Number 70 - Berlin - A Story of Britain's Peril by William Le Queux AUDIOBOOK

Number 70 - Berlin: A Story of Britain's Peril, authored by William Le Queux, stands as a vivid reflection of the anxieties and atmospheres of wartime Britain during the early twentieth century. Known for his prescient, intrigue-laden narratives, Le Queux crafts a tale set amidst the shadowed boardrooms and drawing-rooms of London in the opening months of the First World War—a period defined by uncertainty, secrecy, and patriotic fervor. The novel opens with a clandestine conversation between two influential City men, their fortune and reputations built in the shifting landscape of London’s financial world.

Beneath their polished exteriors, Lewin Rodwell and Sir Boyle Huntley are implicated in morally ambiguous, if technically legal, dealings. When their cautious machinations are potentially overheard by a junior employee, a tense atmosphere settles over the proceedings—one undercut by fear of exposure and the ready resort to calculated dismissal. Against a backdrop of looming war, Le Queux deftly explores themes of national loyalty, societal duplicity, and the ambiguous morality of success.

The contrast between public virtue and private vice emerges, as characters who are lauded as patriots by society mask secrets that could bring scandal and public disgrace. The social milieu is crisply rendered, from the austere boardroom to the salons of the capital’s elite, particularly the Anti-Teuton Alliance and their fervent efforts to root out suspected German sympathies within British society. With its authentic wartime setting, pervasive atmosphere of suspicion, and astute dissection of the intersection between business, politics, and espionage, this work remains a compelling testament to the anxieties and contradictions of its time.

William Le Queux’s style, rich in observation and moral complexity, promises an absorbing listening experience for those drawn to classic espionage, historical drama, and the moral ambiguities of power in times of crisis. Audiobook time & format : 5h36m16s, OPUS, 262 MoAudiobook free extract time & format : 5m (see below to listen), WAVInstant Access After Checkout - Professionally Generated AudioMore William Le Queux audiobooks