The Saboteur: A Novel

by Andrew Gross Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini

Overview

Based on the true story of Operation Gunnerside-the Britain-sponsored mission that sent Norwegian commandos into the Nazi-occupied Telemark region of their country to destroy the enemy's nuclear weapons program-New York Times bestselling author Andrew Gross's The Saboteur is a riveting World War II thriller of espionage and action.

February, 1943. Both the Allies and the Nazis are closing in on attempts to construct the decisive weapon of the war.

Kurt Nordstrum, an engineer in Oslo, puts his life aside to take up arms against the Germans as part of the Norwegian resistance. After the loss of his fiancée, and with his outfit whittled to shreds, he commandeers a coastal steamer and escapes to England to transmit secret evidence of the Nazis's progress towards an atomic bomb at an isolated factory in Norway. There, he joins a team of dedicated Norwegians in training in the Scottish Highlands for a mission to disrupt the Nazis' plans before they advance any further.

Parachuted onto the most unforgiving terrain in Europe, braving the fiercest of mountain storms, Nordstrum and his team attempt the most daring raid of the war, targeting the heavily-guarded factory built on a shelf of rock thought to be impregnable, a mission even they know they likely will not survive. Months later, Nordstrum is called upon again to do the impossible, opposed by both elite Nazi soldiers and a long-standing enemy who is now a local collaborator-one man against overwhelming odds, with the fate of the war in the balance, but the choice to act means putting the one person he has a chance to love in peril.

Praise for Edoardo Ballerini:

"Gross's saboteur is a champion of patriotic devotion and physical endurance, and Ballerini captures his grace and humanity, as well as his courage, in a manly timbre."-AudioFile Magazine on The Saboteur

"Actor Ballerini turns the scene into a fascinating radio drama...These conversational moments, delicately crafted by Gross and splendidly performed by Ballerini, have a profound effect on the novel's equally well-enacted, action-filled, breathless escape sequence."-Publishers Weekly on The One Man

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"This Norwegian-accented commando caper showcases narrator Edoardo Ballerini's versatility and range, and offers all the satisfactions of its genre...[Andrew] Gross's saboteur is a champion of patriotic devotion and physical endurance, and Ballarini captures his grace and humanity, as well as his courage, in a manly timbre." -AudioFile

“Tension permeates the pages even for readers who know the historical outcome. A terrific story filled with tension and surprises right to the end. That's two World War II winners in a row for Gross.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“From its opening pages, Gross’s novel grips readers as they follow the tough-minded and persistent Nordstrum every step of the way. Highly recommended for thriller fans as well as lovers of historical fiction based on true events.”
—Library Journal (starred review)

“Narrator Ballerini effortlessly manages the complex story line . . . the audio truly enhances the written text. This historical thriller will keep listeners engaged, and although they know how the war ends, they will find themselves on the edge of their seats wondering what happens next.”
—Booklist on The One Man

"Conversational moments, delicately crafted by Gross and splendidly performed by Ballerini, have a profound effect on the novel’s equally well-enacted, action-filled, breathless escape sequence."—Publisher's Weekly Starred Review of The One Man

Library Journal

04/01/2017
In February 1943, Norwegian engineer and resistance fighter Kurt Nordstrum escapes to London with information about the Germans' progress toward building an atomic bomb. After training in the Highlands, he returns home with a team given the near-impossible task of attacking the mountaintop factory, then returns months later to finish the job. From the James Patterson coauthor and, on his own, an internationally best-selling author whose books include 2016's The One Man.

OCTOBER 2017 - AudioFile

This Norwegian-accented commando caper showcases narrator Edoardo Ballerini’s versatility and range, and offers all the satisfactions of its genre, including a mission that “alters the course of World War II.” Based on a true story in which saboteurs sank the ferry boat transporting the Nazis’ supply of heavy water, its 79 brisk chapters race up cliffs and across frozen landscapes, always one step ahead of a Nazi bullet. Gross’s saboteur is a champion of patriotic devotion and physical endurance, and Ballarini captures his grace and humanity, as well as his courage, in a manly timbre. As a rule, all Norwegian-inflected characters, including women and toddlers, tend to sound like codgers, but Ballerini keeps them more or less separate. And he simply dazzles in one virtuoso scene, a mission-planning session in which he shifts rapidly from Norwegian to Scottish, British, and American accents. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171924751
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	08/22/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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