The Fifth Column Audiobook By Andrew Gross cover art

The Fifth Column

A Novel

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The Fifth Column

By: Andrew Gross
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
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"Gross is a skilled storyteller with a keen ability to create tension and put the reader in time and place. The book is more than ably narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, complete (when appropriate) with convincing German and French accents." — Jersey's Best

#1 New York Times bestselling author of The One Man Andrew Gross once again delivers a tense, stirring thriller of a family torn apart set against the backdrop of a nation plunged into war.

February, 1939. Europe teeters on the brink of war. In New York City, twenty-two thousand cheering Nazi supporters pack Madison Square Garden for a raucous, hate-filled rally. In a Hell’s Kitchen bar, Charles Mossman is reeling from the loss of his job and the demise of his marriage when a group draped in Nazi flags barges in. Drunk, Charlie takes a swing at one with tragic results and a torrent of unintended consequences follows.

Two years later. America is wrestling with whether to enter the growing war. Charles’s estranged wife and six-year-old daughter, Emma, now live in a quiet brownstone in the German-speaking New York City neighborhood of Yorkville, where support for Hitler is common. Charles, just out of prison, struggles to put his life back together, while across the hall from his family, a kindly Swiss couple, Trudi and Willi Bauer, have taken a liking to Emma. But Charles begins to suspect that they might not be who they say they are.

As the threat of war grows, and fears of a “fifth column”—German spies embedded into everyday life—are everywhere, Charles puts together that the seemingly amiable Bauers may be part of a sinister conspiracy. When Pearl Harbor is attacked and America can no longer sit on the sidelines, that conspiracy turns into a deadly threat with Charles the only one who can see it and Emma, an innocent pawn.

"Gross has written a masterpiece that is both heart-wrenching and heart-pounding, and certain to become an instant blockbuster." — Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris

Historical Fiction 20th Century Thriller & Suspense War Suspense Historical Mystery Fiction Marriage
Engaging Story • Immersive Setting • Outstanding Narration • Flawed Protagonists • Exceptional Plot

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I enjoyed the narrator - Mr. Ballerini is incredibly good at his work! The story was engaging and different from other books I've read. We'll written historical novels are among my favorites. The author makes the reader think they're in the 1940s and that they could have a cup of coffee with the main character.
I've listened to the book twice and am starting my third go - it's well worth your time!

one of my favorite books!

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This latest book by Andrew Gross captures my attention right from the beginning. It begins with Charles Mossman (the protagonist) sitting in a bar on his 30th birthday feeling sorry for himself. When Nazi sympathizers enter the bar running their mouths about the Jews, Charlie takes on the group of them. Outside, in a fight for his life he slugs an innocent passerby. Charlie goes to prison for 2 years for man slaughter.
When Charlie is released he finds his wife wants a divorce but is willing to grant him visitation with his young daughter. It’s there that he meets her nice Austrian grandparent like neighbors across the hall. Charlie’s daughter loves them. Charlie doesn’t. There’s something about this couple that sets off warning bells in his head. No one will listen to him and in the interest of his family Charlie is determined to find out if these people are who they claim to be. What he finds could cost him more than he bargained for.
Edoardo Ballerini does an outstanding job narrating.
This book has my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.
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Andrew Gross is the Master of Historical Thrillers

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Good read but not aurthors best. The One Man and The Button Man were better reads.

Overall

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What sticks out most about this story and the others i have read fro Andrew Gross is the the flawed protagonists. It gives his stories something real even in some outlandish settings and makes me relate to them.

sense of reality seldom seen

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Andrew Gross is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Although I guessed midway some of the less obvious plots, it did not distract from the overall book. Loved this!

Another memorable read

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