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Sign up todayThe Vicar
Narrator
Rory Barnett
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Length
9 hours 16 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“The Vicar is a slam-bang heart-stopping, thrill ride of a spy novel that won’t let you rest until you have ignored everything else around you and gotten through to the final scene. A. J. Chambers clearly knows the world of which they write, and this deep dive into the dark corners of the military and spy universe is complicated and simple at the same time: there are bad guys who do horrible things and good guys who do bad things to stop them. The hero is an off-the-books MI-5 agent nicknamed 'The Vicar' because he controls a network of 'parishioners' or fellow spies in the United States. When, one by one, they are 'burned', he sets out to save his last remaining agent and discover what has gone wrong with the organization. Soon he finds himself deep in international intrigue, with an apparent mole in MI-5 and dirty bombs threatening the United Kingdom. Clear the stage for the new spymaster novelist on the scene. We will be hearing more from Chambers, I suspect.”
— Sarah • Raven Book Store
Inspired by the author’s own experience, The Vicar introduces Terry Nolan, an MI5 operative who, when he discovers his cover is blown and millions of lives are at stake, will do whatever it takes to stop enemy forces.
Terry Nolan, an off-the-books MI5 operative known as the Vicar, has been officially dead for the past thirty years. But when Nolan is attacked in Boston, it becomes clear his cover is blown. Even worse, his Parishioners—the network of spies who work under the Vicar—have all been compromised.
Nolan races to New York to try and find his last remaining agent, Shae, whom he personally recruited years ago. Instead, he finds Kristen, a young civilian who is determined to save Shae, too—and who may know more than she’s letting on.
In the search for his missing agent, Nolan intercepts intelligence that indicates weapons of mass destruction are on their way to Britain’s four largest cities. Working directly with the ruthless head of MI5, Nolan must call upon all his clandestine skills to save the final Parishioner and find out who is behind the attacks and why. But he’s playing a dangerous game, and the dark secrets of his past are about to catch up with him.
A. J. Chambers was born and raised in the north of England. He joined the British Army in the 1980s and was primarily based in Northern Ireland. He was also stationed in various countries around the world. After leaving the military, he worked as a chef for over twenty years. The Vicar is his debut novel.
Rory Barnett is a British narrator, living in London. Although English by nationality, his ancestry is worldly to say the least: he is part French, Danish, English, Irish, and Russian. He speaks French fluently and studied German and Spanish. He even studied a bit of Arabic and Chinese. He went to one of the most famous schools in the world-Eton College-and started working at the BBC in 2000. He was a radio presenter, reporter, and news producer. That's where he learned to speak into a microphone. He also learned the priceless skill of injecting life and meaning into complicated news stories, as well as how to read news copy without mistakes on first sight. He left the BBC to become a full-time voice artist. Rory has an obsessive love for trivia (sports, films, music) and sometimes acts as quizmaster for charity quiz evenings. He also sings in a band.
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Reviews
“I love good spy yarns: I love intrigue, I love being surprised at the character’s choices as the plot twists, and I love falling so deeply into the story that I wonder what is real and what is fiction. A. J. Chambers’s The Vicar checks each of those desires. It took me into a fascinating environment and did what only the best books do: it kept me up reading far later into the night than I intended. This is a spy thriller that will thrill you—and when you close your eyes you’ll see the inevitable movie.”
“Top-class gut-punch credibility. Chambers has a skill of delivering chilling reality through compelling fiction.”
“With his crackling debut novel The Vicar, A. J. Chambers vaults into the ranks of classic espionage authors like John le Carré, Frederick Forsyth, and Daniel Silva. His MI5 operative Terry Nolan is no over-amped superhero, but a complex, appealingly human character who is deeply aware of the world’s painful deceptions and sacrifices. As one turns the book’s pages with bated breath, it seems evident Chambers is all too familiar with the dangerous, shadowy landscape he writes about … but if so we won’t blow his cover. It’s rare to discover a great new writer, and we want him sticking around for a long time to come.”
“Right out of the gate, A. J. Chambers’s The Vicar is a smashing galloping debut. The former British Army operative delivers a page-turning plot, gunfire dialogue, and a hero not to be trifled with, bringing us back to those longed-for days of Ian Fleming and Alistair MacLean. If you’re going to pick up The Vicar, make sure you’ve cleared your decks.”
“A British espionage thriller reminiscent of Patriot Games, Chambers’s debut spins a Transatlantic hunt that keeps you guessing until the last action-packed pages.”
“Fans of Le Carré, Ludlum, and Forsyth will go crazy mad for The Vicar. And that is not an overpromise. The Vicar is absolutely, 100 percent that good. Terry Nolan, an off-the-books MI5 operative, has been officially dead for thirty years. When his cover is blown, he must stop deadly attacks on Britain’s biggest cities. Le Carré’s iconic character, George Smiley, would surely want to raise a pint or two in admiration of Nolan’s work.”
“A small, nasty splinter group plans a large, nasty act of terrorism. A resourceful, brave, and equally nasty agent is on their trail. Will he stop them? Find out in The Vicar, a fast-moving, slam-banging, twist-turning thriller in the tradition of Patriot Games.”
“Both narratives share a laconic edge and a focus on action, reminiscent of Ian Fleming’s James Bond, right down to the hero’s wry stoicism. The contrast between the eager young Terry and the jaded elder Terry adds pathos…[An] appealing espionage caper strongly reminiscent of vintage spy fiction.”
“Barnett adds all the narrative fuel required for this action-packed story…With gusto, Barnett captures the danger and impromptu violence between Nolan…Barnett’s delivery of all the accents helps listeners follow the plot and principals.”
“A book that will remind spy-thriller faithful of the best from the likes of Len Deighton, Frederick Forsyth, and Alistair MacLean…This brilliantly told tale is a can’t miss for spy thriller aficionados and a major debut.”
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