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Winter in Madrid

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Winter in Madrid

By: C. J. Sansom
Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
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About this listen

From the bestselling author of the Shardlake series, C. J. Sansom, comes Winter in Madrid, a standalone historical novel set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.

1940: The Spanish Civil War is over, and Madrid lies ruined, its people starving, while the Germans continue their relentless march through Europe. Britain now stands alone while General Franco considers whether to abandon neutrality and enter the war.

Into this uncertain world comes Harry Brett: a traumatized veteran of Dunkirk turned reluctant spy for the British Secret Service. Sent to gain the confidence of old school friend Sandy Forsyth, now a shady Madrid businessman, Harry finds himself involved in a dangerous game – and surrounded by memories.

Meanwhile Sandy's girlfriend, ex-Red Cross nurse Barbara Clare, is engaged on a secret mission of her own – to find her former lover Bernie Piper, a passionate Communist in the International Brigades, who vanished on the bloody battlefields of the Jarama.

In a vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom is an intimate and compelling tale which offers a remarkable sense of history unfolding, and the profound impact of impossible choices.

 20th Century Espionage Historical Historical Fiction Mystery Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction War Exciting Scary Civil War Winter

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Critic reviews

Sansom adroitly draws the disparate strands of his ambitious saga together. His non-pareil evocations of time and place anchor his characters with satisfying precision
An unsentimental and utterly fascinating portrait of Spain in 1940 . . . Sansom wears his research lightly and gets right under the skin of his characters. The result is a tense, literate page-turner, full of twists, authentic detail and real pathos, a superb achievement
A convincing and moving historical novel, which is also an exciting thriller . . . Sansom has a good eye for detail that brings the time alive
Thoroughly researched, convincingly evocative and solidly entertaining
Sansom triumphs as he unravels the tissues of lies and deceptions . . . a gripping, readable story
All stars
Most relevant
For me, the 20 hours flew by and easily managed to hold my attention. I don’t follow the idea of abridging this kind of novel (well-paced thriller), except perhaps for readers who are very short on time.

Recommend this unabridged version

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I chose this book because it's set around a historical event I know very little about.
So glad I did, their are characters are well rounded and the story flows effortlessly.
It is a gritty hard hitting story, the action is realistic and never gratuitous.
The narration is very, very good.
thank you CJ Sansom for this amazing book.

A truly fantastic book

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Couldn’t put this book down. Gripping plot. Engaging characters and I learned a great deal about the Spanish civil war. Highly recommend.

Great listen

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Goodness, but this book drew my breath away. I’m still thinking about it days after I finished it. I will never view Spain in the same
Light again.

Fantasy book.

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I enjoyed this book and the superb reading. It brought colour to the Spanish situation during the early Franco period, as well as being a suspenseful adventure with credible, likeable and hateful characters.

Historical Thriller

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