The Bank of Fear

by David Ignatius Narrated by George Guidall

Overview

Suspenseful, compelling, and utterly believable, The Bank of Fear is unparalleled spy fiction in the best tradition of Graham Greene and John le CarrE¿a twisting tale of the ruthless greed and money laundering behind today's headlines. Behind the doors of a London investment firm lies a grisly five billion dollar secret that directly involves the Ruler of Iraq. When British financial investigator Sam Hoffman and Iraqi computer analyst Lina Alway decide to expose the secret, they are quickly caught in a deadly maze of deception and terror. Their only hope for survival is hiding in a global computer network of the Internet¿but only if they're smart enough to find it.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Cynical intelligence agencies, international financiers and evil Iraqis make global mischief in this clumsy, unconvincing thriller set primarily in contemporary Europe. American Sam Hoffman works as a private financial investigator in London, providing a freelance intelligence service to wealthy businessmen and corporations. When a Filipino cook begs Sam to investigate his employer--Nasir Hammoud, a shady and powerful Iraqi businessman--who, he says, has murdered his wife, Sam discovers a tangled web of financial deception. Setting out to bring Hammoud to justice, Sam enlists the aid of several wealthy Arab friends, cronies of his father (an abusive, alcoholic ex-CIA operative) and Iraqi computer specialist Lina Alwan, the accounting systems' supervisor at Hammoud's London headquarters. The ensuing action lacks believability: trite dialogue is mouthed by cartoon characters whose only motivation consists of advancing the novel's creaky plot. Sam, prized for his expertise, comes off as a dim ingenue, while Lina is unconvincing in her metamorphosis from timid accountant to wily spy. In a denouement that seems almost a non-sequitur, Ignatius ( Agents of Innocence ) brings his Middle-Eastern trilogy to a close on an amateurish note. (June)

Library Journal

To complete the trilogy formed by Siro (LJ 4/15/91) and Agents of Innocence (Avon, 1988), Ignatius, a journalist whose beat once included the Middle East, now focuses his powerhouse stare on Iraq. Combining the sly wit of a Swiss bank caper with the horrifying account of a megalomaniacal political regime, this novel features a modern Iraqi woman who works in London as a computer specialist for an Arab conglomerate. Her innocent discovery of a questionable computer file at the time when the Iraqi head of state is assassinated leaves her exposed to relentless attack not only from Iraqi agents but from Israeli and American ones as well. A smitten freelance industrial spy tries to help her out-at least until his father, a CIA operative, interferes. Against a backdrop of true events, documentary realism in the torture scenes, and computer strategies, the couple ping-pongs between frisky romance and dire straits. Ignatius writes dialog of sustained virtuosity, and the plotting, if a little labored, is dazzlingly clever. For most popular spy and suspense collections.-Barbara Conaty, Library of Congress

JUN 97 - AudioFile

The recording of The Bank of Fear narrated by George Guidall made a particular impression on author Ignatius. In particular, he notes the research into pronunciations and attention to detail. Lots of names and expressions were checked with the author. “Guidall takes the recording very seriously.” The thriller takes place primarily in London and revolves around Arab financial interests and corruption. Ignatius says the voices of the characters must first come alive in the mind of the narrator and be then projected in the narration. While the author’s process has much the same evolution, sometimes a very different interpretation of the work emerges from the narrator. Narration can open the door for a different experience, adding the performer’s layer of artistry. R.F.W. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171282516
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	10/21/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged

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