The Adversary cover art

The Adversary

A True Story of Monstrous Deception

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The Adversary

By: Emmanuel Carrère
Narrated by: Joseph Kloska
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About this listen

The Sunday Times best seller

Waterstones nonfiction book of the month

On the Saturday morning of January 9, 1993, while Jean Claude Romand was killing his wife and children, I was with mine in a parent-teacher meeting....

With these chilling first words, acclaimed master of psychological suspense Emmanuel Carrère begins his exploration of the double life of a respectable doctor, 18 years of lies, five murders and the extremes to which ordinary people can go.

©2017 Emmanuel Carrère (P)2017 Random House AudioBooks Con Artists, Hoaxes & Deceptions Murder True Crime Crime

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Critic reviews

"As a writer, Carrère is straight berserk; as a storyteller he is so freakishly talented, so unassuming in grace and power that you only realize the hold he's got on you when you attempt to pull away. You say: True crime and literature? I don't believe it. I say: Believe it." (Junot Díaz)
"Mesmerising." ( Sunday Telegraph)
"Stunning." ( Evening Standard)
All stars
Most relevant  
Interesting and tragic story but the book doesn't hold the listener's attention. It is presented in a highly repetitive manner with little depth and meanders its way to nowhere of interest.

tragic story

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This non-fiction works tells the story of murders that took place in the 1990s in France. The horrific nature of these killings is less in the fact of them themselves (although they are horrific) than in what they reveal about the capacity for a human being to perpetrate such a thoroughly extensive series of deceptions on those who most trust them (and who they say they love). Expertly told by Carrère, the story gets an additional twist towards the end as the perpetrator adopts a new story in prison, the story of his being born again as a Christian and witnessing for the Lord. Is this a new deception (even if also a self-deception) as the author seems to think, or is this a repentance we must accept as the truth, as the Catholic prison visitors who have converted the criminal claim? The criminal in question here was released on parole in 2019, so perhaps time will tell...

Awful events, compellingly told

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Reads as much about a series of monstrous crimes as human nature. Yet all true

Gripping. Narrator performance great pitch , tone.

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An exploration of a very disturbed mind and how a person’s excellence at lying can get out of hand. I enjoyed the narration and how the authors own attitudes towards writing the story were set against the killer’s view of himself. Very thought provoking but a good yarn at the same time.

Fascinating and horrifying at the same time

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Wasn’t that impressed by this recommendation from Louis Theroux! Jumbled and without focus. Good job is was fairly brief.

Average

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No story, poorly read. I listened throughout as I wanted to like it but it never got any traction with my interest. I really don’t see the point.

Utter rubbish

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I read the review by Louis Theroux and then chose this book. I was not impressed but soldiered on in the hope of something great. It didn't happen.

Dull as ditchwater

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