Citizen Orlov is a British novel which follows ordinary fishmonger Citizen Orlov who stumbles into an assignment with the Ministry (which one, He certainly does not know) and becomes and inadvertent spy and unlikely terrorist. His misadventure is comical as a terrible series of events unfold. I really enjoyed this book. If your looking for a cozy spy mystery, this is for you. The audiobook is engaging and you won't want to put it down if only to find out what else could possible go wrong for this man on his assignment.

I’m not too sure how to review this one, it started off as entertaining but did start to get a bit confusing towards the end. I think I might have missed the point of the story but I found the main character difficult to like or find interesting.

A rollicking adventure of a simple fishmonger who unwittingly becomes a secret agent. Lots of fun! Thanks so much to Net Galley for the ARC.

This is an entertaining, fun and humorous satire from Jonathan Payne which I listened to on audio, ably narrated by Tim Campbell in a manner which kept my attention easily from beginning to end, and is approximately 8 hours and 30 minutes long. Loyal Citizen Orlov is a lowly and simple fishmonger who finds himself out of his depth when he answers a phone call with a message for a person in the Ministry of Security that he desperately tries to get hold of, doing the best that he can only to find himself swimming in the deep waters of espionage, murder, deception, intrigue, betrayal, and danger. There is the not to be trusted femme fatale, Agent Zelle, and many more obstacles for the wonderfully guiless Orlov to navigate his way through. A brilliant book and listen which I have no hesitation in recommending to readers. Many thanks to CamCat Books for an ALC.

Citizen Orlov is a farcical, entertaining novel about a man's mistakenly answering a phone call and continuously trying to do the right thing enmeshes him in political machinations.
His country is ruled by a king, and various folks have design on him -- from his son the crown prince and his zealous supporters to various political parties attempting to add representative government.
Orlov finds himself duty-bound to deliver crucial, secret information about an operation, and in delivering the message he becomes a part of the plot, filling in for the contact he was supposed to meet.
His handler gives him increasingly difficult and morally dubious instructions in a series of outlandish clandestine meetings, eventually using his mother's safety as coercion.
Things escalate in interesting ways and Orlov brings the reader into the machinations of political parties, government bureaus, and more.
This is a very important novel in showing how far people will go to protect or advance their interests, and how blinded they can be to the effects. This is all heightened by the country's very impersonal way of addressing everyone by their title and surname - from "Citizen" to "Agent" to "Minister," etc.

A none-too-bright fishmonger agrees to deliver a message to a government building and immediately finds himself conscripted and sent on an important mission. In this tale, set in an unnamed Central European country ruled by a king, Citizen Orlov is asked to abet an assassination attempt before returning to work at the market fish stall. But what was to be a simple task becomes more involved until he no longer knows for whom he is working and to what end.

The dark humor is in the situational absurdities of the bureaucratic, political, and cloak-and-dagger operations that keep Citizens Orlov in the dark for much of the novel. While mostly cynical it ends on a positive note. I enjoyed going along for the ride with Citizen Orlov as he tried to figure out what he should do next (and how to save his mother).

My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for an early copy of the audiobook for review purposes.

Citizen Orlov written by Jonathan Payne and narrated by Tim Campbell is an Orwellian Satire whereby a humble Fishmongers assistant rises to the position of Minister of Security. The distance between the two vocations is extensive enough, but the path between them is a route of espionage, intrigue, mistaken identity and duplicity, all resulting from just one phone call

Orlov is a fantastic protagonist, just going with the flow, trying to do the right thing and really not the sharpest tool in the shed. I admit to chuckling each time the author mentioned him "lumbering". I also liked Venev, Orlov's boss the fishmonger, and also comrade of the Peoples front. The Mata Hari of the tale is quite the villainess and she keeps Orlov tied up in knots at every turn, not least by having his mother kidnapped. But how does he rise to being the Minister of Security, and where does a misplaced bomb plot fit in?

The audiobook is simply brilliant and had me captivated throughout. Campbell flits easily between gender, character and cadence, meeting each turn in the narrative with ease. A really enjoyable listen

Jonathan Payne is hilarious while still conveying a deeper observation of dystopic authoritarian social structures which are also evident in certain contemporary soceities. I was utterly intrigued and would recommend this book highly. Brilliant!

Thank you to Netgalley, Camcat Books | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks and the brilliant author Jonathan Payne and narrator Tim Campbell for this highly entertaining and thought-provoking ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Citizen Orlov is a satirical spin on an espionage story. Orlov is an honest man and a simple fish monger, but when he answers an annoying ringing phone he ends up getting himself wrapped up in a crazy plot against the king. It sounds so simple at first, take a message and deliver it to an agent, but things keep going wrong, and he finds himself getting mixed up deeper and deeper with no real chance to exit the crazy path he finds himself on. The overall story is enjoyable, though it moved a little slow for my taste. That may be due to Payne’s writing style. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with the writing, it just felt rather passive. Even at moments that should be ‘intense’ it comes off as a bit too relaxed, to much like a clinical report of what is happening rather than feeling like being right in the middle of the action. I’d like to thank CamCat Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audio version of Citizen Orlov.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3LMXIRH3ANLVO/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Jonathan Payne's 'Citizen Orlov' is a delightful romp through the world of espionage, with an unlikely hero at its center. When ordinary fishmonger Citizen Orlov receives a mysterious phone call, he is thrust into a thrilling adventure filled with intrigue and danger. As Orlov navigates the twists and turns of espionage, readers are treated to a charming and humorous tale of an ordinary man thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Payne's writing is sharp and witty, and he expertly blends elements of spy fiction with comedic flair. 'Citizen Orlov' is a captivating read from start to finish, guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

I really liked the way this one began and was thoroughly engaged for about the first half - then, I must confess I found it to start dragging on... The Kafka-esque drama, the awkwardness, the serendipity, and the stumbling-into-trouble nature of the narrative started to feel redundant and like things were not progressing so much as shifting from bad to worse... I suppose much of that was intentional, but it did start to wear on me after a while. Still it was farcical enough to be entertaining - I just wish it had perhaps been a bit shorter, in keeping with the more focused narrative of the first half.

Review of “Citizen Orlov”

By: Jonathan Payne

Check it Out on Goodreads!!

Disclaimer: Please note that I received an Audio ARC from Netgalley and CamCat Books, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

⭐⭐☆☆☆

So, “Citizen Orlov” by Jonathan Payne is okay. There’s plenty of action and twists to keep things moving along, but it never really grabbed me.

One thing worth mentioning is that I listened to the audio version, and maybe that’s why it didn’t click for me. It felt like I missed that connection to the story, so I couldn’t fully immerse myself in the world being built around me. The upside of this book is that the pace is fast, preventing any dull moments. (if that contradiction makes any sense?)

“Citizen Orlov” is a decent read for spy thriller enthusiasts, but it might not exceed your expectations. I suggest trying it out, but consider getting the physical/digital version instead of the audio release.

Get it at…

📗 - Hard Copy -📗

Your Local Canadian Book Seller

Indigo

Amazon Canada - (Currently Out of Stock at the Time of Review)

📱 - Digital - 📱

Kobo - Free on Kobo Plus

Kindle

🎧 - Audio - 🎧

Audible

Libro.FM

I picked this book as it was under the category of humor, and I wanted to try something a little different. Unfortunately, this book was just not for me. However, I can see how some would enjoy this book and the writing style. I was bored and found it weird the main character just kept going along with the events happening.

Bluffs, double bluffs and more as what begins life as a simple attempt to pass on a message, triggers a misunderstanding followed by deception, blackmail and conspiracies. A chaotic whirlwind of non-answers and spin doctors, it's quite the distraction.

I did enjoy this one! It was a good mystery and a quick one. It definitely had some twists at the end that I was not expecting. I thought the audio was great!