Strangers on a Bridge
The Case of Colonel Abel
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Narrated by:
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George Newbern
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By:
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James Donovan
About this listen
Originally published in 1964, this is the "enthralling...truly remarkable" (The New York Times Book Review) insider account of the Cold War spy exchange that is now the subject of the major motion picture Bridge of Spies by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks - with a new foreword by Jason Matthews, New York Times best-selling author of Red Sparrow and Palace of Treason.
In the early morning of February 10, 1962, James B. Donovan began his walk toward the center of the Glienicke Bridge, the famous "Bridge of Spies" that then linked West Berlin to East. With him walked Rudolf Ivanovich Abel, master spy and for years the chief of Soviet espionage in the United States. Approaching them from the other side, under equally heavy guard, was Francis Gary Powers, the American U-2 spy plane pilot famously shot down by the Soviets, whose exchange for Abel Donovan had negotiated. These were the strangers on a bridge, men of East and West, representatives of two opposed worlds meeting in a moment of high drama. Abel was the most gifted, the most mysterious, the most effective spy in his time. His trial, which began in a Brooklyn United States District Court and ended in the Supreme Court of the United States, chillingly revealed the methods and successes of Soviet espionage. No one was better equipped to tell the whole absorbing history than James B. Donovan, who was appointed to defend one of his country's enemies and did so with scrupulous skill.
In Strangers on a Bridge, the lead prosecutor in the Nuremburg Trials offers a clear-eyed and fast-paced memoir that is part procedural drama, part dark character study, and plays like a noirish espionage thriller. From the first interview with Abel to the exchange on the bridge in Berlin, here is an important historical narrative that is "as fascinating as it is exciting" (The Houston Chronicle).
©2015 James Donovan. All rights reserved. (P)2015 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Story
William Pepper was James Earl Ray's lawyer in the trial for the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr., and even after Ray's conviction and death, Pepper continues to adamantly argue Ray's innocence. This myth-shattering expose is a revised, updated, and heavily expanded volume of Pepper's original best-selling and critically-acclaimed book of the same name, with 26 years of additional research included. The result reveals dramatic new details of the night of the murder, the trial, and why Ray was chosen to take the fall for an evil conspiracy.
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Required listening
- By MJ in LA on 07-20-17
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The Spy Who Was Left Behind
- By: Michael Pullara
- Narrated by: Michael Pullara
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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On August 8, 1993, a single bullet to the head killed Freddie Woodruff, the Central Intelligence Agency’s station chief in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Within hours, police had a suspect - a vodka-soaked village bumpkin named Anzor Sharmaidze. A tidy explanation quickly followed: It was a tragic accident. US diplomats hailed Georgia’s swift work. Yet the bullet that killed Woodruff was never found, and key witnesses have since retracted their testimony, saying they were beaten and forced to identify Sharmaidze. But if he didn’t do it, who did?
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great book needs a hires narrator
- By Blake Dahl on 11-17-18
By: Michael Pullara
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Killing the Dream
- James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- By: Gerald Posner
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In the three decades since April 4, 1968, when Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot to death in Memphis, scores of books and articles have questioned whether James Earl Ray, King's killer, acted alone or was part of a larger conspiracy. Now, based on explosive new interviews, confidential files, and previously undisclosed evidence, best-selling author Gerald Posner finally resolves the simple truth of the last great political murder mystery of the 1960s, definitively proving that Ray acted alone.
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Enlightening
- By Thornton Mellon on 05-19-19
By: Gerald Posner
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Tangled Webs
- How False Statements are Undermining America: From Martha Stewart to Bernie Madoff
- By: James B. Stewart
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 19 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In Tangled Webs, James B. Stewart reveals in vivid detail the consequences of the perjury epidemic that has swept our country, undermining the very foundation of our courts.With many prosecutors, investigators, and participants speaking for the first time, Tangled Webs goes behind the scene of the trials of media and homemaking entrepreneur Martha Stewart; top White House political adviser Lewis "Scooter" Libby; home-run king Barry Bonds; and Wall Street money manager Bernard Madoff. Tangled Webs reaffirms the importance of truth.
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in great detail
- By Andy on 06-22-11
By: James B. Stewart
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Act of Treason
- The Role of J. Edgar Hoover in the Assassination of President Kennedy
- By: Mark North
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 23 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In this meticulously researched classic of the JFK conspiracy genre that Library Journal calls "sensational", Mark North argues convincingly that President John F. Kennedy died as the result of a plot masterminded by Louisiana Mafia chieftain Carlos Marcello - and, more importantly, that FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover learned early on about the plan but did nothing to stop it. Hoover warned no one - not the Dallas police, not the Secret Service. His motives, North suggests, stemmed from a fervent hatred of Kennedy and fear that the President would eventually fire him.
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Good info in the Kennedy Hoover relationship
- By Pat on 03-25-13
By: Mark North
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Operation Overflight
- A Memoir of the U-2 Incident
- By: Francis Gary Powers, Curt Gentry
- Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is a central character in the movie Bridge of Spies starring Tom Hanks. In his classic 1970 memoir, Powers reveals the full story behind what happened in the most sensational espionage case in Cold War history. After his U-2 reconnaissance plane was shot down, Powers was captured on May 1, 1960 and endured 61 days of rigorous interrogation by the KGB, a public trial, a conviction for espionage, and the start of a 10-year sentence.
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Astonding
- By JP on 07-12-17
By: Francis Gary Powers, and others
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Emmett Till
- The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement
- By: Devery S. Anderson
- Narrated by: Brandon Church
- Length: 21 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Emmett Till offers the first truly comprehensive account of the 1955 murder and its aftermath. It tells the story of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago brutally lynched for a harmless flirtation at a country store in the Mississippi Delta. His death and the acquittal of his killers by an all-white jury set off a firestorm of protests that reverberated all over the world and spurred on the civil rights movement.
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An important story narrated with power and warmth
- By R. Nance on 10-04-16
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The Fall of the House of Zeus
- The Rise and Ruin of America's Most Powerful Trial Lawyer
- By: Curtis Wilkie
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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The Fall of the House of Zeus tells the story of Dickie Scruggs, arguably the most successful plaintiff's lawyer in America. A brother-in-law of Trent Lott, the former U.S. Senate majority leader, Scruggs made a fortune taking on mass tort lawsuits against "Big Tobacco" and the asbestos industries. He was hailed by Newsweek as a latter-day Robin Hood and portrayed in the movie The Insider as a dapper aviator-lawyer.
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The title says it all - The fall of Scruggs
- By Placeholder on 03-11-12
By: Curtis Wilkie
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The Tangled Web
- The Life and Death of Richard Cain—Chicago Cop and Mafia Hitman
- By: Michael Cain
- Narrated by: Clinton Wade
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The Tangled Web tells the dramatic story of detective Richard Cain's criminal career as revealed by his half-brother, Michael. Cain led a double-life—one as a well-known cop who led raids that landed on the front pages, and the other as a "made man" in one of Chicago's most notorious mob families.
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Reviews
- By G. D. Hoppe on 11-19-20
By: Michael Cain
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Chappaquiddick
- By: Leo Damore, Howie Carr - foreword
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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A young woman leaves a party with a wealthy US senator. The next morning her body is discovered in his car at the bottom of a pond. This is the damning true story of the death of campaign strategist Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick and of the senator - a 37-year-old Senator Ted Kennedy - who left her trapped underwater while he returned to his hotel, slept, and made phone calls to associates. Leo Damore's 1988 national best seller, originally entitled Senatorial Privilege, almost didn't make it into print after its original publisher, Random House, judged it too explosive....
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Liberals too can rig the system
- By William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and capitalized M). on 04-22-18
By: Leo Damore, and others
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Tulia
- Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town
- By: Nate Blakeslee
- Narrated by: James Boles
- Length: 13 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Early one morning in the summer of 1999, authorities in the tiny West Texas town of Tulia began a roundup of suspected drug dealers. By the time the sweep was done, over 40 people had been arrested and one of every five black adults in town was behind bars, all accused of dealing cocaine to the same undercover officer, Tom Coleman.
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A Must Read
- By JOHN on 03-23-08
By: Nate Blakeslee
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Contempt
- A Memoir of the Clinton Investigation
- By: Ken Starr
- Narrated by: Ken Starr
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Twenty years after the Starr Report and the Clinton impeachment, former special prosecutor Ken Starr finally shares his definitive account of this period in American history. Now Starr finally shares his unique perspective on the investigation that began with the Whitewater land deal and spread to a wide range of President Clinton's actions, including accusations of sexual harassment and perjury in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Starr's narrative includes behind-the-scenes details that have never before emerged as well as a new analysis from the perspective of history.
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Thought provoking and honest!
- By Sarah on 09-13-18
By: Ken Starr
What listeners say about Strangers on a Bridge
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dan
- 09-02-15
Very interesting book... looking forward to movie
Where does Strangers on a Bridge rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Towards the top of the middle...
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
The conflict between the main characters obligation as a citizen and a lawyer
Which character – as performed by George Newbern – was your favorite?
The main character, the lawyer
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2 people found this helpful
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- Allen
- 02-04-16
The Actual Basis for the Movie "Spies on a Bridge"
We highly recommend this book if you want to learn the details of James Donavan's work in the exchange of Francis Gary Powers (plus TWO other hapless prisoners) for Colonel Abel as told in the movie, Spies on a Bridge.
I have to recommend to the interested reader/listener that you also read/listen to the book "Spies on a Bridge" for the fascinating background on the U2 flights. You really need both books for the (almost) complete story.
Now, I have get "Operation Overflight" to complete (I think) the details.
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3 people found this helpful
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- steve finkelstein
- 06-04-18
Book is better than the movie
A few weeks ago, I happened to see the movie, Strangers on a Bridge, starring Tom Hanks. It was a pretty good movie, or at least I thought it was. I discovered that the movie and then based on this book. I decided to listen to this book. I didn’t realize how long the book was, but it turned out to be excellent. The narrator was great. The book was Infinitely better than the movie. I would highly recommend this.
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3 people found this helpful
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- L. Lipkis
- 01-30-16
A solid read
Donovan's journalistic account is an interesting counterpoint to the Spielberg film based on the book. It's less sentimental, but often no less gripping, than the movie, particularly the scenes set in East Germany. It's also a fascinating record of a time in American history when the average American could feel comfortable expressing an unironic, idealistic view, as opposed to the cynicism that might dominate a report of such proceedings today. Sometimes I sensed Donovan might be leaving out significant parts of his story, in service to his own sense of patriotism.
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2 people found this helpful
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- cifey
- 08-05-16
Starts a little dry but picks up momentum
Initial impression was that it was overly dry, but The lawyers logic and political negotiating tactics combined with the history won me over.
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1 person found this helpful
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- PTramo
- 03-21-18
Cold war history and law woven into a good story
What made the experience of listening to Strangers on a Bridge the most enjoyable?
This book is less a story about espionage and intrigue, though it certainly has much to offer along those lines, than a snapshot in the history of the cold war and the legal system. Several reviews found the detail devoted to the legal wrangling and the trial to be tedious. However, those with an interest in the law and legal proceedings might find this very interesting. It is unsurprising that Mr. Donovan devoted much of the book to the legal wrangling given his role as legal counsel to Colonel Abel and I thought he told the story well. For the spy aficionados, the latter part of the book dealing the negotiations and ultimate transfer should prove interesting. Overall, a good audio book.
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- Bryant Naylor
- 03-01-16
Good beginning, terrible middle, great ending
I enjoyed the first few chapters of this book. After that, the writer got extremely boring and I wound reading quickly just to get it over with. The last few chapters were also well written. Overall, this book could have been written much better and would have been much more enjoyable. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. If you want my advice, save your money and go watch the movie. I heard that was actually really good.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Choirmom
- 12-12-16
Slow
Gave up towards the end. Way to many superfluous details which bogged down the story.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Dana C.
- 04-23-16
Thank goodness I saw the movie first
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Probably not. I almost always like a book more than its movie version. Not in this case. This book did explain things in more depth than the movie--which I enjoyed. Had I not seen the movie first, however, I don't think I would have finished the book due to the passages that dragged on too long.
Would you ever listen to anything by James Donovan again?
Perhaps
What aspect of George Newbern’s performance would you have changed?
I thought he did good with the material.
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- Laura
- 05-29-19
Great story but…
This is a very interesting story and fascinating history. I couldn’t get all the way through it, though, because the trial testimony is so lengthy and tedious.
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