Above Suspicion

De: Helen MacInnes

Narrado por: Kate Reading

Richard and Frances Myles are preparing for their annual European summer vacation in 1939 when they are visited at their Oxford college by old friend Peter Galt, who has a seemingly simple job for them. But in the heightened atmosphere of prewar Europe, nobody is above suspicion. In fact, the husband and wife are being carefully monitored by shadowy figures.

Above Suspicion was MacInnes’ breakthrough book, a best seller published in 1941 and released as a movie in 1943, directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Joan Crawford and Fred MacMurray.

©2013 Helen MacInnes (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Hooray for Helen MacInnes

When I was 14 years old, I borrowed this book from my mom, and promptly read every book written by Helen MacInnes thereafter. I’ve read some of the books several times, but it’s been years since I’ve picked one up.

Since 9/11 and 2016, I felt the relevance of these stories once again.

There are some things that never change; her characters will remind you of someone you know, friend or frenemy, perhaps a celebrity, or a politician. Her descriptions are vivid, and characters are strongly defined. Women are courageous and intelligent. The men are strong, capable, and respect smart women. Helen was far ahead of her time in this respect.

Since the majority of the books were written in the 30s and 40s, good vs evil, war (hot and cold), fascism, terrorism, counterterrorism, kidnapping, spies, intrigue, and relationships are common threads, and extremely relevant to today’s world.

I searched high and low for audio and digital recordings of these books, but couldn’t find any.

In 2017 or 2018, I called Audible and asked them if they would consider adding Helen MacInnes to their library. I found her books here 3 weeks ago, and am thrilled! I’m listening to all the books in order of publication (except Friends and Lovers, which isn’t in the Audible Library yet).

Thanks to the estate of Helen MacInnes, and Audible for making an agreement & releasing these gems!

Bless Kate Reading for outstanding narration!

Above Suspicion

So glad to have the opportunity to listen to audio books by Helen MacInnes. Excellent books

Excellent performance by Narrator without over shadowing or taking away from the story.

The story is very believable; it really showed how the German people had evolved (it was a heyday for bullies). And it is always comforting to learn there were a few good individuals. The whole book is a great read but the second half is great; it is very exciting.

Excellent in every way

Nothing more wonderful than having one of your favorite books from one of your most favorite authors read so elegantly. More of this please!

Palpable Tension

Love everything by Macinnis, ever since I was a kid and borrowed every book of hers I could find.

This story is the tension in just living your every day life during the prewar years. Great locations, excellent characters. Narration is also stellar.

Suspenseful and exciting, but not for everyone

I was thrilled to see Helen MacInnes books coming to Audible. I enjoyed reading most of her books 30 or so years ago. Helen MacInnes wrote Above Suspicion in 1941. Many books from that era do not do well with modern audiences. It's almost like watching old classic movies, you cringe a little, but if the movie is good, you want to watch it again and again. I am delighted to "be dragged across Europe" hiding in plain sight from enemies, in the typical Helen MacInnes way! The story goes at a slower pace than most modern spy novels, but I loved it. Some days I am in the mood for a fast paced thrill ride. This is not that. Fans of MacInnes will love this. Looking forward to other titles as they become available, especially some old favorites.

SO happy to see these books coming out!

Helen MacInnes was my first mystery author. My mom felt her books were acceptable for a 12-year-old, but we talked about it after each book. I hope they're going to release the entire set, I just love these books. The narrator was excellent. She had a number of characters to speak for and I very much appreciated that, even though the main characters were English-born, she didn't give them accents too strong for American ears to understand. Ditto for the German characters. I've had books where they stayed true to the character being English (or Irish, or German, etc.) and used accents too strong to easily understand. This disrupts the flow of the story if you have to stop and try to piece together what you just heard. Very enjoyable and I've already gotten the second book, and am looking forward to the rest as they come out. Thank you.