The Amateur

A Novel of Revenge

By: Robert Littell

Narrated by: Scott Brick

In a world of professionals, Charlie Heller is the Amateur, and he's at the center of a chillingly engrossing tale of espionage and intrigue, written by master-of-the-genre Robert Littell.

In this "first-rate thriller" (Chicago Tribune), Charlie Heller is an ace cryptographer for the Company. He's a quiet man with a quiet job in a back office. But when terrorists shoot his fiancee in cold blood and Heller learns that the Agency has decided not to pursue those responsible, his life takes an abrupt turn. He was not a blackmailer but he will force the CIA's hand. He was not an assassin but he will penetrate the Iron Curtain with the intent to kill. Driven by an obsessive need for revenge, targeted for elimination by the CIA itself, Heller is an amateur with a one-in-a-million chance of success.

With last year's publication of his New York Times best seller The Company, Robert Littell reestablished his position as one of our top writers of intelligent, ironic, and always entertaining espionage thrillers. After many years The Amateur, a cult classic among aficionados, is finally available in audio.

©1981 Robert Littell (P)2003 New Millenium Audio, All Rights Reserved.

Critic reviews

"Superb...real terror...a hall-of-mirrors showdown...plus last-minute twists...Littell is in top form." (Kirkus)
"A taut, chilling plot and a protagonist as memorable as one of Len Deighton's, or le Carre's George Smiley." (The New York Times Book Review)

A great listen!

I enjoyed this book thoroughly, as I did "The Company". Littell has the consistent ability to make his characters come alive and includes some interesting development of a few of the characters found in "The Company". I particularly enjoyed the very last line of this book - it made me laugh out loud. The narration by Scott Brick was, as usual, exceptional.

Amateur night

A reasonably good Cold War spy story, in the “ripping yarn” tradition yarn. Definitely enjoyable, but marred somewhat by having more holes than a machine-gunned Swiss Cheese. Scott Brick is excellent as a narrator, as usual.

The Amateur is unpredictable

Charlie Heller works for the CIA but he is not a professional spy. Revenge for the death of his girlfriend drives him. He is only an amateur in a world of professionals, that may seem a disadvantage, but his unpredictability turns into an asset. He goes behind the Iron Curtain seeking his revenge, and discovers that friends can be enemies and enemies can be friends. Did Shakespeare really write Shakespeare, the answer is in the stars.

Good

I'm another one who loved The Company and had to try more of his writing. I knew from the reviews it wouldn't be as great as what I guess is his masterpiece, but I still enjoyed this one. I will continue with his other books as well in the future. I liked the definition of an amateur versus a professional, plus the window into cryptography.

I see doing a Google search that there was a movie made of this book in 1981 in Canada, starring John Savage, Marthe Keller, with Christopher Plummer as the Czech intelligence officer on his trail. It gets a good review but is similar to The Odessa File, explaining why it perhaps didn't get the recognition it deserved.

Excellent Spy Novel

If you could sum up The Amateur in three words, what would they be?

Revenge

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

Not really

Any additional comments?

Set back in the early 80's the hero is a cryptologist working for the CIA when his fiance gets killed by a terrorist. Charlie wants revenge, but mysteriously the CIA wants to sit on their hands. Taking matters into his own hands, he sets out to do the job himself. Charlie pulls out all the stops and goes so far as to blackmail the CIA into helping him. He is an amateur that remains just one step ahead of the CIA and others by learning quickly and a healthy dose of pure luck. The book is clearly fictional, but threads of the real story are woven into this fictional account of what might have happened in real life. An exceptional book and I can't wait to start another by the same author.

Robert Littell is no amateur

If you enjoyed The Company, you'll love The Amateur. Both books are well-written and excellently narrated. Shorter than The Company, but long enough for hours of entertainment.

Intriguing paths.

This is an interesting view of intrigue, loss, cynicism, romance, and finding the way back from the dead -to a new life.
My recomendations.

Just ok

Not sure what to make of this book. It definitely dated since it takes place in the Nixon era. And not sure what to make of some of the repetitive details. Author describes several characters with “Mona Lisa-like smile”. Obsessed with it! Why do that? By the 10th time I was rolling my eyes. But it kept me entertained as I wanted to see how much more I can take.

Obsessed detail

I finished listening to this book, but at times it was seriously aggravating to listen to the authors absolute obsession with overused detail(My opinion). Other than that the subject and content was good. I would be hesitant to listen to another book from this author if he has the same style on the rest of his books.

Great book!

This was a great book! My mind was constantly racing trying to figure out each twist. In the end the book came together wonderfully.

Scott Brick's narration is the best I've heard.

A must read!