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Woman of State

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Woman of State

By: Simon Berthon
Narrated by: Emma Gregory
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About this listen

Power comes at a price in this sharp, smart political thriller – perfect for fans of Charles Cumming and Mick Herron.

Somebody knows where the bodies are buried…

Newly-appointed Minister of State Anne-Marie Gallagher appears to have an unblemished record. Only she knows the truth. In the early 1990s, she was embroiled in the IRA’s violent past, and integral to a mission which went disastrously wrong.

So far, skeletons have remained in their closets. But, unknown to Anne-Marie, DCI Jon Carne has just received an anonymous tip-off. The co-ordinates lead Carne to a body – badly decomposed after twenty-five years underground.

When news of the discovery reaches Westminster, Anne-Marie knows that she is at risk of being exposed. And with Carne closing in, there’s not much time for the new minister to decide how far she’ll go to keep her past where it belongs…

‘A stunning debut novel from a top TV producer, A Secret Worth Killing For takes us from the back streets of Belfast during the Troubles to power and parliament in London. It could not be more timely.’ – Gavin Esler

 Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Political Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense War & Military Fiction Espionage Military

Critic reviews

‘A stunning debut novel from a top TV producer, Woman of State takes us from the back streets of Belfast during the Troubles to power and parliament in London. It could not be more timely.’ – Gavin Esler
All stars
Most relevant
Great storyline which moved from the present to the past with ease, gradually releasing the backstory. It kept me hooked all the way through. There were some good twists at the end which meant a certain amount of mental gymnastics but it was all believable. At the end it made me go back and thing about the story again but this time with the hindsight of the twists and turns.

Really enjoyed listening to this and the narrator did a great job with characters and accents.

Excellent

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Would you consider the audio edition of Woman of State to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the print version.

Would you recommend Woman of State to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes. Interesting perspective on the Troubles, good narrative.

What does Emma Gregory bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Her performance was first class. I thought that she captured the voices of the main protagonists perfectly.

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

Quite possibly if one had time.

Any additional comments?

The book is carried by the performance, and by its structure. The narrative is compelling. The reason that I've only given three stars is because of the final section, which I fund rushed (in comparison to the rest of the book) and unsatisfactory. It felt as if the author had put a lot of time and effort and research into 85% of the novel, and had then got fed up with it. The reader deserves a more thoughtful end!

Excellently performed book

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