Night Heron
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Night Heron
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Narrated by:
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Jason Isaacs
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By:
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Adam Brookes
About this listen
A lone man, Peanut, escapes a labour camp in the dead of night, fleeing across the winter desert of northwest China. Two decades earlier, he was a spy for the British; now Peanut must disappear on Beijing's surveillance-blanketed streets. Desperate and ruthless, he reaches out to his one-time MI6 paymasters via crusading journalist Philip Mangan, offering military secrets in return for extraction. But the secrets prove more valuable than Peanut or Mangan could ever have known... and not only to the British.
Uncover a world of international secrets in the utterly authentic, unbearably tense opening novel in a landmark thriller trilogy by BBC Foreign Correspondent Adam Brookes.
2014, CWA Daggers: John Creasey (New Blood), Long-listed
©2014 Adam Brookes (P)2014 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Night Heron is a fascinating portrait of the dangerous complexities of spying in a restricted country, the competing agendas driving international intelligence, and China's startlingly varied social realities. A must-read for fans of espionage and smart global fiction in general." (Booklist)
"Brookes, a correspondent for BBC News in Washington, D.C., who was formerly based in China, takes readers deep inside the culture and daily routines of that country in his outstanding fiction debut.... Good chase scenes and tense dialogue, coupled with a convincing picture of what actually happens in the corridors of power, make Brookes a thriller writer to watch." (Publishers Weekly)
"Fans of the international espionage genre will inhale this fast tale in a few suspenseful breaths. Brookes uses multiple narrators - the spy, the engineer, the journalist, the agent, the boss-whose conflicting alliances tell the real story." (Library Journal)
"The pace is frenetic and Brookes does a wonderful job with both the high-tech world of cyber intelligence and survival on Beijing's gritty, smog-smothered streets. Highly recommended." (The Bookseller)
"Engrossing and compelling" (LA Review of Books)
"Brookes, a one-time China correspondent for the BBC, knows this turf exceedingly well and translates that knowledge into a novel that is as strikingly different as it is thrilling . . . One of the best and most compulsively readable spy-fiction debuts in years" (Kirkus)
If you could sum up Night Heron in three words, what would they be?
Bewitching Heart RacerWhat did you like best about this story?
Set in an environment I knew virtually nothing about.What about Jason Isaacs’s performance did you like?
The pace of his narration is just perfect enabling you to feel the experience of the "Heron" in all its danger.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Near the beginning when "Heron" is hiding in his cave.Any additional comments?
I would highly recommend this book.The story is completely engrossing and original.A Very Different Spy
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A great listen.
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Where does Night Heron rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
One of the best audiobooks I have heard. Slightly disappointing ending.What did you like best about this story?
Jason Isaacs narration is fantastic.A great story with interesting characters.
Great book, ended on a whimper.
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Lots to think about. Super twist right at the end.
Night Heron
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Highly recommended
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It very much reminded me of an early Frederick Forsyth novel which is no bad thing.
I'd very much recommend this audiobook.
Bravo!
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What did you like best about Night Heron? What did you like least?
There were some enthralling set-pieces (the initial escape being one of them) but by half-way through the book I still didn't care enough about any of the characters to want to find out what was going to happen next. I found all of the main characters in the story to be both non-sympathetic (not necessarily a problem by itself) and non-empathetic - I just never felt engaged in the story.Any additional comments?
Jason Isaacs does a good job of narration, the pace is just about right and characterisations as good as they could be given the source material. It's not a bad book, just not a terribly good one either. This was my first foray into post-Le-Carre contemporary spy fiction; I am hoping there are better, more exciting and more engaging examples yet to encounter.Failed to sustain my interest
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It is with the audiobooks that the troubles come. Three books, each with a different a sole male narrator none of whom, quite understandably, can satisfactorily span the required ranges. The Spy's Daughter is the worst where there are three strong female roles - upper class Brit, working class black Brit and a young Chinese lady. Brookes is a good writer but read, don't listen.
Read, don't listen
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Would you listen to Night Heron again? Why?
No. Would only normally read a thriller once.What was one of the most memorable moments of Night Heron?
Best part was the China setting.Any additional comments?
An enjoyable thriller, although the characters were rather undeveloped. Good enough for me to get another book by this author when one comes out. Generally well read, although Jason Isaacs appears not to know how to pronounce 'peony', which is irritating, and more distinction between some of the characters' voices would help.Not a bad little espionage tale
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Would you listen to Night Heron again? Why?
Yes, I want to get my husband to listen to it so will probably do so on a long car journey. Great bookWhat other book might you compare Night Heron to, and why?
I think it is quite like some of the La Carre works all of which I have loved.Which scene did you most enjoy?
Can't really bring to mind one scene which was better than the rest. the book is very well balanced.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, I never want to listen to books in 1 go.Any additional comments?
Get it!Wonderful tense spy drama
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