Exekution

I’ll admit: I approached *Exekution* skeptical. Baldacci’s name usually means *fast*, but this audiobook is a deliberate, almost plodding affair—and that’s not a knock. The opening scene (that cold, clinical shooting outside the FBI) sets the tone: this is a story about *consequences*, not car chases. Dietmar Wunder’s narration is the star here. His voice—deep, slightly raspy, with a precision that makes every paused syllable feel loaded—transforms what could’ve been dry procedural sections into something hypnotic. When he switches to English (for the D.C. scenes), his accent adds a layer of detachment, as if the American characters are being observed by an unseen European hand. It’s a brilliant choice for a novel obsessed with the ghosts of Stasi operatives lurking in plain sight. The plot, though, is where things get uneven. Baldacci’s signature research shines in the tradecraft details (the *Wetzlar* method of assassination, the psychological warfare tactics), but the pacing drags in the middle. A subplot involving a disgraced journalist feels undercooked, and the final act’s twists, while clever, rely a bit too heavily on characters withholding information for no good reason. That said, the *atmosphere* is intoxicating—Wunder’s delivery makes even a scene of two men drinking coffee in a diner feel like a high-stakes standoff. The production quality is flawless: no distracting edits, no volume spikes, just a seamless listen that pulls you into its shadowy world. If you love le Carré’s moral ambiguity but wish it moved *slightly* faster, this is your audiobook. Just don’t expect Baldacci’s usual fireworks—this one burns slow, and the smoke lingers.