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Heads You Win: A Novel Audio CD – Unabridged, November 6, 2018

by Jeffrey Archer (Author), Richard Armitage (Reader)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 14,471 ratings
Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction
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This program is read by acclaimed English actor Richard Armitage.

Heads You Win is international #1 bestseller Jeffrey Archer’s most ambitious and creative work since Kane and Abel, with a final twist that will shock even his most ardent of fans.

Leningrad, Russia, 1968: From an early age it is clear that Alexander Karpenko is destined to lead his countrymen. But when his father is assassinated by the KGB for defying the state, Alexander and his mother will have to escape Russia if they hope to survive. At the docks, they have an irreversible choice: board a container ship bound for America or one bound for Great Britain. Alexander leaves the choice to a toss of a coin…

In a single moment, a double twist decides Alexander’s future. During an epic tale, spanning two continents and thirty years, we follow Alexander through triumph and defeat as he sets out on parallel lives as Alex in New York and Sasha in London. As this unique story unfolds, both come to realize that to find their destiny they must face the past they left behind as Alexander in Russia.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    16 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Macmillan Audio
  4. Publication date
    November 6, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    4.96 x 1.51 x 6.06 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1427299226
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1427299222
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Expertly performed by Richard Armitage...Captivating to the very end." -Midwest Book Review

From the Artist

Jeffrey Archer; read by Richard Armitage

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Macmillan Audio; Unabridged edition (November 6, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Audio CD ‏ : ‎ 16 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1427299226
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1427299222
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.96 x 1.51 x 6.06 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 14,471 ratings

About the author

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Jeffrey Archer

Jeffrey Archer

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Jeffrey Archer is one of the world’s bestselling authors, with sales of over 275 million copies in 97 countries, and is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction (twenty times), short stories (four times) and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries). He was born in London, and brought up in the West Country. He gained a Blue in Athletics at Oxford, was President of the University Athletics Club, and went on to run the 100 yards in 9.6 seconds for Great Britain in 1966. Jeffrey has served five years in the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament, and thirty years as a Member of the House of Lords.

He has written 27 novels, 7 sets of short stories, 3 prison diaries, 3 plays (all of which have been performed in London's West End) and a gospel. His first novel, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less was sold to 17 countries within a year. It was also made into a successful serial for BBC Radio 4, and was later televised in 1990 by the BBC. He won the Prix Relay du Roman d’Évasion, a prize that rewards a novel in which readers can ‘escape from everyday life’, for his novel Paths of Glory, and the Prix Polar International Prize for the best international thriller of the year, for his novel A Prisoner of Birth. The Clifton Chronicles, a series of seven novels published between 2011-2017, topped the bestseller lists around the world.

Famous for his discipline as a writer who works on up to fourteen drafts of each book, Jeffrey also brings a vast amount of insider knowledge to his books. Whether it’s his own career in politics, his passionate interest in art, or the wealth of fascinating background detail – inspired by the extraordinary network of friends he has built over a lifetime at the heart of Britain’s establishment – his novels provide a fascinating glimpse into a range of closed worlds.

Jeffrey is also an amateur auctioneer, conducting up to 20 charity auctions a year. He has been married to Dame Mary Archer, Chair of the Science Museum Group, for 55 year, and they have two sons, two granddaughters and three grandsons. He splits his time between London, Cambridge and Mallorca - where he writes the first draft of each new novel.

The fifth book In his new William Warwick novels - the first of which, Nothing Ventured, was published in 2019 - is NEXT IN LINE which will be out in September 2022.

Photo credit: Toby Madden

www.jeffreyarcher.com

Follow Jeffrey on Instagram - Jeffrey_Archer_Author, Facebook and Twitter @Jeffrey_Archer

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
14,471 global ratings
I loved it: kept me interested through out, had to read the last two chapters twice to figure it out
5 Stars
I loved it: kept me interested through out, had to read the last two chapters twice to figure it out
I loved this book, it is quite unique in that it really is two different stories - two alternative lives because it could have gone either way based on the toss of a coin made in the beginning of the story. Both stories are fascinating and kept me on the edge of the seat until the very end where I suddenly was thrown into a complete confusion "What just happened?" Only after re-reading the last several chapters again, I saw that Jeffrey Archer did not reconcile the two stories but gave us a dual ending.I had no trouble keeping the two stories apart up until the very end. One story tells us what happens to Alexander Karpenko when he emigrates to England, the other how he life turns out after he emigrates to United States. I was wondering through out the book how he will resolve the two lives, how will the two story lines converge. But the ending was not what I expected at all. The book ends with a surprise and a cliff-hanger. The surprise had to be that way to make the story believable. The cliff-hanger, however, is most unusual. Through out the book the heros were referred by nick names of Alexander - as Alex and Sasha - where as at the very end Jeffrey Archer began referring to the hero as Alexander so the reader could not really know which one of them the author was referring to.After I finished the book I search for various "spoilers" to help me resolve the ending, and I found that I was not alone in my confusion. I will not reveal the spoilers here, but if you search for the word "spoiler" and the book title you will find them.And no, the unresolved ending did not make me like the book less. Quite the opposite, it left me wanting more! What a way to end the story!Ali Julia review
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Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, interestjng and nicely paced
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
The story is an interesting twist of events all throughout the book, although the final twist is very clear and thus looses importance, in the last two parts {books[).
Had read the first part as an extra on the former book and was confused when I started reading from the second part on due to some changes in names, but other than that the book just creates an interesting twist all around.
The only thing I do regret but not need to remove any stars due to it, is that it leaves open a huge question mark about the characters origin.
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C Wm (Andy) Anderson
4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Epic by Britain's James Michener...
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
Character-Driven Epic Novel with Twists & Double Twists. I admit, I did suffer some confusion during this novel. Worse, though, was writing a review that omitted any potential spoilers. I hope this review helps yo make your choice to buy, or to pass, on this story.

Within the opening pages, the reader will probably identify something of that which this outstanding British author is seeking to achieve. Irony is used with great effect by Mr. Archer in “Heads You Win,” but this writer also utilizes twists and double-twists to keep you thinking.

Although the writer is British, I believe it is no accident that this book was made available on Election Day in America. Your questions are likely to be, 1 – Is the writing good enough to warrant my time, as it is a rather long read? 2 – Is it worth the Money? And 3 – Can I share this with family and friends?

The answer to each of these questions is conditional. Firstly, the writing and editing is superb, in the technical sense.

Secondly, if you don’t mind flash-backs at several junctures, you’ll probably be delighted. I, though, can tolerate only a very few of these without losing track of what’s going on.

Thirdly, yes, you can share this with all friends and family, noting one speck of trouble, as noted in the sections titled BLUSH FACTOR, below. HOWEVER, to ease the confusion that might occur, I recommend buying the Whispersync Audible Edition. Doing so helped me follow the plot much better than simply reading it.

POV: Third person.

BLUSH FACTOR: There is only a single eff word, occurring in Chapter 2 of Book One, at location 331. For those who want to read this epic, but avoid the one eff-word, I am posting the lead-in sentence here:

‘…He’s begun badly. Refuses to take orders, and is openly contemptuous of the KGB. Today he told a junior officer to…’

Archer, Jeffrey. Heads You Win: A Novel (Kindle Locations 330-331). St. Martin's Press. Kindle Edition.

STAND-ALONE OR CLIFFHANGER ENDING? Stand-alone.

EXCERPT

‘…was disappointed when his mother picked out a plain gray suit, which she held up against him to check the size. It was a little large, but she knew it wouldn’t be too long before he grew into it. She told him to try it on.

When Alex came out of the changing room, dressed in his new suit, he couldn’t help noticing that the girl behind the counter was taking a closer look at him. He turned away, embarrassed. Elena pretended not to notice as she began to pick out some clothes for herself: a simple blue dress and a pleated black skirt. She was beginning to worry that her money must be running out, when she spotted a pair of black leather shoes that would go perfectly with Alex’s new suit.

“A man dropped them in on Saturday afternoon,” said the girl. “He told me no one wears shoes with laces any longer.”

“Perfect,” said Elena once Alex had tried them on and walked around the shop a couple of times.

“How much?” Elena asked, gathering up all the goods and placing them on the counter.

“Five dollars,” said the girl.

Elena handed over the money, stood back, and admired her son, no longer a child. She didn’t notice Dimitri hand the girl another ten dollars, give Alex a wink, and say, “Thank you, Miss Marshall,” as the girl handed him a bag full of their old clothes.

“I hope you’ll come back soon,” said Addie. “We get new stuff in every day.”

“Now we have to find the pizza parlor as quickly as possible,” said Dimitri, as he left the shop and dropped the bag of old clothes in the nearest trash can. “Can’t afford to be late and let someone else get that job.”

Elena was about to rescue the bag, when Alex said, “No, Mother.” She reluctantly joined her son, and they set off once again at a pace everyone else on the sidewalk seemed to consider normal, and they didn’t slow down until Dimitri spotted a red and white sign swinging in the breeze. He crossed the road, dodging in and out of traffic, while Elena and Alex followed, showing none of the same confidence as cars shot past them, horns blaring.

“Leave the talking to me,” said Dimitri as he pushed open the door and walked inside. He went straight up to a man standing behind the counter and said, “I want to speak to the manager.”

“That’s me,” said the man, looking up from his booking sheet.

“I’ve come about the job you advertised in the Post for a pizza cook,” said Dimitri. “It’s not for me, but for this lady, and you’d be lucky to get her.”

“Have you worked in a pizza parlor before?” the man asked, turning his attention to Elena.

“No, sir.”

“Then I can only offer you a job as washer-up.”

“But she’s a fully qualified cook,” said Dimitri.

“What was your last job?” asked the manager. “I was the head cook in an officers’ club in Leningrad.”

“In Queens?”

“No, in Russia.”

“We don’t employ commies,” said the manager, spitting out the words.

“I’m not a communist,” protested Elena. “In fact I hate them. I would still be there if… but I didn’t have any choice.”

“But I do,” said the manager. “The only job fit for a commie is as a washer-up. The pay’s fifty cents an hour.”

“Seventy-five,” said Dimitri.

“You’re hardly in a position to bargain,” said the manager. “She can take it or leave it.”

“We’ll leave it,” said Dimitri. He began to walk toward the door, but this time Elena didn’t follow.

“Where’s the kitchen?” was all she said…’

Archer, Jeffrey. Heads You Win: A Novel (Kindle Locations 1253-1287). St. Martin's Press. Kindle Edition.

BOTTOM LINE

Four stars out of five.

I am striving to produce reviews that help you find books that you want, or avoid books that you wish to avoid. With your help, my improvement will help you and me improve book reviews on Amazon. Together, you and I can build a great customer review process that helps everybody. Will you join me? It is people such as you who have helped me improve over the years. I'm still learning, and I have a great deal yet to learn. With your help, I'll improve every day.

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42 people found this helpful
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Charles Collins
5.0 out of 5 stars Typically excellent work of Archer
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2018
Verified Purchase
This latest novel of Archer's is like looking at a kalidoscope of a good man's life. Archer always does a creative job of showing how the world should look, and then opening eyes to see the depth of shock we should feel about how it is. He reminds us all of the value of looking clearly at the current unfolding of the ugly history none of us want to see repeated, but so often is, so that we will examine our own hearts and, maybe, start to think about what we can do to make a difference.
While you are at that process, enjoy a great novel from a very great writer.
2 people found this helpful
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Angela-1899
3.0 out of 5 stars Two parallel stories showing "What if . . ."
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
Engrossing story about Alexander, a boy who needs to flee Russia with his mother, Elena, after his father is murdered by the KGB. Alexander must choose to flee in either a ship headed for New York City or one going to London. Archer begins a split in the story at this point. Reviews by many readers show that I was not the only person to become confused after this point.
No, they are not twins. - Instead, it's simply the story of what would have happened to Alexander if he took one ship versus the other. It's referred to as the sliding door technique.
The story of "Alex," develops what would have happened to Alexander if he and his Mom went to New York. "Sasha," which is another nickname for Alexander, shows what his life would have been if he went to London. The alternate stories are developed in tandem, and Archer teases the reader a couple of times by having the two Alexanders almost meet.
I found both stories interesting and well written. The ending appears to be confusing, but it's not. SPOILER ALERT, SPOILER ALERT!!!
Both Sasha's and Alex decide to return to Russia for the same purpose; to run for President. One of the Alexanders never reaches Russia, but dies on the way. The other reaches Russia, to be greeted by a cheering crowd. But it is clear that he cannot survive or win. His lifelong nemesis, who grew up to become the head of the KGB, plans on killing him. No sequel was written, or can be written, because Archer uses real life, historical, presidents of Russia as characters in his book. Alexander tries to bring real democracy to Russia by running for president against Vladimir (i.e. Putin) and we all know who won that race. But the stories of both Alex and Sasha are intriguing and well worth reading, with interesting twists and turns, and endearing characters. . One of my favorite
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Top reviews from other countries

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Francisco
5.0 out of 5 stars Lectura agradable, fácil y entretenida
Reviewed in Mexico on July 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
Muy interesante la forma de llevar el argumento del mismo personaje en dos vidas paralelas...
Ingenioso, divertido, te lleva a especular sobre; "que pasaría si..."
Muy entretenido.
J. Archer es un gran narrador con mucho ingenio.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
Oh my gosh! What a book! It felt like being on a rollercoaster: fast paced and thrilling; leaving you breathless. I loved every second of it. Jeffrey Archer is a genius! What a brilliant storyteller he is. Every single one of his books is great; I haven’t found one yet that would disappoint.
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DFM41
5.0 out of 5 stars Two novels in one
Reviewed in Italy on October 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
An exciting what if, exploring two possibilities of development and effectively giving two adventures for the price of one. The punch line at the end though was highly predictable.
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Kris
3.0 out of 5 stars Pas à la hauteur de mes attentes
Reviewed in France on July 12, 2021
Verified Purchase
Après avoir lu « A prisoner of birth » et admiré le talent de conteur de Jeffrey Archer, j’attendais beaucoup plus de ce roman. L’histoire parallèle de Sasha et Alex, l’’un en Grande Bretagne, l’autre au Etats Unis, présente un certain intérêt mais pas suffisamment pour qu’on s’y sente impliqué. Quant à la fin, ne voulant pas « spoiler » l’histoire, il faut admettre que c’était le seul final possible pour respecter l’histoire contemporaine.

J’espère lire un autre ouvrage de Jeffrey Archer qui me séduira davantage.
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Gilbero M. Rossetti
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Reviewed in Brazil on December 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
As usual, the master story teller is above himself again. What a (couple of) story(ies) you are all about to read. Highly recommended
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