The Vault

Audible Original

By: Mark Dawson

Narrated by: Atilla Akinci, Laila Alj Philip Arditti, Kieran Brown, Ben Cartwright, Stephen Critchlow, Vera Filatova, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Gerran Howell, David Menkin, Colin Morgan, Harry Myers, Erich Redman, Mac Keith Roach, Lizzie-Aaryn Stanton, David Thorpe

West Berlin, 1986.

The Cold War has not yet thawed, political tensions inspire bloody retribution and trust is a rare commodity - even amongst allies.

Harry Mackintosh is the head of MI6’s Berlin Station. When four of his best field agents are murdered by the Stasi during a failed defection operation, he has no choice but to respond. East German intelligence has become increasingly ruthless. MI6 has been overrun. Mackintosh knows that he won’t be able to fight back, unless he’s provided with a new kind of operative.

London.

Belfast-born Jimmy Walker is a career criminal, desperate to leave the world of organised crime behind. He’s made just enough money to think about going straight. He wants to be a family man. He wants to stay alive for his wife and son. He wants to be the man they deserve.

He reluctantly agrees to one final job with the intention that it will be his last.

Little does Jimmy know that he’s been set-up. The sins of his past are about to catch up with him.

Framed, arrested and imprisoned, Jimmy is about to become a pawn in the politics, corruption and underground conflicts of Europe. Mackintosh appears in Jimmy’s Scotland Yard cell and makes him an offer. Go to Berlin to serve Queen and Country and he will be pardoned. The alternative? A life behind bars. Jimmy has no choice but to accept. He infiltrates East Berlin and, operating under cover as an arms buyer for the IRA, he works his way to the heart of the Stasi machine until he locates the defector. But all is not as it seems. Mackintosh has an ulterior motive. So does Jimmy. Neither man can trust the other and, as their objectives clash, it looks as if only one of them is going to get out alive.

Set in divided Berlin at a pivotal moment in history, and soaked in '80s nostalgia, The Vault is a thrilling adventure set in Mark Dawson’s million-selling Group Fifteen world.

Featuring: Atilla Akinci, Laila Alj Philip Arditti, Kieran Brown, Ben Cartwright, Stephen Critchlow, Vera Filatova, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Gerran Howell, David Menkin, Colin Morgan, Harry Myers, Erich Redman, Mac Keith Roach, Lizzie-Aaryn Stanton and David Thorpe.

©2018 Mark Dawson (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

great performance

After the required genuflect to political correctness in this case feminism in the first chapter, Dawson writes an excellent story. Great characters; good scenes; and a pretty nice twist at the end

Dawson

another great short read/listen from Mark Dawson. Will continue to listen to his work. performance was spectacular

Compelling

Nice story, excellent narration, interesting characters. The story is placed in the end of the eighties, just before the fall of Berlin's wall and involves Northern Ireland, England, West and East Germany. Colin Morgan is again awesome in the way he reads his character.

Once a spy always a spy

Lots of info about the pre fall of the wall, expertly performed by several actors. The author, Mark Dawson,shows his genius in multifaceted storylines! The spy genre is his tour de force, proven here yet again.

Perfect

Absolutely loved it! Awesome performances, voicings and pace. Five really enjoyable hours. Too bad Jimmy is just a one story character, perfect antihero. The 1980s Berlin background was well done, the right amount of E vs W, subterfuge, twists. I'm somewhat new to Mark Dawson and I'm inspired to listen to more like this one.

A comment on the production. Best listened with earphones or buds. The characters were often expressed through their thoughts, in muted sometimes whispering tones. With buds, this creates a sort of intimacy, giving urgency to the situation. Just a warning if like me you listen in the car with air whooshing by. You'll not want to miss these moments.

Decent story, terrible adaptation

Unfortunately, this is a decent book spoiled by an awful adaptation. I am fine with a cast performance, or a radio style dramatization. The BBC does this spectacularly well. Unfortunately, this one falls into no man's land. Dawson's writing on his own is quite good. This is an obvious homage to Le Carre's works such as Smiley's People. It's not quite up to the same standard, the plot is a bit thin, the build-up weak. But the writing is still enjoyable. The cast is good when they aren't choking on lines that aren't in the original book. Unfortunately they are too frequently speaking a redundant narrative directly to the reader along the lines of: "Boy, I sure am worried about (the Nazis / this tunnel / my family / getting home) or whatever." You are better off with the ebook version. Or some other adaptation.

Nice dramatization, music and full cast book!

Interesting story, based on the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Cold War. Nice

The twists & turns

i extremely disliked the overpowering music . Too loud! a background music and sounds often drowned out dialogue . Story kept me from abandoning it . Very irritating !!
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Compelling Audio Style

Well done perfectly cast production. Three methods of performance that flow together seamlessly: straight narration to provide background and setting, character dialogue in current setting, and selected character monologue of inner thoughts and struggles of conscience providing description and ambience. And my favorite audio performer, Colin Morgan, who does not disappoint. So there's that. Also my first introduction to Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. I'll be seeking out more of his work.

Excellent performance. Great story.

So well done I couldn't stop listening. The multi person performance was one of the best. The pacing of the story was perfect. Well written where each character had human failings making it realistic. Good visual details.