District VIII cover art

District VIII

Danube Blues, Book 1

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District VIII

By: Adam LeBor
Narrated by: Malk Williams
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About this listen

Balthazar Kovacs, a detective on Budapest's murder squad, is on the trail of a dead man.

Minutes ago, Kovacs received an anonymous SMS showing a body and an address: 26 Republic Square - the former Communist Party headquarters and once the most feared building in the country. But now, amid the ruins of the demolished building, Kovacs finds no dead body, just six members of the Gendarmerie - an elite police force reporting directly to the prime minister - and an invitation to hand over his phone and cease his investigation.

Kovacs has taken his first step on a journey deep into Budapest's dark heart, towards a deadly intersection of the criminal underworld, the corridors of power and the ghosts of history. A journey that will force him to choose between the law and family loyalty.

©2017 Adam LeBor (P)2019 Head of Zeus International Mystery & Crime Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime Heartfelt

Critic reviews

"Adam LeBor reveals that crime fiction still has exciting new avenues to explore." (Val McDermid)

"A first-class crime thriller...with an original and engaging protagonist." (Charles Cumming)

"LeBor writes fiction with the scrupulous focus of the journalist...the world he creates is driven by the sharp edge of reality." (Alan Furst)
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Really enjoyed the story - so many accurate historical and geographical details adding to the enjoyment. However, the voice-over was irritating to me. Using a generic foreign accent instead of a straightforward English accent didn't work well, and the mispronunciation of almost every Hungarian proper name was jarring. Oddly, the capital of Nigeria was pronounced as if it were Hungarian—'Lagos' became 'Lahgosh.' Despite these issues, the story itself was compelling, and I couldn’t stop reading until I finished. I recommend reading this book instead of listening to it.

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