A Very Expensive Poison

The Assassination of Alexander Litvinenko and Putin's War with the West

By: Luke Harding

Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith

Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

A true story of murder and conspiracy that points directly to Vladimir Putin, by The Guardian’s former Moscow bureau chief and author of The Snowden Files and Collusion

On November 1, 2006, journalist and Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in London. He died twenty-two days later. The cause of death? Polonium—a rare, lethal, and highly radioactive substance.

Here Luke Harding unspools a real-life political assassination story—complete with KGB, CIA, MI6, and Russian mobsters. He shows how Litvinenko’s murder foreshadowed the killings of other Kremlin critics, from Washington, DC, to Moscow, and how these are tied to Russia’s current misadventures in Ukraine and Syria. In doing so, he becomes a target himself and unearths a chain of corruption and death leading straight to Vladimir Putin.

From his investigations of the downing of flight MH17 to the Panama Papers, Harding sheds a terrifying light on Russia’s fracturing relationship with the West.

©2017 Luke Harding (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Harding's exposé, shortlisted for the CWA Nonfiction Dagger Award, could not be more chilling or timely.... A devastating and disturbing must-read." ( Booklist)

"A chilling look at the Putin regime's murderous suppression of its critics.... In this fast-paced book, Harding, who was expelled from the Kremlin while serving as the Guardian's Moscow bureau chief, covers all the bases while exposing the weakness and accommodationism of the now-departed British leadership. Hard-hitting and timely given Russia's continued sway in international politics as well as its documented influence over an incoming American administration that is also hostile to the press." ( Kirkus )

"Extraordinarily pacy...one of the best political thrillers I have come across in years." ( The Evening Standard)

It's probably just me

The book was well-researched and informative. And I really like Nicholas Guy Smith as a narrator. I feel I did get what I expected out of the book, though I think I'll have to listen to it again at some point because I frequently found my mind wandering and I forgot to pay attention for several minutes at a time. Sometimes it was because the author raised an interesting point that caused me to ponder further, but other times I think I just got a little bogged down and ultimately lost in the facts and details. I also had a little trouble remembering who some people were, so in that respect a physical book might've helped me. I think this might be a good one to get the kindle edition as a companion.

Fascinating, well researched.

Reads like a good novel, ties in the whole Putin period. well researched from someone who's lived there for over a decade.

Gripping and timely account of Russian intrigue

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a deeply researched book about both the assassination of Alexander Litvenenko and the larger story of Russia's (Putin's) intrigues against the west. In many places it reads like a cold-war spy novel and time after time I had to remind myself that this was an accounting of actual events that have taken place in the last 10 years. The narrator is top-caliber. A chilling must-listen for anyone concerned about the political climate of the United States today!

Fascinating read - investigation drags a bit

Great read. The structure could have been mixed up a bit. Some of the best parts were towards the end and had little to do directly with the poisoning itself. The book starts like a great Dan Brown fiction but then goes back over the story to prove the facts.

The break up of the story with chapters about Russian oligarch cases in London, lifestyles or the Panama papers give it a historical/biographical feel.

Hard to mix a murder “mystery” with a traditional biography. 4 Stars could be 5 if the chapters arrangements were reworked.

Gripping and tragic story

I’d always been fascinated by the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and eagerly purchased this recording to learn about it - not knowing how much more than that I would receive. This story provides a clear portrait of the world menace that is Vladimir Putin: it is a highly listenable account into the maze of corruption and amorality that grips his country, our own, and sadly now much of the world. A great find.

Enlightening, Frightening, and Fascinating

Luke Harding was Moscow Bureau Chief for the Guardian for several years until he was kicked out of the country for writing the truth. Glad he's still on the case. I listened to this as I felt it was important to understand more about Putin, given his meddling in American politics, social media, etc. While the book is centered around the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, an alarming and tragic story, it goes beyond, putting this crime into the larger political context of Putin's Russia. I learned a lot and am prepared to provide counterpoint when I hear people say "Putin isn't so bad," which, surprisingly, is something I do hear now and then. I got a lot better understanding about the use of disinformation, false narratives, the intimidation of journalists and opponents, and the murder of dissidents and opponents. I learned more about Ukraine and the invasion of Crimea, the Panama papers, and more.

My only recommendation is to include a download with the names of the people discussed and their roles, as it gets hard to follow the Russian names and all their variation. Also a map would be helpful, as well, for context. That said, an important and good listen or read.

Incredible picture of Russia today

This is an extremely well-researched, well-written and thorough account of a case where the Kremlin (and probably Vladmir Putin) directed the assassination in London of a former Russian cop who defected against the FSB.

Beyond telling an unbelievable story of real-life spycraft, it's an excellent overview of Russia as a country today, with a number of battlefronts and a spymaster at its helm.

An excellent narrator

. Luke Harding has presented us with a spell binding story of intrigue, greed and mob style murder.Although the story was in all the newspapers at the time Mr. Harding has brilliantly described in amazing detail how it all came about. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Publisher please send copies to all in the senate and congress.

All citizens and government officials have a patriotic duty to read Harding's exposure of international criminal acts and political deceptions used to threaten, weaken and destroy democracies.

Better Than Fiction

It would impossible to write a review that would to this book justice. A simply incredible story of Russia, Putin, and Putin's international criminal organization. The US, our allies, and the world would be unwise to take our eyes off Putin. He is an evil individual with pretty much unlimited resources at his disposal.