Heads You Win cover art

Heads You Win

Captivating Historical Fiction from the Bestselling and Sublime Storyteller Jeffrey Archer

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Heads You Win

By: Jeffrey Archer
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
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About this listen

Read by Richard Armitage (The Hobbit, Missing You)

Heads You Win is the incredible and thrilling novel by the master storyteller and bestselling author of the Clifton Chronicles and Kane and Abel, Jeffrey Archer.

Leningrad, Russia, 1968.
From an early age it is clear that Alexander Karpenko is destined to lead his countrymen. But when his father is assassinated by the KGB for defying the state, Alexander and his mother will have to escape Russia if they hope to survive. At the docks, they have an irreversible choice: board a container ship bound for America or one bound for Great Britain. Alexander leaves the choice to a toss of a coin . . .

In a single moment, a double twist decides Alexander’s future. During an epic tale, spanning two continents and thirty years, we follow Alexander through triumph and defeat as he sets out on parallel lives, as Alex in New York and Sasha in London. As this unique story unfolds, both come to realize that to find their destiny they must face the past they left behind as Alexander in Russia.

With a final twist that will shock even his most ardent fans, this is international number one bestseller Jeffrey Archer’s most ambitious and creative work since Kane and Abel.

 Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Thriller & Suspense Destiny Russia Exciting Funny

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Critic reviews

The master storyteller returns with a nail-biter every bit as good as Kane and Abel – utterly enthralling (Joanna Lumley)
A page-turner with a memorable twist that made me shout out loud
Leave it to Jeffrey Archer to spin a continent-straddling, decade-spanning, fate driven yarn that weaves its way from St Petersburg to London and New York, saving its final twist for the very last page (One of the Books of 2018, Mail on Sunday)
Archer certainly knows how to spin a yarn. You will tear through his latest book in no time. It is a fabulous read
Brilliantly conceived . . . the writing and characterizations are superb . . . A splendid novel, featuring one of Archer's most elegantly told stories (Booklist starred review)
Archer draws us in with intrigue and great characters
All stars
Most relevant
I'm so disappointed. I have Listened to all of Jeffrey Archers Books and I have loved them all, til now. Without spoiling the plot, except to say you need to realise that, quite near the beginning, the story splits into two different realities, which is absolutely fine and then it all trundles along very nicely but just nicely. So you just keep waiting for the big ending, you know it will be good, it's Jeffrey Archer, of course it'll be good but NO, the ending was so incredibly weak. I felt like it was a Bobby Ewing in the shower kind of ending and I felt let down by this author who I really am a huge fan of. Maybe if it was a book by someone I'd never read or heard of I wouldn't have had such a strong reaction but it's definitely not up to Mr Archer's usual standard , by a long way.Sorry

Disapointing

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A few chapters in I wondered whether to rewind to establish how the single family was split 2 ways. I did but then slightly irritated, decided it was intentionally vague. I expected clarity as the plot thickened but actually it never came. I am an ardent Jeffrey Archer fan and must admit to being quite disappointed with his latest offering.

OK but lacked the old Archer substance

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So it's very JF! same old base line including a bank a rise in politics. A good sliding doors concept but not really followed through. A strange ending that didn't really combine or tie up loose ends.

Very Jeffrey

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I have to hand it to Mr Archer he can definitely tell a great story. If you enjoyed the Clifton Chronicles you'll enjoy this saga. It's a bit like a modern fairy tale where good people are thwarted at times by despicable ones but in the end triumph over adversity. I enjoyed the mixing of real people with fictional ones. The author uses his knowledge of the British parliament to add veracity to the UK arm of novel. The book alternates between the parallel stories of an Alex and a Sache in new lives in the US and UK after clandestinely escaping from Leningrad.

It was only after the confusion I felt hearing the final scenes, and listening to the last two chapters again, that I realized that it was a parallel what-if of story. I hope this is the start of a new series.

The narrator is superb adding to the sense of drama.

Gripping story

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Very well written. another very good story by Jeffrey Archer. the two stories are enthralling

Very good

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