The Devil's Bargain

Luke Harding's journalism has given us a depressing but gripping take on one of the most blatant, brazen and frightening political twists of modern times: that Russia, based on it's existing cod war, KGB and espionage infrastructure has launched cyber war on the West, and, Manchurian Candidate style, installed its own puppet in the Whitehouse. One that fit a template they had for such a candidate: vain, paranoid, ultra-wealthy, and with powerful connections, and the media presence and warped charisma to gull a large percentage of the American presence.
The book alternates between recent events of Trump's candidacy and presidency, and the larger backstory of Russian politics and espionage. The characters range from the naïve and utterly stupid to the ruthless Machiavel. Guess which one is which. It's not Trump with his hand rammed up the puppet's hole and squeezing.
For the audiobook the Russian story can be at times confusing, those long Russian names crossing and criss-crossing can tax the short-term memory. But it is very much worth the effort.
Luke Harding writes with a ruthless objectivity, but he cannot hide his dismay and contempt for Trump his Presidency, those who have profited and helped bring it about, and the amoral ruthlessness of Putin. The narrator, Jonathan Amis, does a good job of switching between a clear, dry delivery and absolute incredulous disgust. The switch from one to the other is sometimes almost comical.
It's the more intellectual sibling of Fire and Fury.
Read, and pray for the light to dawn.

6 people found this helpful

Gripped!

Absolutely excellent. Mr Harding has pulled together a phenomenal amount of material from a wide range of sources, and made it into a coherent narrative. A must-read for anyone interested in the current worrying confusion and disintegration of American and global politics. Highly recommended.

5 people found this helpful

Essential reading - thrilling, gripping, terrifying.

This book is in-depth and enlightening. It reads like a terrific thriller, only it is not a work of fiction.

The author slowly builds up an incredibly strong case for collusion and one that goes back over more than three decades. If this were a movie plot it might feel too fanciful be true, but the evidence presented by Harding is both detailed, compelling and damning.

Interestingly this book was written in secrecy and released somewhat unexpectedly. The book provides an insider's perspective - which is fascinating.

I very much enjoyed reading it and finished it over the course of a couple of evenings. This book is completely up to date as of November 2017 and I very much look forward to the follow up a couple of years from now, detailing the next steps in this ongoing and as yet unresolved political saga.

It will almost certainly leave you gobsmacked but comes highly recommended. I would hope that everyone with an interest in the Trump/Russia situation would have an opportunity to read this.

4 people found this helpful

Fascinating listen. Strongly recommend.

If you're interested in US politics and particularly what's happened with the current administration and Russia, you'll be captivated with this book. This is an excellent example of good journalism and Luke Harding is on top form.

4 people found this helpful

What's audio book for couldn't put it down?

Written and performed like the best Le Carre novel you've ever read, Collusion would be written off as being "a bit far fetched" if it wasn't true! Luke Harding presents his methodical research brilliantly. He avoids conjecture and presents the facts, along with background details that provide supporting evidence and depth. I'm sure future historians will find this book invaluable.

3 people found this helpful

relevant gripping and unmissable

this is my first political book off audible. this reads better than fiction even though it's all true. the extent of Trump's involvement with Russia and money laundering should be public knowledge. he's a tyrant and should be in jail not running America .
very well read especially the Russian name pronunciations.
it is amazing in its depth and extent of research and I feel much more informed after hearing it. clearly the writer believes his own evidence and I hope trump goes away soon.

3 people found this helpful

Riveting

Where does Collusion rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The best I've listented to of this genre.

What did you like best about this story?

It has been well researched and well written.

Any additional comments?

I couldn't stop listening. This book is a must read for all who want to make some sense of the times we live in.

2 people found this helpful

Eye opening! Great book and performance.

Wonderfully pieced together, thrilling and scarily truthful. Highly recommend to anyone interested in the current political and social mess we in the west find ourselves in.

1 person found this helpful

Brilliant and Timely

A Brilliant and timely piece of journalism. A must read that gives an insight into not only what has happened in the US but what I'd probably taking place within the EU too.

1 person found this helpful

Another great read

Such a shame that US politics has come to this. I hope he doesn’t get away with it.