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Alphabet House cover art

Alphabet House

By: Jussi Adler-Olsen
Narrated by: Daniel Philpott
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Summary

How long can you pretend to be mad without going mad? Two English pilots are forced to find out when they are shot down behind enemy lines in 1944. The area is swarming with German troops, so, unable to escape, they ditch their clothing and personal belongings, pose as German soldiers, and board a train carrying wounded SS men home from the eastern front. But their act is too convincing and they find find themselves being transferred to Alphabet House, a mental hospital for those damaged by war. They are playing a dangerous game, and it seems they might not be the only ones there hiding secrets....

Both escape adventure and psychological thriller, Alphabet House is a meticulously researched stand-alone story from the acclaimed author of the 10-million-selling 'Department Q series'

©2014 JP/Politikens Hus (P)2014 Strathmore Publishing

Critic reviews

"Adler-Olsen is the new 'it' boy of Nordic Noir" ( The Times)
"One of the best I’ve read in a long time" (Stephen Leather)
"Epic, compelling, addictive" (Craig Russell)

What listeners say about Alphabet House

Average customer ratings
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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Long winded

There are enough plot details to keep me listening but generally this would have been twice as good at half its length. The last quarter is particularly drawn out and over indulgent in terms of author pontificating and unlikely plot twists.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

what a fantastic story I was gripped from beginning to the end. loved every word.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • mr
  • 29-06-15

Another hit

Another great listen, characters that come to life, the narrative spans the duration of the story without loosing pace.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderfully written

I believe this is the best audio book I have listened to. The events in the story were well presented and totally believable
The author should be extremely proud of this work. The narrator was excellent. I would recommend this book to anyone searching for their very first book. You won’t be disappointed

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Intriguing plot, well read

Thrilling in parts, thoughtful, nicely written, narrator told the story well. Book of two halves!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

gripping page turner

l listened through to the small hours. A page Turner and classic Adler-Olsen psychological thriller

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Keystone Cops(Kopf?) at times

Not sure if it's lost something in translation, but some of the scenes were quite amusing, whether intentional or not.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Slow start but picks right up...

Being a big fan of JAO's Dept Q books, I thought I'd give this a go. It's clearly a different situation, being set (initially) in WW2.

I found the first part of the book a little slow, but it picked up and became a very interesting and exciting story - one I very much enjoyed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Glad I listened!

I nearly didn't when I heard the prologue, but the book is so well written that the plot becomes believable. You don't notice the length of the book as everything flows so well. I was disappointed with the ending, which is why I docked a star, but otherwise this is a book well worth listening too.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not the best

Would you try another book written by Jussi Adler-Olsen or narrated by Daniel Philpott?

I have listened to quite a few of this author's books, but I really didn't enjoy this one. I couldn't feel any empathy with the characters and the story line is fairly far-fetched. So disappointed I didn't bother to finish listening to it.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I can't think of anything I really enjoyed.

Was Alphabet House worth the listening time?

Definitely not for me.

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3 people found this helpful