The Saboteur, Andrew Gross
The Saboteur, Andrew Gross
2 Rating(s)
List: $26.99 | Sale: $18.89
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The Saboteur
A Novel

Author: Andrew Gross

Narrator: Edoardo Ballerini

Unabridged: 11 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/22/2017


Synopsis

Based on the true story of Operation Gunnerside—the Britain-sponsored mission that sent Norwegian commandos into the Nazi-occupied Telemark region of their country to destroy the enemy’s nuclear weapons program—New York Times bestselling author Andrew Gross’s The Saboteur is a riveting World War II thriller of espionage and action.

February, 1943. Both the Allies and the Nazis are closing in on attempts to construct the decisive weapon of the war.

Kurt Nordstrum, an engineer in Oslo, puts his life aside to take up arms against the Germans as part of the Norwegian resistance. After the loss of his fiancée, and with his outfit whittled to shreds, he commandeers a coastal steamer and escapes to England to transmit secret evidence of the Nazis’s progress towards an atomic bomb at an isolated factory in Norway. There, he joins a team of dedicated Norwegians in training in the Scottish Highlands for a mission to disrupt the Nazis’ plans before they advance any further.

Parachuted onto the most unforgiving terrain in Europe, braving the fiercest of mountain storms, Nordstrum and his team attempt the most daring raid of the war, targeting the heavily-guarded factory built on a shelf of rock thought to be impregnable, a mission even they know they likely will not survive. Months later, Nordstrum is called upon again to do the impossible, opposed by both elite Nazi soldiers and a long-standing enemy who is now a local collaborator—one man against overwhelming odds, with the fate of the war in the balance, but the choice to act means putting the one person he has a chance to love in peril.

Praise for Edoardo Ballerini:

"Gross's saboteur is a champion of patriotic devotion and physical endurance, and Ballerini captures his grace and humanity, as well as his courage, in a manly timbre."—AudioFile Magazine on The Saboteur

"Actor Ballerini turns the scene into a fascinating radio drama...These conversational moments, delicately crafted by Gross and splendidly performed by Ballerini, have a profound effect on the novel's equally well-enacted, action-filled, breathless escape sequence."—Publishers Weekly on The One Man

About Andrew Gross

ANDREW GROSS was the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of several novels, including The One Man, No Way Back, Everything to Lose, and One Mile Under. He also coauthored of several #1 New York Times bestsellers with James Patterson, including Judge & Jury and Lifeguard. His books have been translated into over 25 languages. He lived in Westchester County, New York. He passed away at age 72 in 2025.

About Edoardo Ballerini

Edoardo Ballerini is an American writer, director, film producer and actor.  He has won many awards for his audiobook narration; within only a few years after beginning his narrating career, he won several AudioFile Earphones Awards for his work, including Stephen Greenblatt’s The Swerve: How The World Became Modern, Jodi Picoult’s The Storyteller and Jess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins.   He narrated Kenzaburo Oe’s Nobel Prize Winning Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, Joseph Finder’s The Moscow Club as well as works by John Edward and Daniel Stashower.   In television and film, he is best known for his role in The Sopranos, 24, I Shot Andy Warhol, Dinner Rush and Romeo Must Die. The silky-voiced Ballerini is trained in theater and continues to do much work on stage.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Norma ~ The Sisters on January 05, 2019

I didn't love this as much as I did The One Man but it was still a pretty good and worthwhile read! THE SABOTEUR by ANDREW GROSS was an interesting, engrossing, tense, and suspenseful Historical Thriller novel with an intriguing storyline that is based on true events of extraordinary bravery and surv......more

Goodreads review by Lindsay L on September 07, 2017

3 stars. I liked this atmospheric WWII historical thriller, but didn’t love it. After reading Andrew Gross’ novel “The One Man” last year, I became a HUGE fan. “The One Man” is another WWII historical thriller and is one of my most favourite books! With that being said, I think I went into this nove......more

Goodreads review by Susanne on September 08, 2017

4 Stars. A team of men sent on a death defying mission to destroy heavy water (the component that was produced by the Nazis’ in World War II to make an atomic bomb) in a impenetrable fortress. It seemed impossible. The first teams that were sent to Norway failed. And then a team of Norwegian men were......more

Goodreads review by Wendy on August 28, 2017

The One Man, by Andrew Gross, has to be one of the best WWII books I have read. The Saboteur is a tale of extraordinary bravery and survival and is a close second. Kurt Nordstrum (based on the real-life figure of Kurt Haukelid) was a humble yet courageous man, whose irrepressible will and sense of du......more

Goodreads review by "Avonna on September 09, 2017

Check out all of my reviews at: [URL not allowed] THE SABOTEUR by Andrew Gross is an intense historical fiction based on the true life stories of the Norwegian Freedom Fighters assigned the seemingly impossible task of destroying the Nazis’ supply of heavy water before it could be used......more


Quotes

"This Norwegian-accented commando caper showcases narrator Edoardo Ballerini's versatility and range, and offers all the satisfactions of its genre...[Andrew] Gross's saboteur is a champion of patriotic devotion and physical endurance, and Ballarini captures his grace and humanity, as well as his courage, in a manly timbre." -AudioFile

“Tension permeates the pages even for readers who know the historical outcome. A terrific story filled with tension and surprises right to the end. That's two World War II winners in a row for Gross.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“From its opening pages, Gross’s novel grips readers as they follow the tough-minded and persistent Nordstrum every step of the way. Highly recommended for thriller fans as well as lovers of historical fiction based on true events.”
Library Journal (starred review)

“Narrator Ballerini effortlessly manages the complex story line . . . the audio truly enhances the
written text. This historical thriller will keep listeners engaged, and although they know how the
war ends, they will find themselves on the edge of their seats wondering what happens next.”
Booklist on The One Man

"Conversational moments, delicately crafted by Gross and splendidly performed by Ballerini, have a profound effect on the novel’s equally well-enacted, action-filled, breathless escape sequence."—Publisher's Weekly Starred Review of The One Man


Awards

  • Library Journal Best Books of the Year