The City in Flames cover art

The City in Flames

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About this listen

1940. A woman lands on the Scottish coast from a German flying boat and goes to ground, hunted by British Intelligence.

Suspended from the Irish police for reasons he won't explain, Detective Inspector Stefan Gillespie is working on his father's farm in Wicklow. One day he vanishes, leaving no sign of where he is heading - or why. Even in rural Ireland, rumours of assassination and Nazi spies fill the air, leaving Stefan's father to wonder whether he is in terrible danger.

Meanwhile in London, Stefan is undercover, working in a pub: The Bedford Arms in Camden. Run by an alcoholic, bankrupt landlord, it's a wartime refuge for the Irish in London. And while the city shakes under the Blitz, Stefan falls into a romance with Vera Kennedy, an Irishwoman who has her own dark secrets to hide.

But behind closed doors, a different war is being fought, and Stefan has more work than pulling pints on his hands. The Bedford Arms hides some unexpected dangers. The drunken landlord is not as witless as he seems and Stefan's mission is under perilous threat.

When Vera disappears, he discovers that the Nazis were far closer to home than he thought. As he embarks on a journey to trace Vera from London to Ireland, Stefan will have to decide where his true loyalties lie.

©2019 Michael Russell (P)2020 Audible, Ltd
Crime Thrillers Historical Mystery Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime Thriller England War United Kingdom
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the sound is quite low and hard to make out at times needs improving

poor sound quality

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I picked this Audible novel as I had heard Stephen Hogan reading other books and think his work is brilliant. I was not disappointed. The plot, the intrigue and the depth of story telling are fabulously crafted to lay a trail that has to be followed. Michael Russel has an ease with language that lends itself to be both read and also read aloud. Excellent!

Gripping story brilliantly performed.

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what beautiful narration. Stephen Hogan could read the back of a cereal box and I'd be entranced. Great story especially when you realise it based on true events

stunning narration

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