I would have purchased one of the many books. VERY DISAPOINTING with the authors very obvious bias

should be renamed - "Vote for Biden, please"

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.