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Red Star Down

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE MOST TIMELY, PROPULSIVE SPY THRILLER OF THE YEAR, FOR FANS OF MOSCOW X, I AM PILGRIM and SLOW HORSES

An explosive conspiracy is on the verge of detonation.

A Korean man is poisoned in broad-daylight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

A Russian intelligence officer is assassinated in a Washington hotel.

And a real-estate mogul has just become the 45th President of the United States.

The world teeters on the brink and three individuals find themselves caught up in the cross hairs:

Jenna, a seasoned CIA officer, whose past missions refuse to stay buried.

Lyosha, a student in Moscow who confronts Vladimir Putin on live TV only to suffer the consequences.

And Eric, a North Korean spy in the heart of the White House who adores the man he is working to undermine: the President.

In a world of shifting allegiances and betrayal, RED STAR DOWN is a global and gripping thriller that explores the intricate web of politics, espionage, and deception during of one of the most turbulent periods in recent history.

'Extraordinary...smart, sophisticated, suspenseful - and important.' LEE CHILD on STAR OF THE NORTH

© D. B. John 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 Espionage International Mystery & Crime Mystery Political Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Russia Exciting

Critic reviews

A compelling and suspenseful thriller that kept me gripped throughout (AJAY CHOWDHURY)
A richly satisfying thriller on an epic scale, magnificently conceived and brilliantly executed (ANDREW TAYLOR)
Immensely enjoyable. A rich, epic thriller in the grand tradition ... This is exactly what a contemporary thriller should be: a gripping narrative with intriguing twists, vivid characters and well-drawn settings that is not merely very well researched about geopolitics but sheds new light on them too (JEREMY DUNS)
A delightfully audacious spy story… a lot of fun to read, not least for John’s insight that for the three autocratic leaders [Trump, Putin, Kim Jong Un] politics has become…more about dynasty than democracy
[A] superb doorstep of a book, that weaves real-life characters and events with fictional ones in a clever, believable spy thriller
[An] audacious geopolitical thriller
All stars
Most relevant
I was looking for a gripping tale that would help me through marathon running training and this definitely hit the spot. I’d often run a little further than planned just to get to the end of a chapter. Narrator has some shortcomings however, with poor articulation and mispronunciation in parts. Still it doesn’t ruin the book

Good to Run To

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The detail, research and sense of location in this excellent book is totally absorbing. Had me totally hooked. The revelation of personalities was authentic to the nth degree and the descriptions of the politics utterly spot on. A must read.

Authentic, thrilling!

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Impersonation of Trump’s voice was something else! 🫣 Definitely worth a read though. Great stuff. Will be buying more of DB John’s books. (Might check out the narrator first though!)

Brilliant story.

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The first time I’ve found this condition- from which I’ve suffered for my adult life, 45 years, in any fiction! Pity it was the character akin to Isn Fleming’s ‘Nash’- we’re not psychopaths!But well described generally. DPD is popping up increasingly: a good thing for we who are depersonalised. A great story, let down by the narrator.

Depersonalisation

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Like listening to paint dry... potentially good story spoilt by brain numbing narration and dodgy pronunciation...

monotone narration

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