The Take

By: Christopher Reich

Narrated by: Paul Michael

From New York Times best-selling author Christopher Reich, an international spy thriller featuring Simon Riske: one part James Bond, one part Jack Reacher

Riske is a freelance industrial spy who, despite his job title, lives a mostly quiet life above his auto garage in central London. He is hired to perform the odd job for a bank, an insurance company, or the British Secret Service, when he isn't expertly stealing a million-dollar watch off the wrist of a crooked Russian oligarch.

Riske has maintained his quiet life by avoiding big, messy jobs - until now. A gangster by the name of Tino Coluzzi has orchestrated the greatest street heist in the history of Paris: a visiting Saudi prince had his pockets lightened of millions in cash, and something else. Hidden within a stolen briefcase is a secret letter that could upend the balance of power in the Western world. The Russians have already killed in an attempt to get it back by the time the CIA comes knocking at Simon's door.

Coluzzi was once Riske's brother-in-arms, but their criminal alliance ended with Riske in prison, having narrowly avoided a hit Coluzzi ordered. Now, years later, it is thief against thief, and hot on their trail are a dangerous Parisian cop, a murderous Russian femme fatale, her equally unhinged boss, and perhaps the CIA itself.

In the grand tradition of The Day of the Jackal and The Bourne Identity, Christopher Reich's The Take is a stylish, breathtaking ride.

©2018 Christopher Reich (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"A beautifully constructed heist is only the beginning of this spectacular thriller, which sets thief vs. thief, spy vs. spy, and even cop vs. cop. The Take is dazzling fun that surprises to the last page, with a hero who deserves an encore." (Joseph Finder, New York Times best-selling author of The Switch and Judgment)

"Likable, rascally, and suave, Riske is as distinctive as Reich's other series lead, Jonathan Ransom." ( Publishers Weekly)

" The Take is a slick, elegant, and gripping spy thriller of the first order. With a brilliant heist, a twisting web of secrets and intrigue, and an adrenaline-fueled plot, Reich whisked me out of my world and into his from the explosive first pages. Simon Riske is my favorite kind of hero - flawed, dark, and utterly intriguing. Fabulous!" (Lisa Unger, New York Times best-selling author of The Red Hunter)

The reader is one of the best!

I bought this because Paul Michael is the reader. It’s an okay story. I enjoyed his Jonathan Ransom novels more. It’s like a Robert Langdon story.

One of Reich's best - Great narration as well.

One of Reich's best - Great narration as well. Looking forward to reading, via Kindle and/or listening to more Reich.

good adventure

enjoyed it. on the better side of average. nothing spectacular. just a good solid listen.

Great story, great ending

Well done
Voices were wonderful
Twists and turns, listen closely or you will miss something

The narrator was excellent

Nice listen. Held my interest all the way through. The Priest was a nice touch, gave the story warmth.

Almost gave up on this several times

The plot is interesting, but the pace was just too slow for my taste. Part of it was the narration (a little stodgy), part of it was what seemed to me a lot of tangential vignettes, but I kept leaving this book to listen to others. Eventually I got through it, but I wouldn't recommend it.

what a fantastic book

narrator in an excellent job. Not my usual kind of book, but very impressed. thank you

Excellent!

If you like a good spy story, you have found one here. The narration and production are excellent!

Good story, not offensive

I liked ‘The Take’ - some aspects were a bit hard to accept, like the proficiency of a pick-pocket, but the overall story was good. I especially appreciated that there was not explicit sex and no profanity.

Go with this series, and not JOHNATHAN RANSOM.

After trudging through Book 1 of the JOHNATHAN RANSOM series I switched to SIMON RISKE and never looked back. It boggles my imagination that both were written by the same author. What was consistent, however, was the outstanding quality of narration!!!