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419

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419

Written by: Will Ferguson
Narrated by: Pete Bradbury
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About this listen

Will Ferguson takes listeners deep into the labyrinth of lies that is 419, winner of the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

A car tumbles through darkness down a snowy ravine. A woman without a name walks out of a dust storm in sub-Saharan Africa. And in the seething heat of Lagos City, a criminal cartel scours the Internet, looking for victims. Lives intersect. Worlds collide. And it all begins with a single email: "Dear Sir, I am the daughter of a Nigerian diplomat, and I need your help".

When Laura Curtis, a lonely editor in a cold northern city, discovers that her father has died because of one such swindle, she sets out to track down - and corner - her father' s killer. It is a dangerous game she' s playing, however, and the stakes are higher than she can ever imagine. Woven into Laura' s journey is a mysterious woman from the African Sahel with scars etched into her skin and a young man who finds himself caught up in a web of violence and deceit. And running through it, a dying father' s final words: "You, I love."

©2012 Will Ferguson (P)2013 Recorded Books
Literary Fiction Mystery Suspense Fiction Scary City
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What listeners say about 419

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

A pretty good story

This is a slow-building story that entertains and educates. The main characters are well developed and believable. The Nigeria angle is well researched and presented. Additionally, a very good narration.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Chapters

I do appreciate that the author had breaks for each person included I the story . It helped me keep interested I. The story rather than them running into one big chapter and being confused as the story progressed quite a depressing story but true to a certain point the narrator was very good with stories tales

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

telling tale

An absolutely essential read for everyone world wide. yhis story really does tell the story for all too see the real cost of oil, fraud, and extortion and how they end up perpetuating each other.

please everyone be careful of fraud, your country's renue agenacy will never ask you personal questions... they already know everything about you and do not need it when they call for unpaid taxes they will just wage garnish your paycheck.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fascinating story

I enjoyed this story a lot. It was something very different from my usual novels and it gives an interesting insight into the 419 e-mail scams from Nigeria.

The character development was good and although there were a few overlapping plots it was fairly easy to follow most of the time.

My only complaint is the length of the novel. I felt like it dragged on beyond what was necessary for the storyline. Overall though, an entertaining listen.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Plot keeps it interesting

I liked the plot and the African twist. I thought it was a bit long in the middle part of the book and didn’t add too much to the story. I enjoyed it but was glad when it ended.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

not for me

I don't know how to review this. I got it on Audible when it was deeply discounted as part of a Giller Prize sale. It looked OK and I thought it would be a good one to listen to at work. It served the purpose.
I hate to say it, but I was kind of ambivalent. Parts were ok, parts were less ok. I did feel sad for some of the characters, but could not have cared less for others.
I appreciated the concept, which was pretty great, but the execution, I don't know. It felt a little heavy-handed, maybe? Like it was trying very hard to be /literary/ even though at its core it's a highly improbably revenge caper?
Yeah, not sure how it won the Giller, but it did get me through a long shift at work.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

419 - A must-listen

A well-crafted novel that takes a sensational topic (419ing) and expertly explores the lives of those swept up in it. The narrator, Pete Bradbury, is absolutely stellar.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Worth the listen

This book was a definite departure from my usual genre; but it pulled me in and didn’t let go. The story was brought to life by Mr. Bradbury. His rich baritone and unique voice for each character made listening a pleasure.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Well-Researched book

I’m Nigerian-born and I have to say, Ferguson’s description nails the cities, food, customs and mannerisms pretty well. Whether someone TOLD Ferguson or he physically visited (this seems much more likely), he did a very very good job of telling the story.

CON: The pronunciations are far from accurate and at certain points even I was confused. It took two or 3 passes to realize what he was saying. But that’s on the narrator, not the author.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

great book

this was a great listen although the story was a bit long and hard to follow at times. highly recommended though!

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