The Matarese Circle

A Novel

By: Robert Ludlum

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Length: 19 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Only two rival spies - and one mysterious woman - can stop them: Scofield, CIA, and Talaniekov, KGB. They share a genius for espionage - and a life of terror and explosive violence. Sworn enemies, they have vowed to terminate each other - yet now they must become allies. Because only they possess the brutal skills and ice-cold nerves vital to destroy an international circle of killers, the Matarese.

©1983 Robert Ludlum (P)2012 Random House

Matarese

Good long story. Think I was half way through before getting the point though. Still, good second goad.

Worst Audio quality ever

It’s a good book but the audio is very distorted. First time I’ve ever experienced that. Sounded like it was recorded from an old transistor radio

Classic espionage

A great story. Well worth the time. One of Ludlum's best. Pritchard is an excellent narrator.

Best Ludlum story

My favorite Robert Ludlum novel. loved the characters and the concept. Didn't wnt the story to end.

Poor sound and a dull narrator

As always. Ludlum has a great story. however the recording sounds like it is recorded in a plastic box and the narrator has an extremely dull woice

Horrible reader with a pronounced lisp.

This is an excellent book ruined by a horrible reader with a lisp. The narrator has a distinct lisp turning his reading of an excellent book to a Monty Python extravaganza.

Great story from a great writer

I've heard this particular book many times on cassette tapes. Unfortunately that was an abridged version. it was great to get all the details and it's still a great story.

Bad quality narration

I could not enjoy the book as the sound quality of narration was bad. Please fix it

Give Michael Prichard a Break!!!

What made the experience of listening to The Matarese Circle the most enjoyable?

It's one of Ludlum's best. More of these should be available on Audible. It ain't all about Bourne.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Typical Ludlum pacing: first third procedural and a bit slow; second third gripping and better paced; final third all the stops come out.

What about Michael Prichard’s performance did you like?

I wrote this review to give a contrasting view on this narrator. MP is one of the old crowd in the narrator biz. That has plusses and minuses. He is a very reliable and articulate reader, usually. He may seem a little flat by today's standards, but so what? If Scott Brick is your ideal narrator, you probably won't like MP. And this is Robert Ludlum--if you think RL is Dostoyevsky or Dickens, MP's tone will seem wrong. Otherwise, what's the problem? This recording is pretty obviously a digitization of the original BOT recording; you can tell from the slightly muddy tone and the pitch changes at 45 minute intervals. That's the way it was back then. Audible decided to use what they had. Don't take that out on MP. He's one of the reasons this format even exists in the first place. Props to him for that.

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

Huh?

Typical Ludlum

Ludlum creates a complex world of characters and histories in spinning this yarn of a worldwide plot to dominate the planet that has been playing out for 70 years.