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The Fallen

A heart-pounding London police thriller for crime and thriller fans

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The Fallen

By: John Sutherland
Narrated by: John Sutherland, Sarah Durham
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About this listen

 ARE YOU READY TO SAVE A LIFE?

WHY HER?

Becca Palmer has just lost her job as assistant to Simon Jones MP - the highly-regarded Policing Minister, tipped as a future Prime Minister. But Becca claims that Simon was more than her boss, that she is in love with him.

WHY HERE?

When a heartbroken Becca leaves the Home Office, she heads to Westminster Bridge, intending to take her own life. Which is where hostage negotiator Alex Lewis meets her for the first time. It is his job to try to talk her back from the edge.

WHY NOW?

In the negotiation that follows, Becca suggests that she may know something about the Policing Minister that she shouldn't. Something that could prompt a serious fall from grace were it to come out.

But can Alex save Becca - and get to the bottom of an alleged conspiracy that goes deep inside the highest levels of government - before it's too late? Crime Thrillers Fiction Genre Fiction Political Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Urban Espionage Crime Heartfelt

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Critic reviews

Not only does The Fallen drip with authenticity and insider secrets (unsurprising, given Sutherland's background), it's also full of charm, compassion and emotion. Police negotiator Alex Lewis is a good man doing a tough job in all but impossible conditions; that he manages to rise above it without succumbing to the usual crime fiction tropes of rule-breaking and booze is testament to the author's skill. The plot is intricate, frighteningly plausible and superbly paced; I raced through it in two sittings. Recommended.
One of the reasons this book is so readable is because you know you're in the hands of an expert. A man who understands the tension of dealing with someone who's intent on taking their own life; a man who has experienced these problems first hand and writes about them with great authority; introducing us to a world that makes the book fascinating and unputdownable.
Breathtakingly tense... A firecracker of a book
Superb. An incredible blend of gripping characters, fabulous plot and chillingly authentic political corruption. John Sutherland's experience and eye on the world make this unmissable for all crime fiction fans
A compelling page-turner you'll struggle to put down
Absolutely thrilling
Brilliant. A completely unputdownable page-turner...Your summer holidays are made with this book. If you like your crime fiction, you're going to love (The Fallen)
Compassion is a rarer quality in thrillers than it should be. Superintendent Alex Lewis, a negotiator with the Metropolitan Police, has it in spades... John Sutherland used to do his protagonist's job. Finely constructed as The Fallen is, it is his palpable anger at the police being starved of resources and the toll the work takes that stays with you
Superbly authentic
A compelling and timely tale of political corruption.Written with the authority of an insider, it exposes the challenges of modern policing, and the tension never flags in a hugely enjoyable thriller that marks out Sutherland as one to watch
A compelling and timely tale of political corruption. Written with the authority of an insider, it exposes the challenges of modern policing, and the tension never flags in a hugely enjoyable thriller that marks out Sutherland as one to watch
All stars
Most relevant
Really enjoyed this audiobook. Sarah Durham did a great job too with the narration and really brought the characters to life. Clearly a topic that John has much experience of and having read his book "Keeping the peace but falling to pieces" it was clear he put some of his own experiences into the character of Alex Lewis and Pip. Gripping from the start and keeps you guessing as to where it is going. Will certainly be looking for new titles from John (and hopefully Sarah) in the future.

Really enjoyed this including the narration.

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Though in many ways different from The Siege, John Sutherland grips the reader from the first to the last page be it reading the book or listening to the audiobook. Great writing, Different from a usual crime thriller and well narrated . looking forward to book three.

A guaranteed page turner

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I’ve read both of Johns non fiction books and now I’ve listened to both of his non fiction books. All of them have been gripping and I don’t want them to end. This is excellently read, which really allows me to escape into the story and feel like I’m living the story.

Another Brilliant Story From John

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Life got in the way of me wanting to keep listening to this book. I was happy on a couple of journeys that I got held up at traffic lights or heavy traffic, just so I could keep listening.
Great story. For those in the job, I'm sure there are various characters you can recognise!!!!
Can't wait for Book 3 in the series.

Didn't want to turn off the audio

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