The Shadowers

Matt Helm, Book 7

By: Donald Hamilton

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

In order to foil a mass assassination plot, Matt Helm must undertake his most dangerous mission yet: matrimony.

An agent like Helm might be a nice man to live with for a while, but he's not the kind of guy a woman would marry - unless she has to in order to maintain an ingenious cover. The man whose daily bread is violence takes a most unlikely bride - just to ensure death doesn't part them.

©1964, 2013 Donald Hamilton (P)2015 Skyboat Media, Inc.

Read to the end

I have enjoyed this series very much, but almost gave up on The shadowers. The story moved slowly, the plot seemed weak, the characters seemed stilted. But I finished. The end/resolution was strong and satisfying.

still in love with the character

still in love with the character your narrator is that the great voice that plays this character listen more

Typical Matt Helm Book - entertaining mystery.

I've read several of the Matt Helm books, and while the plots change, they are all basically the same. I compare them to Jack Reacher books, in that Matt Helm and Jack Reacher are smart and very logical. They think things thru carefully and solve the "mystery of the book" thru guile and logic, rather than brute force or some superpower. Much of the book takes place inside Matt's head, and Stefan Rudnicki is outstanding as the narrator and Matt's inner voice.

These are not what I'd call great books, but they are enjoyable mysteries, and most of them aren't much more than 5 hours long. I got them all as free downloads thru the Audible Plus benefit to my Audible membership. (I would not purchase or spend a credit on a book that short.) I listen to a lot of audio books, and I periodically fill in between books with a light-hearted and witty Matt Helm book. I will continue to do so.

excellent,as usual!

i honestly don't think that the series could be any better! the readings really do sell the series, obviously great care has gone into this project ( and although I really love 💘 the Dean Martin films, more Austin powers than Austin powers, an extremely guilty pleasure !!) this is more obviously Matt Helm, as Donald Hamilton wrote it(he wouldn't be 😢 all the way to the bank,anymore!) and im completely certain he'd be happy ,with this series of audio adventures!! only one mistake I've spotted in this, Rudnicki repeats one sentence,thats all ive spotted so far!

Obsessed

Great story. Narrated brilliantly. I look forward to hearing more conversations between Matt Helm and Mac. I didn't discover these titles until I was the same age as Matt... I mean Eric. I don't believe I've ever finished a 007 movie, but I could listen to these amazing books with ease and content. Matt Helm rolls with the punches and takes plenty of them too. He feels, very much, like a regular person doing what he can with what he's got. We should all aspire to do the same, in any line of work.

Not as tight as the other books. Still great.

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

A Dangerous Game.

Would you be willing to try another book from Donald Hamilton? Why or why not?

Yes. I am addicted. The series is made of a bunch of perfectly paced episodes set up in a real environment with real consequences.

Which scene was your favorite?

Nothing really stuck out in this entry. It was not wound nearly as tightly as the other books. It is not that it was bad. There just wasn't a highpoint.

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

Not this time. Again the tension wasnt as built up as other entries. There was mystery and danger but we just weren't made to care like in the other books.

Any additional comments?

One of the more heartbreaking/emotional entries. But it is still told from a very realistic perspective and there is still alot to enjoy.

Waiting for the whistle!

The tale begins with Helm being police escorted to an accident scene. His girlfriend, Gail Hendricks sped around a curve, lost control, and crashed, being thrown from the convertible. By the time he got there, there was nothing to do but identify the body. Feeling morose, Helm called Mac asking if there was something he could do. Mac jumped on the offer and an hour later Helm was on an aircraft carrier off the eastern coast of Florida. Mac was waiting in a conference room with a rather plain-looking, stoic, young woman introduced as Dr. Olivia Mariatzi. Due to the nature of the mission, Helm was to protect Olivia as her husband. A man named Amil Taussig is establishing a group of agents who will, upon a signal, eliminate targets they have been following. This method was tried several years ago in Budapest and failed miserably, creating quite a stir. Now he plans to do it again here in Pensacola, Florida. Helm’s secondary mission is to find Taussig and kill him. So much for the setup of the story. Contrary to some reviewers, I think this is a very good story. Mariatzi’s character was especially dramatic and compelling. The depth of her character, the reasons for her actions, her affection for Helm, and the pain she carried inside her were real and raw. The closing minutes of the story are both a surprise and heart-breaking at the same time. Westlake carried off the ruse masterfully. Another complete surprise was the enemy agent. It’s an extra rare treat when an author can catch you completely by surprise. Simply brilliant!

There is a shadow in the series of books…

I love the story lines, the twist and turns, I love the author I love the narrator but…
The use of the term “rape“ is used so often and so casually that it’s very disturbing. I don’t know if it had a different connotation or something weird like that but it’s very wrong. Since the book seems to have been reread it seems like they could take out that term. I cannot recommend this book to others purely because of the use of that word.

Words have changed meaning

Really enjoy the series, but the word rape have changed a lot in meaning since then, any way it can be replaced with something suitable to our time, like ravage?