Once a Crooked Man

By: David McCallum

Narrated by: David McCallum

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

A deliciously quirky crime novel from David McCallum, the beloved actor know for his portrayal of Illya Kuryakin on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard on NCIS.

Crime pays. And pays well.

Sal, Max and Enzo Bruschetti have proved this over a lifetime of nefarious activity that they have kept hidden from law enforcement. Nowhere in any file, on any computer is there a record of anything illegal from which they have profited. But Max has a problem. His body is getting old and his doctor has told him to take it easy. Max has decided that the time has come for the family to retire.

But when young actor Harry Murphy overhears the Bruschetti brothers planning changes to their organization, including the murder of a man in London who knows t0o much, the Bruschetti's plans begin to unravel.

After Harry makes the well-intentioned if egregious mistake of trying to warn the Bruchetti's intended victim he finds himself alone in a foreign country, on the wrong side of the law, with a suitcase full of cash and a dangerous man on his trail. And while his good looks, charm and cheerful persistence may prove assets in the turbulent events that follow, none of Harry's past roles have prepared him for what happens next.

A turns tense and funny, Once a Crooked Man is infused with the infectious charm that has made David McCallum one of television's longest running, most-beloved stars.

©2016 David McCallum (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"To hear a terrific book brilliantly performed by the author is one of life's huge pleasures. [David McCallum's] velvety voice is a wonderful instrument, and he uses it to purr, to alarm, to make you laugh while he remains quietly deadpan as he follows his Candide-like actor-hero Harry Murphy through a baroque series of toils and dangers he got into because he was trying to save a stranger's life. Only an actor could have written this deliciously entertaining story, and no one could have performed it better. Standing O." -AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

"If listening is your preference, you'll be happy to know the audio book is narrated by the author, whose facility with accents, intonations and vocal styles is so convincing you'll swear there are several readers at the mike."-Fran Wood, NJ.com

"McCallum is effective when giving voice to his creations, going American for the Manhattanites, upper-class Brit for Villiers and his wife, adding a bit of a Russian growl for Ivan, and a brash, sexy cockney for Lizzie." -Publishers Weekly

What Fun!

David McCallum has written a delightful story. It keeps one entertained throughout and comes to an satisfying end. I do hope there will be more!

Page Turner!

loved the characters and the plot! i hope david writes another book! well worth the listen too!

Very Deceiving Title But Good

My friend recommended this book and I was hesitant because of the title. Not knowing what to expect so finally I gave it a listen. Love the narrator who is also the author! This story has some great twists and turns and leaves you pondering the outcome. Would recommend to my other friends.

Crooked

The story lived up to its name, keep me wanting to hear what would happen next

Very entertaining!

Excellent character development in a wonderfully engaging story. Starts quietly and then the story takes flight. I was sorry oh t had to end. Good luck Harry.

crooked but heroic!

very entertaining, story line was very captivating, page turner that let's you root for main character. ..

A real Mob Treat!

Would you consider the audio edition of Once a Crooked Man to be better than the print version?

David McCallum himself reads it - FANTASTIC

Who was your favorite character and why?

The mobsters......"they seem so nice."

Have you listened to any of David McCallum’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Only on TVThis is the best audio book you'll ever hear

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it was too much fun to spread it out. I hated to see it end.

Any additional comments?

David McCallum aka the man from U.N.C.L.E and Ducky on NCIS has the most wonderful dry British humor. All his characters are very likeable - even the really bad ones. The author's reading is the best you'll ever hear and the plot is excellent! I hope he writes many more books and reads them himself for Audiobooks.

Ducky's Too Detailed.

Okay, David McCallum's become lovable on NCIS as Dr. Ducky. A very well known actor, he reads his own work well. Unfortunately, the work doesn't read well. Oh, the plot's interesting... but... well, imagine a restaurant where the waitstaff's distractions eventually deliver up average lukewarm food .

At first I thought that his character's fixation on details like the way toilet water swirls down from a flushing... I thought that clues were deeply disguised in those details. Generally they weren't anything but time wasters. Did a publisher demand that he stretch his work to fill more pages? Dunno, don't care... either about the lukewarm plot or the reason it got that way. This is an average book that, without McCallum's name attached, would remainder fast. Which is probably the only way the word fast will wind up in my review of Once A Crooked Man.

Terrific!

Any additional comments?

David McCallum is terrific- as a writer, narrator and actor! I hope he writes either a sequel or just another story.

Very enjoyable. David McCallum did a great job

The end had some twists and turns. David McCallum narration was wonderful. Enjoyed the story and twists and turns. Hopefully he will write another book. Honestly I could not stop listening towards the final conclusion.