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The Insider

BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE SCARLET PAPERS: THE TIMES THRILLER OF THE YEAR 2023

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The Insider

By: Matthew Richardson
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A thrilling novel of espionage and murder in the dark heart of Westminster, from the UK's most exciting new spy writer

A Russian defector is found brutally murdered in a London hotel.

Only four people knew he had turned - the four most important and powerful figures in Whitehall.

There's only one conclusion - a mole has infiltrated the highest levels of the nation's security.

Operating in secret from within Westminster's darkest corners, former spy, Solomon Vine, must uncover the traitor.

Because Britain's future hangs in the balance.

And with it the fate of the whole world . . .


Praise for Matthew Richardson

Proof that the spy genre is flourishing in the 21st century . . . [Richardson's] plotting has an old-school, Swiss-clock precision - The Guardian

Compelling, intense and sharply authentic - James Swallow, bestselling author of Nomad

A splendid tale of espionage starring an old-fashioned MI6 hero . . . exciting spy literature - The Times

A bang-up-to-date thriller told with old-school panache. A great read. - Mick Herron, CWA Gold Dagger-winning author of the Slough House Series

© Matthew Richardson 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 Espionage Genre Fiction Political Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Exciting

Critic Reviews

Praise for Matthew Richardson
Proof that the spy genre is flourishing in the 21st century . . . [Richardson's] plotting has an old-school, Swiss-clock precision
Compelling, intense and sharply authentic (James Swallow, bestselling author of Nomad)
A bang-up-to-date thriller told with old-school panache. A great read. (Mick Herron, CWA Gold Dagger-winning author of Dead Lions)
A splendid tale of espionage starring an old-fashioned MI6 hero . . . exciting spy literature
Combines immaculate Cold War tradecraft with modern tech savvy as our maverick hero comes up against a le Carré-esque establishment while trying to find a mole
Supremely confident . . . told with panache and a taste for spy craft that mark it as outstanding
Authentic, mysterious, fraught with deception, betrayal, and uncertain allegiances, it captures perfectly the foggy world of spies (Jason Matthews, author of Red Sparrow)
Calls to mind early le Carré (Gregg Hurwitz, bestselling author of Orphan X)
Truly authentic and frighteningly so . . . a remarkable thriller
All stars
Most relevant
The story has just the right balance of narrative to conversation. The tension builds slowly and relentlessly. Sean Barrett's reading is - as ever - faultless. In the past year I've probably listened to a couple of hundred books, and this is one of the top five. I'll admit I guessed the villain half-way through, but that hardly made the story less enjoyable because there was no certainty the hero would find out in time.

Perfect balance.

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One of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to this year - both the story and the narration. Starts out like a modern day Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and then takes an unexpected turn. Highly recommend.

Fantastic

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Excellent story Classic spy who done it Immerses the listener in a world of twists and turns
Well read Immensely enjoyable

Recommended

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Taunt plot and wonderful narration. Welcome to the world of a spy and his craft.

Excellent

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The plot was great just what you would expect from a spy thriller. It was also very atmospheric of London . The character is very much what we would call on the spectrum but relatable.
I do wish we really did work our security system like this but feel UK. no longer has the skill or training.
The clues he had to follow were very hard to find and then didn’t seem that impactful!
Really worth the read

Great Spy thriller

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