Game of Spies
The Secret Agent, the Traitor and the Nazi, Bordeaux 1942-1944
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Game of Spies
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Narrated by:
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Paddy Ashdown
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By:
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Paddy Ashdown
About this listen
A riveting three-way spy story set in occupied France.
In the tradition of Ben MacIntyre, Game of Spies tells the story of a lethal spy triangle in Bordeaux between 1942 and 1944 - and of France's greatest betrayal, by aristocratic and right-wing Resistance leader Andre Grandclement.
The story centres on three men - one British, one French and one German - and the duel they fought out in an atmosphere of collaboration, betrayal and assassination, in which comrades sold fellow comrades, Allied agents and downed pilots to the Germans as casually as they would a bottle of wine.
It is a story of SOE, treachery, bed-hopping and executions in the city labelled la plus collaboratrice in the whole of France.
©2016 Paddy Ashdown (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"A powerful account of an extraordinary story." (The Times)
"A fine account." (5*, Daily Telegraph)
"Written with pace, the detail is fine...and Ashdown is well-placed to write this book, which requires an understanding of military strategy, diplomacy and political shenanigans, as well as old fashioned story telling skill." (Spectator)
Praise for A Brilliant Little Operation:
"The story of Operation Frankton is an extreme example of a plan brilliantly conceived and badly botched. The 10 commandos who made a secret canoe raid in 1942 on German merchant ships have become icons of British wartime derring-do." (The Times)
"No doubt many more books will be written about the war, but I hope this becomes a model for them since, though the heroism of our boys is stirring stuff, history only makes real sense if you can see it from all sides." (Daily Telegraph)
"Paddy Ashdown has sifted the facts from the myths to write a fascinating and very personal account." (Independent)
"It moves at the pace of a thriller and it's real." (Nick Ferrari, Sunday Express)
"Ashdown's insights and his extensive research in an impressive range of archives will ensure that yet another work on the subject will not be required in the foreseeable future." (Times Literary Supplement)
What listeners say about Game of Spies
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Timbo
- 05-08-20
Excellent
I’m so glad to have listened to this audiobook. I was delighted to find it was Passy read his tale, making it all the more enjoyable.
This record, clearly excellently researched, leaves is with a most remarkable record of great value.
Thank you very much for all involved in this erstwhile venture!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 15-03-24
A most excellent presentation. Well-written and beautifully narrated.
Faultless. If you like ww2 audiobook stories then this is a must-have. Definitely in my top 5 greatest audiobook collection.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- ndg
- 13-10-20
Very detailed
More of a history book that in it self is a fascinating subject, but unfortunately came across as a bit of a monologue lacking the highs and lows of the drama of the circumstances with a lot of detail and numerous characters but no real character development for the listener to latch on to. Nonetheless a very worthy subject with incredible research as a basis of the story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ash
- 04-11-22
Surprising and very well read.
This does not have the suspense of a Ben Macintyre and I wonder if that is partly down to Paddy Ashdowns undramatic delivery. It in no way detracted for me the drama of this brutal strory and PA read it very well indeed. I wonder if thought given to Toby Longworth or James Lailie if it may have been more gripping than it was. Dunno,
Fantastic characters and brilliant research. I love the way during the war, in the book, how human the main characters were and how life and death came and went without drama. The seriousness of the events in the moment really transferred very well here. Also the epilogue was so sad and awful to listen to. How the agents discussed did not really change any part of teh war is heartbreaking.
I am used to more of a dramatic narration, more measured and experienced, so I found Game of Spies very occaisionally faded into my background, but PA;s commitment and connection to his book makes up for all that. I am pleased that I heard him read it and that it was different. Different is good.
I learnt a lot. Thank you.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- JOhn
- 02-05-17
Brilliantly researched, possibly a bit too much....
Meticulously researched and interesting main characters, but I got the impression the writer really tried to spin it out for as long as possible; it starts brilliantly but the pace kind of drops off after a while. There were so many superfluous characters who played minor roles it was difficult to keep track - and at the end when he explained what became of them all after the war I'd forgotten who most of them were and what they'd done.
The amount of detail reflects the huge amount of research which was obviously done for this book, but I would have preferred a shorter version.
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2 people found this helpful