Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Insider

By: Matthew Richardson
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

A thrilling novel of espionage and murder in the dark heart of Westminster, from the UK's most exciting new spy writer.

A Russian defector is found brutally murdered in a London hotel.

Only four people knew he had turned - the four most important and powerful figures in Whitehall.

There's only one conclusion - a mole has infiltrated the highest levels of the nation's security.

Operating in secret from within Westminster's darkest corners, former spy Solomon Vine must uncover the traitor.

Because Britain's future hangs in the balance.

And with it the fate of the whole world....

©2021 Matthew Richardson (P)2021 Penguin Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

My Name Is Nobody cover art
The Scarlet Papers cover art
Smoke and Whispers cover art
The Holy Thief cover art
Why We Die cover art
Down Cemetery Road cover art
The Seal of Confession cover art
Empire State cover art
Eminent Domain cover art
The Spy Whisperer cover art
The Dark Yorkshire Series: Books 1-3 cover art
Red Station cover art
The End of the World Is Nigh cover art
Official Secrets cover art
Red Widow cover art
The Murder Wall cover art

Critic reviews

"Proof that the spy genre is flourishing in the 21st century.... [Richardson's] plotting has an old-school, Swiss-clock precision." (Guardian)

"Compelling, intense and sharply authentic." (James Swallow, best-selling author of Nomad)

"A splendid tale of espionage starring an old-fashioned MI6 hero...exciting spy literature." (Times)

What listeners say about The Insider

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    246
  • 4 Stars
    70
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    279
  • 4 Stars
    33
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    211
  • 4 Stars
    76
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping, well paced story. Loved it.

Narrator's sense of timing is brilliant, loved the story line and the main character's mind

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Great story - we'll read by Sean Barrett

I love a good spy story and this does not disappoint. Sean Barrett is very good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

excellent

loved it. veryauthentic. very cinvincing. a good way to spend a few hours on a journey.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Great for spook lovers

I love a spy story, and this is a well-paced, engaging book.

But what makes it great is the legend that is Sean Barrett. There is no better narrator. (PS if you want to hear more from him, try the Slough House series by Mick Herron)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

The Insider

I love listening to Sean Barrett, so bought this, I would not usually be drawn to a spy novel, but this was really interesting , very detailed .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

The Insider

Briliant plot, Full of twists and turns and exquisitely narrated by Sean Barrett. Looking forward to more of this writer on Audible.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Enjoyable espionage

Bought on the strength of narrator Sean Barrett. It is very much in the vein of John le Carre and though I guessed the ‘mole’ at the very beginning it was an enjoyable story and keep me interested.
I’ve not heard of the author before but look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Ripping yarn - like finding a new Le Carre/McBain

Have to say I loved this. First off it has Sean Barratt, and hes just great at this stuff. You just relax and let him tell you a story.

This book has all the tropes you love if your into Le Carre and McBain. Moscow Rules, chalk, dead letter boxes, rude politicians, clever enemies. It borrows a lot from Tinker Tailor, but clearly with some love.

Personally I like my spy stories really slow and this book could have been longer. Also Im not sure I got one particular bit of plot - but I didnt care by that point. Listened to it over three days and was sad when it finished. Hope he does some more as hes found a way to do Le Carre in a modern setting with modern tech (that sort of ruins the Cold War vibe).

Good book! Get it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

All spy books should be narrated by Sean Barratt

There’s always room in the world for another world-weary spy and this is a very satisfying London thriller. I’ve not read the previous book, which may explain Solomon’s backstory, however this can definitely be enjoyed as a stand-alone book.
Very much in the vein of Charles Cumming’s Box 88 and Mick Herron’s Slough House series, especially the latter with gravely narration by Sean Barratt.
My only complaint was that, at 7 hours, it was a little short and another couple of hours would have given space to flesh out some of the details. But thoroughly enjoyable.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

Thoroughly enjoyable

Outstanding narration - suited absolutely to the genre.

Firstly it was super refreshing to have a book that for once didn't rely on sex scenes, brutal violence, foul language, drug and alcohol use - bravo!! It proves indeed that the above is not a requirement for a book to be satisfying, indeed for myself it elevated the writing to not have to rely on vulgarity and kept me involved throughout.

If you want sex, drugs, alcohol, depraved language and violence this is not for you - go elsewhere.

Is the outcome of the "mole" surprising? Considering the whole book, no - however that does not detract from the storyline at all.

I have bought the paperback for my elderly dad as an extra Christmas gift as I know he will enjoy the intrigue but the lack of the usual fluff and nonsense that many writers rely on to sell their books.



Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!