
The Bell Ringers
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $18.05
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
John Lee
-
By:
-
Henry Porter
About this listen
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.
©2010 Henry Porter (P)2010 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Firefly
- By: Henry Porter
- Narrated by: Matt Addis
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the refugee camps of Greece to the mountains of Macedonia, a 13-year-old boy is making his way to Germany and to safety. Codenamed "Firefly", he holds vital intelligence: unparalleled insight into a vicious ISIS terror cell and details of their plans. But the terrorists are hot on his trail, determined he won't live to pass on the information. When MI6 become aware of Firefly and what he knows, the race is on to find him.
-
-
Brilliant
- By jake! on 01-07-19
By: Henry Porter
-
A Spy's Life
- Robert Harland Series, Book 1
- By: Henry Porter
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert Harland ended his career as a British spy in an Austrian hospital, after being tortured and beaten by Czech security agents in the last days of the communist regime. He was young enough then to find a new life with the Red Cross and then with the UN.
-
-
Complex characters I liked this story very much and would recommend it to everyone
- By Barbara Sauter on 03-13-25
By: Henry Porter
-
The Old Enemy
- By: Henry Porter
- Narrated by: Matt Addis
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paul Samson is living in London and picking up some extra work for a private security company when he is almost killed by a thuggish assassin while tailing a mysterious and gifted young employee of a powerful environmental NGO. The murder of legendary spy Robert Harland, the poisoning of billionaire philanthropist Denis Hisami with a neurotoxin in the United States House of Representatives, and a second attempt on Samson's own life send him on the run to Estonia to figure out who is trying to kill him, and why.
-
-
careless coaching of readers
- By Emily Dickinson on 01-15-25
By: Henry Porter
-
White Hot Silence
- By: Henry Porter
- Narrated by: Matt Addis
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a deserted road in Calabria, Greek aid worker Anastasia Cristakos is driving alone to visit one of the new refugee centers funded by billionaire Denis Hisami, whom she has recently married. She slows down to greet two African migrants she recognizes. Too late she realizes they are not her friends. This is an ambush. She manages a desperate phone call to Hisami before her Mafia kidnappers silence her with a powerful drug. Hours later she wakes up in the pitch dark on a container ship, powering eastward across the Mediterranean.
By: Henry Porter
-
The Insider
- By: Matthew Richardson
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Russian defector is found brutally murdered in a London hotel. Only four people knew he had turned - the four most important and powerful figures in Whitehall. There's only one conclusion - a mole has infiltrated the highest levels of the nation's security. Operating in secret from within Westminster's darkest corners, former spy Solomon Vine must uncover the traitor. Because Britain's future hangs in the balance. And with it the fate of the whole world.
-
-
A TRUELY EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG AUTHOR
- By Brian D. Baird on 12-02-21
-
The Trinity Six
- By: Charles Cumming
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1992. Late one night, Edward Crane, 76, is declared dead at a London hospital. An obituary describes him only as a 'resourceful career diplomat'. But Crane was much more than that—and the circumstances surrounding his death are far from what they seem. Fifteen years later, academic Sam Gaddis needs money. When a journalist friend asks for his help researching a possible sixth member of the notorious Trinity spy ring, Gaddis knows that she's onto a story that could turn his fortunes around. But within hours the journalist is dead, apparently from a heart attack.
-
-
Fun exciting intrigues perfectly narrated.
- By Ramon on 03-17-11
By: Charles Cumming
-
Firefly
- By: Henry Porter
- Narrated by: Matt Addis
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the refugee camps of Greece to the mountains of Macedonia, a 13-year-old boy is making his way to Germany and to safety. Codenamed "Firefly", he holds vital intelligence: unparalleled insight into a vicious ISIS terror cell and details of their plans. But the terrorists are hot on his trail, determined he won't live to pass on the information. When MI6 become aware of Firefly and what he knows, the race is on to find him.
-
-
Brilliant
- By jake! on 01-07-19
By: Henry Porter
-
A Spy's Life
- Robert Harland Series, Book 1
- By: Henry Porter
- Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert Harland ended his career as a British spy in an Austrian hospital, after being tortured and beaten by Czech security agents in the last days of the communist regime. He was young enough then to find a new life with the Red Cross and then with the UN.
-
-
Complex characters I liked this story very much and would recommend it to everyone
- By Barbara Sauter on 03-13-25
By: Henry Porter
-
The Old Enemy
- By: Henry Porter
- Narrated by: Matt Addis
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paul Samson is living in London and picking up some extra work for a private security company when he is almost killed by a thuggish assassin while tailing a mysterious and gifted young employee of a powerful environmental NGO. The murder of legendary spy Robert Harland, the poisoning of billionaire philanthropist Denis Hisami with a neurotoxin in the United States House of Representatives, and a second attempt on Samson's own life send him on the run to Estonia to figure out who is trying to kill him, and why.
-
-
careless coaching of readers
- By Emily Dickinson on 01-15-25
By: Henry Porter
-
White Hot Silence
- By: Henry Porter
- Narrated by: Matt Addis
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a deserted road in Calabria, Greek aid worker Anastasia Cristakos is driving alone to visit one of the new refugee centers funded by billionaire Denis Hisami, whom she has recently married. She slows down to greet two African migrants she recognizes. Too late she realizes they are not her friends. This is an ambush. She manages a desperate phone call to Hisami before her Mafia kidnappers silence her with a powerful drug. Hours later she wakes up in the pitch dark on a container ship, powering eastward across the Mediterranean.
By: Henry Porter
-
The Insider
- By: Matthew Richardson
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Russian defector is found brutally murdered in a London hotel. Only four people knew he had turned - the four most important and powerful figures in Whitehall. There's only one conclusion - a mole has infiltrated the highest levels of the nation's security. Operating in secret from within Westminster's darkest corners, former spy Solomon Vine must uncover the traitor. Because Britain's future hangs in the balance. And with it the fate of the whole world.
-
-
A TRUELY EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG AUTHOR
- By Brian D. Baird on 12-02-21
-
The Trinity Six
- By: Charles Cumming
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1992. Late one night, Edward Crane, 76, is declared dead at a London hospital. An obituary describes him only as a 'resourceful career diplomat'. But Crane was much more than that—and the circumstances surrounding his death are far from what they seem. Fifteen years later, academic Sam Gaddis needs money. When a journalist friend asks for his help researching a possible sixth member of the notorious Trinity spy ring, Gaddis knows that she's onto a story that could turn his fortunes around. But within hours the journalist is dead, apparently from a heart attack.
-
-
Fun exciting intrigues perfectly narrated.
- By Ramon on 03-17-11
By: Charles Cumming
-
The Kill Artist
- By: Daniel Silva
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the assassination of his wife and son, Gabriel Allon retires from his brutal anti-terrorist career and loses himself in his previous cover job: art restoration. But when Tariq al-Hourani, the Palestinian terrorist responsible for his family’s death, begins a killing spree designed to destroy Middle East peace talks, Gabriel once again slips into the shadowy world of international intrigue. In a global game of hide-and-seek, the motives of Gabriel and Tariq soon become more personal than political.
-
-
Reluctant Assassin
- By Snoodely on 10-30-13
By: Daniel Silva
-
Red Widow
- By: Alma Katsu
- Narrated by: Mozhan Marnò
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lyndsey was once a top handler in the Moscow Field Station, where she was known as the "human lie detector" and praised for recruiting some of the most senior Russian officials. But now, three Russian assets have been exposed - including one of her own - and the CIA is convinced there's a mole in the department. With years of work in question and lives on the line, Lyndsey is thrown back into life at the agency, this time tracing the steps of those closest to her.
-
-
Somewhat disappointed- no spoilers
- By Stephen on 04-04-21
By: Alma Katsu
-
The Scarlet Papers
- By: Matthew Richardson
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh, Lucy Scott
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Only she knows the truth. Only he can tell the world. Vienna, 1946. A brilliant German scientist spirited out of the ruins Nazi Europe in search of a new life. Moscow, 1964. A rising star of the British diplomatic service whose job is not what it seems. London, the present day. A once promising academic offered an opportunity to seal his place in history. Their stories, their lives, and the fate of the world, are bound by a single document: The Scarlet Papers. The devastating secrets contained within teased by a brief invitation: Tomorrow 11AM. Take a cab and pay in cash. Tell no one.
-
-
Interesting story but WAY TOO LONG
- By imbucki on 01-24-25
-
The Secret Hours
- By: Mick Herron
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two years ago, a hostile Prime Minister launched the Monochrome inquiry, investigating "historical over-reaching" by the British Secret Service “to investigate historical over-reaching.” Monochrome’s mission was to ferret out any hint of misconduct by any MI5 officer—and allowed Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, the two civil servants seconded to the project, unfettered access to any and all confidential information in the Service archives in order to do so. But MI5’s formidable First Desk did not become Britain’s top spy by accident, and she has successfully thwarted the inquiry at every turn.
-
-
Just about perfect
- By June Lapidow on 09-28-23
By: Mick Herron
-
Secret Service
- By: Tom Bradby
- Narrated by: Juliet Aubrey
- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world is on the brink of crisis. The Cold War is playing out once more on the global stage. And governments will do whatever it takes to stay at the top. To those who don't really know her, Kate Henderson's life must seem perfectly ordinary. But she is in fact a senior MI6 officer, who right now is nursing the political equivalent of a nuclear bomb. Kate's most recent mission has yielded the startling intelligence that the British Prime Minister has cancer - and that one of the leading candidates to replace him may be a Russian agent of influence.
-
-
don't understand most of it
- By Sonja Alper on 03-23-22
By: Tom Bradby
-
Agent in Berlin
- The Wolf Pack Spies 1
- By: Alex Gerlis
- Narrated by: Duncan Galloway
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To live among wolves, first you must become one… An unmissable new spy thriller from best-selling master of the genre, Alex Gerlis. War is coming to Europe. British spymaster Barnaby Allen begins recruiting a network of agents in Germany. With diplomatic relations quickly unravelling, this pack of spies soon comes into their own: the horse-loving German at home in Berlin's underground; the young American sports journalist; the mysterious Luftwaffe officer; the Japanese diplomat and the most unlikely one of all... the SS officer's wife.
-
-
I Love WWII Spy Novels…But
- By Gary L. Richardson on 03-29-22
By: Alex Gerlis
-
Black Sun
- A Novel
- By: Owen Matthews
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the dawn of the 1960s. In order to investigate the gruesome death of a brilliant young physicist, KGB officer Major Alexander Vasin must leave Moscow for Arzamas-16, a top-secret research city that does not appear on any map. There he comes up against the brightest, most cutthroat brain trust in Russia who, on the orders of Nikita Khrushchev himself, are building a nuclear weapon with 3,800 times the destructive potential of the Hiroshima bomb.
-
-
great story
- By Christiane Warren on 03-11-25
By: Owen Matthews
-
My Name Is Nobody
- By: Matthew Richardson
- Narrated by: Colin Mace
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When disgraced spy Solomon Vine's friend and rival Gabriel Wilde vanishes without trace, it's only Vine who might be able to discover what has happened to him. A single missing file holds the key. That, too, is gone. But its contents, Vine is told, are incendiary. There were few Wilde could trust. And being one of them appears to have fatal consequences. But as Vine's off-the-books investigation begins to reveal the shocking truth, he realizes there's much more at stake than one man's life.
-
-
slow and boring
- By Alison A. on 09-01-17
-
An Accidental Death
- A DC Smith Investigation Series, Book 1
- By: Peter Grainger
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story opens with the apparently accidental drowning of a sixth form student in the Norfolk countryside. As a matter of routine, or so it seems, the case passes across the desk of Detective Sergeant Smith, recently returned to work after an internal investigation into another case that has led to tensions between officers at Kings Lake police headquarters. As an ex-DCI, Smith could have retired by now, and it is clear that some of his superiors wish that he would do so.
-
-
Excellent British Mystery
- By Customer on 09-07-16
By: Peter Grainger
-
Two Nights in Lisbon
- A Novel
- By: Chris Pavone
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ariel Price wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone—no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong. She starts with hotel security, then the police, then the American embassy, at each confronting questions she can’t fully answer: What exactly is John doing in Lisbon? Why would he drag her along on his business trip? Who would want to harm him? And why does Ariel know so little about her new—much younger—husband?
-
-
Don’t bother reading unless you enjoy…
- By Cynthia on 05-29-22
By: Chris Pavone
-
Act of Oblivion
- A Novel
- By: Robert Harris
- Narrated by: Tim McInnerny
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1660 England. General Edward Whalley and his son-in law Colonel William Goffe board a ship bound for the New World. They are on the run, wanted for the murder of King Charles I—a brazen execution that marked the culmination of the English Civil War, in which parliamentarians successfully battled royalists for control.
-
-
I've loved Robert Harris' Books; but...
- By Lucy on 10-16-22
By: Robert Harris
-
Black Wolf
- A Novel
- By: Kathleen Kent
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1990 when Melvina Donleavy arrives in Soviet Belarus on her first undercover mission with the CIA, alongside three fellow agents—none of whom know she is playing two roles. To the prying eyes of the KGB, she is merely a secretary; to her CIA minders, she is the only one who can stop the flow of nuclear weapons from the crumbling Soviet Union into the Middle East. For Mel has a secret; she is a “super recognizer,” someone who never forgets a face. But no training could prepare her for the reality of life undercover, and for the streets of Minsk.
-
-
Has been 15 or 20 years that I was so delighted with a novel
- By Federico Preuss on 12-14-24
By: Kathleen Kent
Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Bell Ringers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- sherri l hughes
- 05-10-10
Fantastic Political Thriller
It reads like a great British television drama script, and Porter does a wonderful job of making George Orwell a prophet. John Lee does his usual outstanding performance.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Dennis
- 09-21-10
I am glad I listened to this one
This book was one that I had thought about listening to for a while, I would check out the reviews and then move on to something else, at some point I just downloaded it and gave it a try. I am glad that I did, it is a good read and will keep the miles rolling if you listen to books during your commute as I do.
The narrationn is good and the story moves along very well and unfolds to build a good amount of suspense in the ending. This is one read that will not dissapoint you.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful