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From Russia with Blood

Putin’s Ruthless Killing Campaign and Secret War on the West

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From Russia with Blood

By: Heidi Blake
Narrated by: Marisa Calin
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Summary

The explosive, untold story of how Russia mastered the art and science of targeted assassination ‘A real life thriller, packed with characters that even John le Carré couldn't dream of. If this doesn't scare you, then you're not paying attention.’ Oliver Bullough

They thought they had found a safe haven in the green hills of England. They were wrong. One by one, the Russian oligarchs, dissidents, and gangsters who fled to Britain after Vladimir Putin came to power dropped dead in strange or suspicious circumstances. One by one, their British lawyers and fixers met similarly grisly ends. Yet, one by one, the British authorities shut down every investigation-and carried on courting the Kremlin.

In From Russia With Blood, multi-award-winning investigative journalist Heidi Blake unflinchingly documents the growing web of Russian-linked deaths on British and American soil, tracking the men who lived and died in the Kremlin’s crosshairs from London’s high-end night clubs to Miami’s million-dollar hideouts, and following a trail of increasingly savage attacks onto the streets of Salisbury, where the Russian double agent Sergei Skripal was poisoned with a deadly nerve agent in 2018.

Working with bags of crime scene evidence, hundreds of thousands of pages of exclusive documents, surveillance footage, classified intelligence briefings, forensically restored phones and computers, and hundreds of insider interviews, Blake bravely exposes how Russia’s killing campaign fits into Putin’s pursuit of global dominance – and why Western governments have failed time and again to stop the bloodshed.

This heart-stopping international investigation – written with the page-turning pace and chilling narrative of a thriller – reveals one of the most important and terrifying stories of our time.

21st Century Corruption & Misconduct Europe Freedom & Security Great Britain Modern Politics & Government Russia Espionage Soviet Union Scary Inspiring Thought-Provoking War
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Critic reviews

‘Breathtaking in its scope and commendable in its detail … Blake’s triumph is that she can pull an extraordinary tale of larceny on a grand scale, corruption of unprecedented levels and serial murder into a brisk, comprehensible narrative’ Sunday Herald

A real life thriller, packed with characters that even John le Carré couldn't dream of. If this doesn't scare you, then you're not paying attention.’ Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland

A spellbinding and heart-in-your-throat true story of Russian money and serial killing by agents of the Russian state in London … In addition to being an unputdownable story, her shocking expose will hopefully change the way the British authorities act on crimes emanating from Russia in the future.’ Bill Browder, author of Red Notice

‘Brilliantly and bravely researched, this book lays bare the brutal and murderous truth that lies at the core of Putin’s Russia.’ Jon Snow

‘One reads From Russia With Blood with a mix of delightful dread and serious unease. This book is, on the one hand, a thrilling detective story. On the other it whispers worrying things about Britain’s vulnerability. Entertaining and urgent in one go’ Peter Pomerantsev

‘With groundbreaking reporting, riveting stories, and layers of intrigue, From Russia With Blood unravels Vladimir Putin’s web of violence and intimidation, and adds essential detail to our understanding of the lengths the Russian government will go to silence its critics’ Ben Rhodes, former White House National Security Advisor and author of NY Times bestseller The World As It Is

‘Riveting, exhaustively researched … Reminds us that tangling with Vladimir Putin, no matter where, can be a deadly game.’ Amy Knight, author of Putin's Killers

All stars
Most relevant
This is a great nice of research and well-structured book.

However, the tone and delivery of narration is, at times, either melodramatic or verging on the comic with unnecessary cod accents that distracted from the seriousness of the subject matter. Having listened to other books read by the same narrator, I have deduced that she is most competent in the telling of stories and is not where the fault lies. Her producer/ director has misinterpreted the audience in an attempt to make it more accessible or populist, which in my opinion is a great shame as the content is well worth a listen.

Well researched but flawed delivery

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This is a very interesting book but I had to struggle through it with the performance of the reader. (I wish it had been read by Heidi Blake who has a fine voice.) The reader's voice was too light for the subject matter. Another thing which drives me mad about Audible books (which must be a policy decision) is to have the reader assign foreign accents to those quoted and to try to give character to them in non-fiction books. The reader's Russian accent was farcical as was her inability to pronounce Russian words and places consistently viz: her alternating versions of Chechnya. I think this is an occasion on which I should have bought the book.

Great book badly read - buy the book

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Although factual, it was written in a way that was almost fictional. That was disappointing

Average

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I really wanted to like this book the, but why oh why did someone think it would be a good idea to have the narrator do a silly Russia accent, it was a distraction and completely ruined it for me.

Ruined

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amazing insight in to how organised crime in Russia and UK work hand in hand.

mainly government level cover-ups. mainly form uk government members of Parliament... The reason why the only good politician is a dead one.

Excellent book, shows how linked criminals are.

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