Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for The Bell Ringers by Henry Porter - Available

The Bell Ringers

A Novel

by Henry Porter
John Lee
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
In The Bell Ringers, England in the near future appears largely unchanged. There are concerns over the threat of terrorism, the press is feisty, and the prime minister is soon to call a general election. But quietly—and largely unknown to the public or even most in government—things have become undeniably Orwellian: cameras with license plate recognition software record every car's movements, and a sophisticated, top-secret data-mining system known as Deep Truth combs through personal records, identifying violators of minor laws as well as those disposed to "antigovernment" beliefs. In the interest of security, the divide between private and public has crumbled. Freedom has given way to control.


David Eyam was once the prime minister's head of intelligence. He was one of those who knew about Deep Truth, but he suffered a fall from grace and then died in a terrorist bombing. Now his former lover, Kate Lockhart, has been named as the benefactor of his estate. But Eyam has left her more than just his wealth; Kate is also the heir to his dangerous secrets and unfinished business.


The full power of the out-of-control, security-obsessed state comes down on Kate, but with the help of the secret resistance known as the Bell Ringers, hope for freedom is not lost.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 23, 2010

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781400196586
      • File size: 392219 KB
      • Duration: 13:37:07

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This riveting thriller takes place in a British dystopia in the near future, where a seemingly benign system of government and corporate surveillance of computers, cell phones, bank records, etc., has made it possible for a corrupt prime minister to abridge civil liberties to a terrifying point without Parliament's awareness or any alarm in the general public. When people protest, they're, with terrible ease, made to seem like deranged conspiracy theorists--or else they meet with fatal accidents. The world Porter paints is familiar and convincing, his plotting and pacing are tight as a drum, and John Lee's performance is impeccable. He never overplays, he never distracts; he simply inhabits each character and makes you believe. This is a marvelous and frightening entertainment. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from December 7, 2009
      In Porter's outstanding near-future thriller, David Eyam, the former head of Britain's Joint Intelligence Committee, is killed by a bomb in Colombia that was apparently aimed at others. His recently estranged close friend and former colleague in the spook business, Kate Lockhart, is surprised to learn she's the main beneficiary of Eyam's will. Her suspicions that the story behind his death is more complex than officially reported are heightened when Eyam's lawyer is gunned down soon after thugs break into his office. While the basic plot—an attempt to uncover a broad government conspiracy against daunting odds—is familiar, Porter (Brandenburg Gate
      ) invests it with urgency and power by taking current legislation drawn up to combat terrorism and projecting how it would play out if special interests and unscrupulous leaders used it to destroy the privacy of individuals. Shaken U.S. readers will wonder how much of the fiction might soon become fact on this side of the Atlantic.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading