Michael Jayston has narrated 35 audiobooks on Listento.it by 14 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.3★ across 132 ratings. The most-rated is Countdown to War.
Countdown to War
Summary
An audio dramatisation of July 1914 Countdown to War by Sean McMeekin. 'The story of the 37 days that led Europe to war after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in June 1914.' This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 6 episodes to your Library now.
©2019 Audible, Ltd. (P)2019 Audible, Ltd.
Call for the Dead
Summary
An unabridged reading by Michael Jayston of John le Carré’s first novel, which introduced his most famous character, George Smiley. Smiley is one of the most brilliantly realised characters in British fiction. Bespectacled, tubby, eternally middle-aged, and deceptively ordinary, he has a mind like a steel trap and is said to possess ‘the cunning of Satan and the conscience of a virgin’. This novel, set in London in the late 1950s, finds Smiley engaged in the humdrum job of security vetting. But when a Foreign Office civil servant commits suicide after an apparently unproblematic interview, Smiley is baffled. Refusing to believe that Fennan shot himself soon after making a cup of cocoa and asking the exchange to telephone him in the morning, Smiley decides to investigate – only to uncover a murderous conspiracy with its roots in his own secret wartime past.
©1962 David Cornwell (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd.
Our Kind of Traitor
Summary
Set in contemporary, recession gripped Britain, a left-leaning young Oxford academic and his barrister girlfriend take an off-peak holiday on the Caribbean island of Antigua. By seeming chance they bump into a Russian millionaire called Dima who owns a peninsula and a diamond-encrusted gold watch. He also has a tattoo on his right thumb, and wants a game of tennis.
What else he wants propels the young lovers on a tortuous journey through Paris to a safe house in the Swiss Alps, to the murkiest cloisters of the City of London and its unholy alliance with Britain’s Intelligence Establishment.
©2010 David Cornwell (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd.
Winston S. Churchill: The History of the Second World War, Volume 1 - The Gathering Storm
Summary
In the Second World War, every bond between man and man was to perish. Crimes were committed by the Hitler regime that find no equal in scale and wickedness with any that have darkened the human record. It was a simple policy to keep Germany disarmed after the struggle of the First World War and the Victors adequately armed in vigilance. But errors were soon made. The tragedy of America’s failure to enter the League of Nations; the weakness and lack of resolution of the democracies to confront the growing strength, reach, and ambition of the fascist dictators in Germany, Italy, and Japan; the economic turmoil that allowed these events to spark and build. In this first volume it is all too easy to see and understand how this immense tragedy could have been avoided, how the malice of the wicked was reinforced by the weakness of the virtuous. We shall hear how the counsels of prudence and restraint became the prime agents of mortal danger in this Gathering Storm. The overview is read by Winston S Churchill, MP, and the volume narrated by Michael Jayston.
©2011 Word Of Mouth (P)2011 Copyright Group
Stand into Danger
Summary
Despatched on a secret mission, the company of a 28-gun frigate must face the hazards of conspiracy, treason, and piracy. And recently appointed third lieutenant Richard Bolitho must learn to accept his new responsibilities as a King's officer.
©2010 Alexander Kent (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Fatherland
Summary
The New York Times best-selling classic of alternate history, a murder mystery set in a world where the Nazis won World War II - for fans of The Plot Against America and The Man in the High Castle. Berlin, 1964. The Greater German Reich stretches from the Rhine to the Urals and keeps an uneasy peace with its nuclear rival, the United States. As the Fatherland prepares for a grand celebration honoring Adolf Hitler's 75th birthday and anticipates a conciliatory visit from US president Joseph Kennedy and ambassador Charles Lindbergh, a detective of the Kriminalpolizei is called out to investigate the discovery of a dead body in a lake near Berlin's most prestigious suburb. But when Xavier March discovers the identity of the body, he also uncovers signs of a conspiracy that could go to the very top of the German Reich. And with the Gestapo just one step behind, March, together with the American journalist Charlotte Maguire, is caught up in a race to discover and reveal the truth - a truth that has already killed, a truth that could topple governments, a truth that will change history.
©2017 Robert Harris (P)2017 Random House Audio
The Flag Captain
Summary
April 1797, Falmouth Bay. As France continues her bitter struggle for supremacy on land and sea, the Royal Navy receives a crippling blow at home: the Great Mutiny. Returning home after eighteen months' continuous service, Flag Captain Richard Bolitho finds himself at the centre of the crisis. And his new commander, it seems, is a man who will brook no interference...
©1971 Alexander Kent (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Enemy in Sight
Summary
The Mediterranean, 1793. Despite Britain's successes, the outcome of the sea war is still in the balance. As soon as his ship's refit is completed, Captain Richard Bolitho is ordered to join the blockade off the French coast.
©2010 Alexander Kent (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
In Gallant Company
Summary
New York, 1777. As the American Revolution rages on the mainland, the British Navy prepares for action at sea. Against a growing fleet of American and French privateers, the Navy must maintain its blockade of Washington's vital military supplies. Caught up in the turmoil, junior officer Richard Bolitho finds himself having to make momentous decisions in the heat of battle, decisions that will affect the lives of many men, and perhaps the outcome of history.
©1998 Alexander Kent (P)2014 Audible, Inc
Winston S. Churchill: The History of the Second World War, Volume 2 - Their Finest Hour
Summary
In this short and intense period of the war, Churchill’s sense of history is profound. 'If the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say this was its finest hour.' In this second volume, Britain stands alone in combat against the mortal threat posed to civilisation, liberal democracy, and human decency. Between May 1940 and January 1941, the world witnessed some of the most spectacular military victories of all time. The audacity and brilliance of Hitler’s Blitzkrieg staggered both France and Britain. The Allies had prepared for a repeat of the entrenched First World War instead of something altogether more terrifying, mobile, and destructive. The consequences were almost fatal. Dunkirk was a victory plucked from the jaws of defeat. The Battle of Britain was defiance against the odds but mastery of the skies remained in British hands and 'Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.' In the deserts of North Africa the outnumbered British forces went from victory to victory against Mussolini’s conscripted men. There were many hardships and disasters to come, but Churchill could rightly proclaim 'Alone but up-bourne by every generous heart beat of mankind we had defied the tyrant in the height of his triumph.' The overview is read by Winston S Churchill, MP, and the volume narrated by Michael Jayston.
©2011 Word Of Mouth (P)2011 Copyright Group
To Glory We Steer
Summary
January 1782, Portsmouth. His Britannic Majesty's frigate Phalarope is ordered to the assistance of the hard-pressed squadrons in the Caribbean. Aboard is her new commander - Richard Bolitho. To all appearances the Phalarope is everything a young captain could wish for. But beneath the surface she is a deeply unhappy ship - her wardroom torn by petty greed and ambition, her deckhands driven to near mutiny by senseless ill treatment.
© 2003 Footwork Productions Ltd (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Midshipman Bolitho
Summary
Richard Bolitho - Midshipman October 1772, Portsmouth. Sixteen-year-old Richard Bolitho waits to join the Gorgon, ordered to sail to the west coast of Africa and to destroy those who challenge the King's Navy. For Bolitho, and for many of the crew, it is a severe and testing initiation into the game of seamanship. Midshipman Bolitho and the Avenger December 1773, Falmouth. The young Bolitho looks forward to a family Christmas in Cornwall while the Gorgon is refitted. But Cornwall is the treacherous stamping ground of smugglers and wreckers. After the murder of a revenue officer, Bolitho is swept aboard his brother's cutter, Avenger, on a dangerous mission of hide-and-seek. Band of Brothers It's 1774. The New Year seems to offer Richard Bolitho and his friend, Martyn Dancer, the culmination of a dream. Both have been recommended for promotion, although they have not yet gained the coveted lieutenant's commission. But a routine passage from Plymouth to Guernsey in an untried schooner becomes, for Bolitho, a passage from midshipman to King's officer, tempering the promise of the future with the bitter price of maturity. Alexander Kent is the author of 28 acclaimed books featuring Richard Bolitho. Under his own name, Douglas Reeman, and in the course of a career spanning 45 years, he has written over 30 novels and two nonfiction books.
©1975 Alexander Kent (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Sloop of War
Summary
As the French enter the American War of Independence, young Richard Bolitho is given command of the fast, well-armed sloop Sparrow. He has a chance to prove his ability, but danger threatens - as real and deadly as the enemy itself.
©2006 Alexander Kent (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Form Line of Battle!
Summary
The scene is Gibraltar, 1793. The gathering might of revolutionary France prepares to engulf Europe in another bloody war. As in the past, Britain will stand or fall by the fighting power of her fleet. For Richard Bolitho, the renewal of hostilities means a fresh command and the chance of action.
©1969 Alexander Kent (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Winston S. Churchill: The History of the Second World War, Volume 4 - The Hinge of Fate
Summary
Although the Grand Alliance was now in place, Churchill knew that it would take precious time before it would be able to effectively engage and subdue the enemy. Disaster was upon him almost at once. With the entrance of Japan into the global conflict, our Far East possessions were under immediate threat. Singapore and the Philippines fell. In Africa, Rommel took Tobruk. At sea, the loss of ships mounted. His task seemed ever greater, but his spirit, his resolve, his belief in his people's ability to overcome the terrible evil of Nazism was unshakeable. Headlines were grabbed with the daring commando raid on the St Nazaire dock facilities. In the Pacific, the American forces held and defeated the Japanese in an air duel at the Battle of Midway. Churchill changed his commanders again and installed Montgomery in Africa and the effect was almost immediate: El Alamein. The Afrika Corps were broken. With the invasion by Allied forces of French North Africa the deserts were free of the enemy by May. Now Stalin could be relieved with the opening of a second front in Europe with the invasion of the soft belly of Italy. In early 1943 the Allies were moving inexorably towards victory. Churchill’s conviction was borne out. The Hinge of Fate was now decided. The overview is read by Winston S Churchill MP and the volume narrated by Michael Jayston.
©2011 Word Of Mouth (P)2011 Copyright Group
Honour this Day
Summary
September 1804: England stands alone against France and the fleets of Spain, anticipating invasion. Vice-admiral Richard Bolitho has his own troubles to settle at home too. But his time on land is broken by an urgent summons from the King. Once more Bolitho hoists his flag above the veteran 74-gun ship Hyperion and sets sail - this time with a new squadron headed for the Caribbean. Ordered to plan and effect a daring raid on the Spanish Main, Bolitho spares himself nothing - from there to Antigua, where he rediscovers a passion that defies every convention and threatens his reputation. And the future of the Hyperion is at risk too. Set to clear the path to victory, there is a constant fear that this may be her final battle.
©1984 Alexander Kent (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
With All Despatch
Summary
Spring 1792. A troubled peace with France means that even a frigate captain as famous as Richard Bolitho is forced to swallow his pride and visit the Admiralty daily to plead for a ship. But, as the clouds of war begin to rise once more over the Channel, all he is offered is command of three topsail cutters. His task is to track down deserters, but the 'Brotherhood' he comes up against are brutal and dangerous. When a King's ransom is in peril and Bolitho is ordered to proceed 'with all despatch' to recover it, he will need all the loyalty and courage of his three gallant cutters if he is to fulfill his mission.
©1997 Alexander Kent (P)2004 Audible, Ltd
Success to the Brave
Summary
Spring 1802. Richard Bolitho is summoned to the Admiralty to receive his orders for a difficult and thankless mission.... The recent Peace of Amiens is already showing signs of strain as old enemies wrangle over colonies won and lost during the war. In the little 64-gun Achates, Bolitho sails west for the Caribbean, to hand over the island of San Felipe to the French. But diplomacy is not enough.
©1983 Highseas Authors Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
The Darkening Sea
Summary
Returning to England after the dramatic capture of Martinique, Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho attains an all too brief respite from war and politics. But the shadow of a new conflict already darkens the horizon. The old enemy, France, forges an uneasy alliance with America - threatening the safety of British trade routes. Although ordered immediately to the Indian Ocean, Bolitho’s thoughts are of his own - and the Navy’s - past. Both Nelson and Collingwood died in their country’s service. For the Navy’s newest Admiral, is there life beyond the sea itself?
©1993 Highseas Authors Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
The Only Victor
Summary
In February, 1806, the frigate carrying Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Bolitho drops anchor off the shores of southern Africa. Bolitho's instructions are to assist in hastening the campaign in Africa where an expeditionary force is attempting to recapture Cape Town from the Dutch. Bolitho is still brooding over the loss of his flagship, and hi socntinuing personal troubles are only brightened by his love for Catherine, Lady Somervell. Even after his return from Cape Town there is little peace, and the men who follow Bolitho's flag into battle are to discover, not for the first time, that death is the only victor.
©2000 Alexander Kent (P)2014 Audible, Inc