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The Actor

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The Actor

By: Chris MacDonald
Narrated by: Chris MacDonald
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS, HE MUST SACRIFICE EVERYTHING . . .

An original thriller, a story of glamour, secrets and obsession


Actor Adam Sealey owes his Oscar nomination to mentor Jonathan Dors. It was Jonathan who trained him in the Method: digging deep into personal trauma in pursuit of the greatest performance.

It gets results.
But there’s a price.

For Adam, it cost him the love of his life.
And then there’s what happened twenty years ago.
An awful secret he’s buried deep inside.

Yet as Oscar night beckons, someone is threatening to dig up the truth.
Adam is finally in the spotlight that he craved for so long.
But it might just mean the world is watching as everything falls apart . . .

‘This compelling psychological thriller set in the acting world is both uncompromising and unsettling, with deeply layered characters and a narrative voice that grabs you from the opening line and won’t let you go’ Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient
‘A compulsive thriller . . . very, very moving, I adored it’ Abigail Dean
‘Twisty, compulsive fun’ i


‘A barnstorming performance' The Times


‘A brilliantly twisted (and twisting) tale . . . I loved it’ Mat Osman
‘Brilliantly evoked, totally compelling. A first-class thriller’ Daily Mail
‘Brilliant, dark, immersive, and ultimately hugely satisfying’ Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things


©2024 Chris MacDonald (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Crime Thrillers Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Thriller Crime Celebrity

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All stars
Most relevant
Excellent characterisation.
The author is clearly interested in people and psychology.
Beautifully written.
Engaging++.
Dark and thoughtful yet compelling.
Despite my disdain for many of the characters’ behaviours it’s difficult not to empathise with their failings and humanity.
I dislike what some of them do without disliking them.
It’s a lot like life.
Very entertaining and thought provoking whilst giving an insight into the mind of creative acting and a tutorial of sorts on Hamlet.
Loved it!

Psychology of characterisation and the superb writing.

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There is so much to love about this book. On the surface level, it is gripping and keeps you constantly engaged. Its originality, subtlety and the quality of the writing does though mean it avoids the pitfalls of other books in the genre. On a deeper level it has so much to say - and importantly question - regarding power, masculinity and identity.

Original, insightful and engaging

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Nothing happens just a lot of main character tortured soul nonsense. A waste of a download. Four hours left I give up

Very disappointed

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Interesting commentary on drama schools and pretensions on technique, method acting. The thriller element was underwhelming and by the time we got to the big reveal I couldn't care whodunit and just wanted it to end.

Passes the time

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