The Czar's Spy

Written by William Le Queux

Narrated by LibriVox Community

William Le Queux was a British novelist and prolific writer of mysteries. Indeed, mystery surrounds the author himself as to whether he was a spy or rather just a self-promoter. Regardless of which is true, Le Queux brings us a story of intrigue and espionage that travels across Europe in the true spirit of a good mystery. There are shootings, burglaries, romances, escapes from prisons, and intricate conspiracies that may surprise and leave you scratching your head as you try to solve this “whodunit”. In the best tradition of a good mystery however, you may need to wait for the final chapters to discover the truth. (Summary by Tom Weiss)

• Language: English
• Publisher: LibriVox
• Release date: Aug 25, 2014

William Le Queux

William Le Queux (1864-1927) was an Anglo-French journalist, novelist, and radio broadcaster. Born in London to a French father and English mother, Le Queux studied art in Paris and embarked on a walking tour of Europe before finding work as a reporter for various French newspapers. Towards the end of the 1880s, he returned to London where he edited Gossip and Piccadilly before being hired as a reporter for The Globe in 1891. After several unhappy years, he left journalism to pursue his creative interests. Le Queux made a name for himself as a leading writer of popular fiction with such espionage thrillers as The Great War in England in 1897 (1894) and The Invasion of 1910 (1906). In addition to his writing, Le Queux was a notable pioneer of early aviation and radio communication, interests he maintained while publishing around 150 novels over his decades long career.

Reviews for The Czar's Spy

[Shannon Hansen · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Very good narrator, but the writing was annoying. Firstly I wouldn't characterize it as a spy story. The main character is very dumb. The plot twists are predictable. The hooks are all very similar and in the last sentence of every chapter. Hooks usually sound like "he then proceeded to tell the most remarkable tale ever told by human lips" or some such absurdity.