The Crook Factory
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Narrated by:
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Patrick Lawlor
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By:
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Dan Simmons
About this listen
At the height of World War II, the famous writer Ernest Hemingway sought permission from the U.S. government to operate a spy ring out of his house in the Cuban countryside. This much is true... It is the summer of ’42 and FBI agent Joe Lucas has come to Cuba at the behest of J. Edgar Hoover to keep an eye on Hemingway. The great writer has assembled a ragtag spy ring that he calls the “Crook Factory” to play a dangerous game of amateur espionage. But then Lucas and Hemingway, against all the odds, uncover a critical piece of intelligence - and the game turns deadly.
In The Crook Factory, award-winning author Dan Simmons expands a little-known fact into a tour de force of gripping historical suspense set in the sensual Cuban landscape of the early 1940s.
©1999 Dan Simmons (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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A Swedish army lieutenant drops dead on a shooting range in the desert. Was it an unfortunate accident - or something more nefarious? Ernst Grip, an agent of the Swedish security police, is sent to the Horn of Africa to find out. Once he’s on the ground, however, he quickly discovers he’s on his own. No one wants him snooping around - especially not the US Embassy’s CIA station. Which is no surprise, given that military transport planes are leaving from the base carrying untraceable pallets loaded with cash.
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Difficult book to review. Pulse-pounding? Not.
- By Richard Delman on 08-18-18
By: Robert Karjel
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Stormbreaker
- The First Alex Rider Adventure
- By: Anthony Horowitz
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Parker
- Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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They said his uncle Ian died in a car accident. Alex Rider knows that's a lie, and the bullet holes in his uncle's car confirm the truth. But nothing can prepare him for the news that the uncle he always thought he knew was really a spy for Britain's top-secret intelligence agency. Enlisted to find his uncle's killers and complete Ian's final mission, Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, with no way out.
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Okay action story held up by an great narrator
- By Mary Fan on 08-13-13
By: Anthony Horowitz
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The Unlikely Spy
- By: Daniel Silva
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 18 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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“In wartime,” Winston Churchill wrote, “truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.” For Britain’s counterintelligence operations, this meant finding the unlikeliest agent imaginable - a history professor named Alfred Vicary, handpicked by Churchill himself to expose a highly dangerous, but unknown, traitor. The Nazis, however, have also chosen an unlikely agent.
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The Unlikely Spy
- By Margaret on 12-14-09
By: Daniel Silva
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A False Dawn
- By: Tom Lowe
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Before the death of his wife, Sean O'Brien makes a promise to her that he has no plans to break - until he starts building a new life in an old cabin on a remote stretch of a tropical river in the heart of Florida. It's there that he discovers an injured young woman who whispers a cryptic message into his ear.
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Wonderful first novel in the Sean O'Brien series
- By Wayne on 05-07-17
By: Tom Lowe
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SEAL Team 666
- A Novel
- By: Weston Ochse
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Halfway through SEAL training, Cadet Jack Walker, still green but showing incredible promise, is whisked away to join four SEALs and their dog for a special-ops mission. Walker soon finds himself in a whirlwind of otherworldly creatures and events as he discovers the true nature of SEAL Team 666. Battling demons, possessed humans, mass-murdering cults, and evil in its darkest and most and ancient form, the members of SEAL Team 666 have their work cut out for them. And it’s not long before they realize that the threat isn’t directed against the US alone....
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Enjoyable way to spend some downtime.
- By Dan on 01-02-13
By: Weston Ochse
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Rogue Warrior II: Red Cell
- By: Richard Marcinko, John Weisman
- Narrated by: Richard Marcinko
- Length: 2 hrs and 32 mins
- Abridged
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When Richard Marcinko wrote his best-selling autobiography, Rogue Warrior, he and co-writer John Weisman were bound by government restrictions and could only tell a fraction of his incredible story. Now the tales he could not tell, the secrets he could not reveal explode in Rogue Warrior II: Red Cell - a riveting ne novel with Marcinko himself as the hero.
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Good story, but...
- By StreetMedic on 06-11-11
By: Richard Marcinko, and others
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The Mark of the Assassin
- Michael Osbourne, Book 1
- By: Daniel Silva
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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When a commercial airliner is blown out of the sky off the East Coast, the CIA scrambles to find the perpetrators. A body is discovered near the crash site with three bullets to the face: the calling card of a shadowy international assassin.
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Uncanny Portentous Prophecy
- By Snoodely on 10-27-13
By: Daniel Silva
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The Runner
- By: Christopher Reich
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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American lawyer and former police detective Judge Devlin is in Europe sifting through evidence of Nazi atrocities. He is part of the International Military Tribunal, but his agenda is personal. He hopes to convict SS member and former Olympic sprinter Eric Seyss, the man responsible for his military chaplain brother’s death. When Judge learns Eric has just escaped from an American POW camp, the American sets off in a desperate race for vengeance.
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this story just went on and on and on
- By Stevie on 09-07-12
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Declare
- By: Tim Powers
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 21 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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As a young double agent infiltrating the Soviet spy network in Nazi-occupied Paris, Andrew Hale finds himself caught up in a secret, even more ruthless war. Two decades later, a coded message draws Professor Andrew Hale back into Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Elements from his past are gathering in Beirut, including ex-British counterespionage chief and Soviet mole Kim Philby, and a beautiful former Spanish Civil War soldier-turned-intelligence operative.
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Oh Fish. Art Thou Constant???
- By art on 03-11-11
By: Tim Powers
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ordered an abridgment by mistake!
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Who Wrote 'the Fifth Heart?'
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Outstanding, haunting work from a master of sci fi
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The year is 1924 and the race to summit the world's highest mountain has been brought to a terrified pause by the shocking disappearance of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine, high on the shoulder of Mt. Everest. By the following year, three climbers - a British poet and veteran of the Great War, a young French Chamonix guide, and an idealistic young American - find a way to take their shot at the top.
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Great story, great detail
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From the towering heights of Olympos Mons on Mars, the mighty Zeus and his immortal family of gods, goddesses, and demigods look down upon a momentous battle, observing - and often influencing - the legendary exploits of Paris, Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, and the clashing armies of Greece and Troy. Thomas Hockenberry, former 21st-century professor and Iliad scholar, watches as well. It is Hockenberry's duty to observe and report on the Trojan War's progress to the so-called deities who saw fit to return him from the dead.
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Achaeans and robots and post-humans, oh my
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The Hollow Man
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Jeremy Bremen has a secret. All his life he's been cursed with the ability to read minds. He knows the secret thoughts, fears, and desires of others as if they were his own. For years, his wife, Gail, has served as a shield between Jeremy and the burden of this terrible knowledge. But Gail is dying, her mind ebbing slowly away, leaving him vulnerable to the chaotic flood of thought that threatens to sweep away his sanity. Now Jeremy is on the run - from his mind, from his past, from himself - hoping to find peace in isolation.
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Genius writing, great book
- By David Shear on 02-28-14
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ordered an abridgment by mistake!
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Who Wrote 'the Fifth Heart?'
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Outstanding, haunting work from a master of sci fi
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Great story, great detail
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From the towering heights of Olympos Mons on Mars, the mighty Zeus and his immortal family of gods, goddesses, and demigods look down upon a momentous battle, observing - and often influencing - the legendary exploits of Paris, Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, and the clashing armies of Greece and Troy. Thomas Hockenberry, former 21st-century professor and Iliad scholar, watches as well. It is Hockenberry's duty to observe and report on the Trojan War's progress to the so-called deities who saw fit to return him from the dead.
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Achaeans and robots and post-humans, oh my
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The Hollow Man
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Jeremy Bremen has a secret. All his life he's been cursed with the ability to read minds. He knows the secret thoughts, fears, and desires of others as if they were his own. For years, his wife, Gail, has served as a shield between Jeremy and the burden of this terrible knowledge. But Gail is dying, her mind ebbing slowly away, leaving him vulnerable to the chaotic flood of thought that threatens to sweep away his sanity. Now Jeremy is on the run - from his mind, from his past, from himself - hoping to find peace in isolation.
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Genius writing, great book
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Once Joe Kurtz needed revenge - and revenge cost him 11 years in Attica prison. Now Kurtz needs a job, and the price is going to be higher. Out of prison, out of touch, Kurtz signs on with the Byron Farino, Don of a Mob family whose son Kurtz had been protecting on the inside. Farino enlists Kurtz's help to track down the Family's missing accountant - a man with too much knowledge of Family business to have on the loose.
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Hard
- By Darwin8u on 06-26-20
By: Dan Simmons
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Summer of Night
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It’s the summer of 1960 and in the small town of Elm Haven, Illinois, five twelve-year-old boys are forging the powerful bonds that a lifetime of change will not break. From sunset bike rides to shaded hiding places in the woods, the boys’ days are marked by all of the secrets and silences of an idyllic childhood. But amid the sun-drenched cornfields, their loyalty will be pitilessly tested.
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Go Ahead...Take A Stroll Down Horror Lane
- By Jan on 10-31-14
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Black Hills
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Paha Sapa, a young Sioux warrior, first encounters General George Armstrong Custer as Custer lies dying on the battlefield at Little Bighorn. He believes - as do the holy men of his tribe - that the legendary general's ghost entered him at that moment and will remain with him until Sapa convinces him to leave.
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Perfect example of audio over print
- By Michael on 06-18-10
By: Dan Simmons
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Song of Kali
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Blood will curdle in Calcutta. In the most crime-ridden city, nightmares become real and evil is defined by frightening occurrences. When an American family finds themselves encircled by the terrors of this land, lurid events befall them and life takes on a new meaning - death. Winner of the World Fantasy Award, Song of Kali will chill the blood and frighten even the most jaded of horror fans.
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All Violence is an Exercise in Power
- By Darwin8u on 01-14-15
By: Dan Simmons
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The Terror
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- By: Dan Simmons
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The men onboard HMS Terror have every expectation of finding the Northwest Passage. When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the Terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear there is no escape.
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Very good then, NOT
- By Randall on 07-24-18
By: Dan Simmons
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Darwin's Blade
- By: Dan Simmons
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Darwin Minor travels a dangerous road. A Vietnam veteran turned reluctant expert on interpreting the wreckage of fatal accidents, Darwin uses science and instinct to unravel the real causes of unnatural disasters. He is very, very good at his job.
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Not Simmons' masterwork, but highly entertaining
- By Florian Weller on 02-03-18
By: Dan Simmons
What listeners say about The Crook Factory
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Brian
- 07-08-11
Really well researched spy novel
This is just brilliant. So well researched, Hope they make it into a movie, well narrated.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Geo
- 04-28-14
Dan Simmons does it again!!
What did you love best about The Crook Factory?
well written and researched, great story, from the first chapter till the last.
Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?
Yes, knowing nothing of Ernest Hemmingway's life, it was an educational and interesting story. while some was obvious speculation on Simmon's part. You the listener could believe such a great story was possible.Loved the book, was not disappointed, listened to it twice...
Any additional comments?
well worth a credit
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1 person found this helpful
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- Suture LaMorte
- 07-08-16
Pleasantly surprised
This strays from my normal choice of books and i knew Hemingway only as a mysterious author who wrote some stuff people seemed to like, enjoyed drinking, hunting and fishing then killed himself.
Dan Simmons is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Every book i have read is, in my opinion, well written and well researched. Again he masterfully weaves fact and fiction.
I did not have high hopes for this for this and only picked it up as my list of books waned. But i was drawn into the story of nazi spies, undercover agents, shootouts, political intrigue and adventure.
The story was well performed by a narrator who i didn't recognize but i thought did a great job.
This book will be a great choice for people interested in the time period, spies, Hemingway, a good book or, like me, a big fan of Dan Simmons.
I really don't have anything negative to say about this book or presentation. The only reason for not giving a higher score was that i enjoyed the subject matter of Simmons' other books better.
Lastly i want to say again Dan Simmons is awesome. I first read Song of Kali, which was dark and great, then moved on to others. Drood, The Terror, The Abominable, The Fifth Heart and now The Crook Factory have all been fantastic. Consistently good enough that i felt compelled to write this, my first review.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Loren
- 02-05-15
Couldn't find a narrator who spoke Spanish?
Decent reader, does well with tone, expression, and pacing. However, there are numerous situations in the book where the narrator needs to voice either good Spanish or bad Spanish, and he only has bad Spanish. And I found his voices for the two Hemmingway boys to be irritating, and got in the way of the story.
So this is a good read, but the choice of narrator makes it a less-good listen.
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2 people found this helpful
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- George Moneo
- 06-01-18
A great story that has unbelievable facts
As a fan of Dan Simmons fiction, I am already predisposed to liking his works. This novel is no different. It is an excellent yarn, full of unbelievable yet true events during the World War II. My only complaint with the narrator, who is generally excellent, is his pronunciation of Spanish words. Otherwise he was very good.
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- Dede
- 04-10-18
A good read that went by too fast.
Simmons weaves a good tale. My first from him, but not my last. This piece is historical fiction and the facts are often more fantastic than the fantasy.
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- Anne
- 03-26-13
This reader is biased.
Reasonably well done - It is hard for this reader to like Hemingway in any part of his life. I kept having the feeling that this story would have been much more interesting if the author had been forthcoming about his day-to-day character - he was a great seeker of fame.
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- Steven Hurwitz
- 11-30-18
Pure Literary Chicanery
Toll the bell on thee Danny boy for splashing around in Hemmingway's wake on this one, finally drowning reader Audio and all. Better epilogue? Have the narrator blow his brains out too.
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Overall
- E. A. Jacques
- 06-30-11
Interesting
Probably more like 3-1/2 stars, maybe even 4. That's the issue with this book. At times it was very interesting, other times it was confusing. I was not sure why some things happened and when I went back to see if I missed something, I hadn???t, or I missed it again? At the beginning I found myself going back so much I put it on hold and got another book so I could listen to it will I worked on a home project. I waited until I could focus more to finish this one. I wasn???t sure how much of this was fiction or reality either. In the end the author explains some of that in the epilogue, but I might have enjoyed the book more if the prologue revealed a bit more. Others might not see this as an issue and I think many people will really like this book. It just missed the mark for me a bit. That said I did like many of the characters in the book, for sure the main character Joe Lucas, and the portrayal or Ernest Hemingway. The voice for Hemingway was a bit whinny and irritating at times, which does not fit the profile, but that was a minor issue. If you like stories that delve into some of the unknown aspects of WWII and are curious about Hemingway himself, you???ll probably enjoy this book. Even at 3-1/2 stars it was not a wasted credit. Just not a big winner for me.
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4 people found this helpful
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- W.P.
- 04-14-14
Story would rate 5-stars if edited
Would you try another book from Dan Simmons and/or Patrick Lawlor?
Dan Simmons does a superb job of weaving kernels of history into a splendid novel of intrigue. Hemingway, J. Edgar Hoover, Ian Fleming, Ingrid Bergman, Marlena Dietrich, Nazis, spies, Havana street urchins, even a young JFK ... they're all here!
Would you recommend The Crook Factory to your friends? Why or why not?
While the author does a good job of setting the tone and giving historical background, he goes on waaaay too many tangents. He feels he needs to give the back-story to just about every historical detail and character; even to the point of explaining in excruciating detail how cigars are made, just because at one point for about 10 minutes in the story the characters find themselves in a cigar rolling factory. These detours into minutia are a huge detractor; and Mr. Simmons should avail himself to the services of a talented editor to separate the wheat from the chaff. There are a few technical and historical errors, but none that are distracting.
What about Patrick Lawlor’s performance did you like?
Patrick Lawlor's performance is what saves this audio book! His characterizations, accents, inflections are top rate. He is one of those narrators where you often have to remind yourself that there is really only one person reading this book, rather than a cast of characters like an old radio show. Brav-OH!!
Any additional comments?
I will certainly be interested in taking a look at any other books in the historical novel genre that Mr. Simmons may have to offer -- with the hope they are better edited. I will definitely be interested in other books read by Mr. Lawlor.
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