What do you think?
Rate this book
Sleeper Agent #1
Sleeper Agent: An Audible Original
In the town of Gainesville, Cooper Fox has a special place in people’s hearts. Since the car accident that wiped his memories, Cooper has been...a little foggy. Cooper doesn’t know how to do much, but one thing he instinctively seems to know about is strength training, and with his help, Gainesville High’s football team has just won the Mid-States final. With Cooper the hero of the hour, the whole town is getting ready to celebrate in style.
When three strangers crash the party and decide to pick on the harmless-looking guy carrying a cooler full of sodas, they trigger something inside Cooper. Afterwards, the folks in Gainesville can never look at him in quite the same way. Is he really just a regular guy who suffered a brain injury in a car crash, or is he someone else? Or something else?
As Cooper tries to come to terms with baffling new memories, he’s about to be plunged into a terrifying world of secret experiments and covert assassins that will test his new-found abilities to the limit.
When three strangers crash the party and decide to pick on the harmless-looking guy carrying a cooler full of sodas, they trigger something inside Cooper. Afterwards, the folks in Gainesville can never look at him in quite the same way. Is he really just a regular guy who suffered a brain injury in a car crash, or is he someone else? Or something else?
As Cooper tries to come to terms with baffling new memories, he’s about to be plunged into a terrifying world of secret experiments and covert assassins that will test his new-found abilities to the limit.
Audible Audio
First published August 9, 2021
73 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
John Birmingham
78 books1,163 followersJohn Birmingham grew up in Ipswich, Queensland and was educated at St Edmunds Christian Brother's College in Ipswich and the University of Queensland in Brisbane. His only stint of full time employment was as a researcher at the Defence Department. After this he returned to Queensland to study law but he did not complete his legal studies, choosing instead to pursue a career as a writer. He currently lives in Brisbane.
While a law student he was one of the last people arrested under the state's Anti Street March legislation. Birmingham was convicted of displaying a sheet of paper with the words 'Free Speech' written on it in very small type. The local newspaper carried a photograph of him being frogmarched off to a waiting police paddy wagon.
Birmingham has a degree in international relations.
While a law student he was one of the last people arrested under the state's Anti Street March legislation. Birmingham was convicted of displaying a sheet of paper with the words 'Free Speech' written on it in very small type. The local newspaper carried a photograph of him being frogmarched off to a waiting police paddy wagon.
Birmingham has a degree in international relations.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
July 11, 2022
Unfortunately, this story has no end game. As a result, this moves from 4 stars to 3. 6 of 10 stars
October 18, 2021
I wish I could easily find a bazillion of this type of book - good story with bits of military/shoot'em up, a dash of scifi, a dash of romance, and some mystery. It's the perfect combination for me. In this particular case, Dan Bittner brought this story up a level. Bittner is one of my favorite narrators.
It gave me pause a couple of times when I heard "car park." I wondered if the author was British - turns out he's an Aussie. I always wish that editors would catch those sorts of things, especially when the story is set here in the US. But it's a small thing and had pretty much zero effect on my enjoyment of the book.
It gave me pause a couple of times when I heard "car park." I wondered if the author was British - turns out he's an Aussie. I always wish that editors would catch those sorts of things, especially when the story is set here in the US. But it's a small thing and had pretty much zero effect on my enjoyment of the book.
October 22, 2022
Loved this!!
This was not my usual read but it was so exciting. I loved Cooper and Mary’s relationship with each other and the kids. The dramatic change from small town sweet life to major spy craziness was great.
While I thought the ending was very reasonable to the story I still hope the author carries on with a series because Cooper needs a happily ever after.
I enjoyed this on audible. The narration was great.
This was not my usual read but it was so exciting. I loved Cooper and Mary’s relationship with each other and the kids. The dramatic change from small town sweet life to major spy craziness was great.
While I thought the ending was very reasonable to the story I still hope the author carries on with a series because Cooper needs a happily ever after.
I enjoyed this on audible. The narration was great.
September 14, 2021
Because I read exclusively by audio, I always preview books to ensure the quality of the narrator.
In this case, I pass. Regardless of how interesting the concept of this book is, Dan Bittner's narration just doesn't work.
In this case, I pass. Regardless of how interesting the concept of this book is, Dan Bittner's narration just doesn't work.
September 21, 2021
Loved it. This was a perfect book to listen to during this very boring time. It's fast paced, but not rushed, it has satisfying action scenes that don't go on and on for too long. It's not a challenging listen, it's compelling and I could not put it down. Its a great stand alone, but I'm hoping for a sequel because I want more of Cooper Fox.
The narrator does a really good job and it well chosen for this book.
It's currently (22/09/2021) only available through Audible, and free as part of the plus program.
The narrator does a really good job and it well chosen for this book.
It's currently (22/09/2021) only available through Audible, and free as part of the plus program.
August 28, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is my personal 5 star rating system because I’m too lazy to write a review for every book.
5 stars -> OMFG. I couldn’t stop listening. I was engaged from beginning to end. The story & narrator was amazing. I 100% recommend this book & author. I was able to clearly follow each and every character.
4 stars -> It was pretty good. I would’ve rated 5 stars, But either the ending was lacking, I struggled to keep up with characters, or the story didn’t keep me fully engaged. The narrator was pretty good as well. I’m on the fence about recommending this book, It could go either way.
3 Stars -> It was boring at times & I missed chunks of the story. I most likely struggled to keep up with character developments. The only way I would recommend this book is if it was part of a series. The narrator was most likely average or just couldn’t fix a mediocre book.
2 Stars -> It was pretty horrible. I used it as background noise because I hadn’t had a chance to search for another book. The book either had a bad narrator, The character development was non existent, or the story was hot garbage. I would not recommend this book.
1 Star -> The absolute only reason I listened to this book was because i had no time to search for another one & I needed background noise. It was 1 step up from listening to the radio. I wouldn’t recommend this book to my worst enemy. Everything about this book was terrible. This is only recommended for people on death row and have absolutely nothing else to read.
5 stars -> OMFG. I couldn’t stop listening. I was engaged from beginning to end. The story & narrator was amazing. I 100% recommend this book & author. I was able to clearly follow each and every character.
4 stars -> It was pretty good. I would’ve rated 5 stars, But either the ending was lacking, I struggled to keep up with characters, or the story didn’t keep me fully engaged. The narrator was pretty good as well. I’m on the fence about recommending this book, It could go either way.
3 Stars -> It was boring at times & I missed chunks of the story. I most likely struggled to keep up with character developments. The only way I would recommend this book is if it was part of a series. The narrator was most likely average or just couldn’t fix a mediocre book.
2 Stars -> It was pretty horrible. I used it as background noise because I hadn’t had a chance to search for another book. The book either had a bad narrator, The character development was non existent, or the story was hot garbage. I would not recommend this book.
1 Star -> The absolute only reason I listened to this book was because i had no time to search for another one & I needed background noise. It was 1 step up from listening to the radio. I wouldn’t recommend this book to my worst enemy. Everything about this book was terrible. This is only recommended for people on death row and have absolutely nothing else to read.
Read
October 25, 2024There’s something marvellous and admirable about authors who write something in spite of it being considered rote, or cliche. To disregard the cries of readers who shriek about a lack of originality. The point isn’t for every single idea or book to be a stunning work of pure, unique originality: it’s to write the story. Embracing that spark is the greatest things writers do. An act of devotion and belief that is remarkable.
Nobody worth a damn begrudges a blues musician for playing the same three chords. Everyone worth a damn knows the infinite possibilities within that same three chord progression.
This is another work exploring those infinite possibilities. And my what fun was had.
Nobody worth a damn begrudges a blues musician for playing the same three chords. Everyone worth a damn knows the infinite possibilities within that same three chord progression.
This is another work exploring those infinite possibilities. And my what fun was had.
November 14, 2021
Well, what can I say? This book could have been good, with the premise of the story fairly interesting. However, it lost out by having immature dialogue and poor narrative. The characters were black and white cut out drawings of people with no sense of reality.
What made to worse was the lack of ‘boom’. I always like a story to advance through the ‘bing’ and the ‘bang’ storyline to finally achieve the ultimate ‘boom’ ending. This didn’t happen here. The story slowly developed over many chapters, spending lots of narrative on tiny details. And at the climax? It fizzled out over very few pages. It was as though the author realised late that he had exceeded his publishers word limit and then just cut it short. Very poor.
And the narration? Awful. Enough said
What made to worse was the lack of ‘boom’. I always like a story to advance through the ‘bing’ and the ‘bang’ storyline to finally achieve the ultimate ‘boom’ ending. This didn’t happen here. The story slowly developed over many chapters, spending lots of narrative on tiny details. And at the climax? It fizzled out over very few pages. It was as though the author realised late that he had exceeded his publishers word limit and then just cut it short. Very poor.
And the narration? Awful. Enough said
February 15, 2023
A book that starts with a disabled man turns into an espionage story as the disabled man has another accident that reverses the impact of his previous brain damage.
An action packed novel that’s a little too ridiculous for you to take seriously. A bit of sci fi in the mix to keep it different.
An action packed novel that’s a little too ridiculous for you to take seriously. A bit of sci fi in the mix to keep it different.
dnf
March 25, 2024Made it about a quarter of the way in and just don’t want to read any more of it.
September 25, 2022
A TOTALLY NOVEL CONCEPT
Firstly, I want to say that the reviews that comment by saying that it has a slow start, bewilder me. It isn’t slow at all. It’s a first book, we have no idea of who any of the characters are and there are many of whom we need to familiarise ourselves with. This is such a rich and engrossing/endearing story and we benefit from knowing who everyone is, we benefit from the way that they are introduced, we have an opportunity to know who they are and how they fit into the narrative.
Secondly, the English accent. I’m wondering if those who said that it sounded Australian, cannot be from England. It’s a clear attempt at a cockney accent and sounds Nothing like an Australian one… it may not be perfect, but it’s recognisable as Brit and not Oz. Dan Bitner (the narrator), did a good job.
I truly enjoyed this, because it’s a totally new concept and totally unexpected. The story flows effortlessly and can easily be consumed in a couple of sessions - I listened to it in one extended sitting, for that reason, I look forward to book 2.
Firstly, I want to say that the reviews that comment by saying that it has a slow start, bewilder me. It isn’t slow at all. It’s a first book, we have no idea of who any of the characters are and there are many of whom we need to familiarise ourselves with. This is such a rich and engrossing/endearing story and we benefit from knowing who everyone is, we benefit from the way that they are introduced, we have an opportunity to know who they are and how they fit into the narrative.
Secondly, the English accent. I’m wondering if those who said that it sounded Australian, cannot be from England. It’s a clear attempt at a cockney accent and sounds Nothing like an Australian one… it may not be perfect, but it’s recognisable as Brit and not Oz. Dan Bitner (the narrator), did a good job.
I truly enjoyed this, because it’s a totally new concept and totally unexpected. The story flows effortlessly and can easily be consumed in a couple of sessions - I listened to it in one extended sitting, for that reason, I look forward to book 2.
March 30, 2022
The story line unfolds in a surprising way. A simple story gets very complex and surprising. The characters could use a little more development, but that would detract from the main character's confusion and self discovery. Many of the minor characters could be more believable with some minor background and defined motivations.
The narration of the story has good character definition and recognizable vocalization to define each of the many characters in the story. Some reviewers have felt that the narration was paced too slowly for this quick developing plot and story line. I found that the narration and story was improved by increasing the playback speed to 1.3x. This moved the dialog along at a brisker pace to match the quickly unfolding story line.
I would be wiling to try another book by this author and this narrator.
The narration of the story has good character definition and recognizable vocalization to define each of the many characters in the story. Some reviewers have felt that the narration was paced too slowly for this quick developing plot and story line. I found that the narration and story was improved by increasing the playback speed to 1.3x. This moved the dialog along at a brisker pace to match the quickly unfolding story line.
I would be wiling to try another book by this author and this narrator.
April 28, 2024
I'm a big fan of John Birmingham and this is a good book; just not as good as I had hoped.
For pretty much all of the first third of the book the main character is seriously mentally impaired. He can't read, tell the time or count for the most part and this is done for good reasons but I didn't find it great to read.
The other characters are okay but if I'm being honest they aren't worthy of most of Birmingham's great characters from other books. The plot is good and there are twists and turns which do keep one interested and the pacing, after the first third of the book, is good.
I reiterate, this is a good book and I am glad that I read it. The fault here is probably mine in that I hoped it would be better and that my expectations for a Birmingham book were probably just a bit too high.
For pretty much all of the first third of the book the main character is seriously mentally impaired. He can't read, tell the time or count for the most part and this is done for good reasons but I didn't find it great to read.
The other characters are okay but if I'm being honest they aren't worthy of most of Birmingham's great characters from other books. The plot is good and there are twists and turns which do keep one interested and the pacing, after the first third of the book, is good.
I reiterate, this is a good book and I am glad that I read it. The fault here is probably mine in that I hoped it would be better and that my expectations for a Birmingham book were probably just a bit too high.
June 1, 2022
Unexpected
I always love when I read a book and in my brain I am feeling, "Dang. Well this is predictable." only to be proven wrong. 👅 That is precisely what this book did to me with its title and reading a good portion of it. I won't spoil it for you but I will say this: there is a much deeper story than the title of the book leads you to believe. 👍
Personal character trait I enjoyed from this book was the author showing the moral dilemmas, conflicts, and battle of emotions of the main character. As he "morphed" throughout the book in many ways, his inner soul of who he was he fought to keep the same.
I always love when I read a book and in my brain I am feeling, "Dang. Well this is predictable." only to be proven wrong. 👅 That is precisely what this book did to me with its title and reading a good portion of it. I won't spoil it for you but I will say this: there is a much deeper story than the title of the book leads you to believe. 👍
Personal character trait I enjoyed from this book was the author showing the moral dilemmas, conflicts, and battle of emotions of the main character. As he "morphed" throughout the book in many ways, his inner soul of who he was he fought to keep the same.
April 3, 2023
I've been listening to a few John Birmingham novels as audible freebies whilst I await my monthly credits. This was clumsy, boring and fairly poorly written. I nearly gave up multiple times and it did nothing for me in listening to the end. On the other hand it was fairly innocuous and started out fairly decently.
I think I may need to increase my audible monthly credits up from 2 if the quality of the freebies is this sort of level.
I think I may need to increase my audible monthly credits up from 2 if the quality of the freebies is this sort of level.
March 10, 2024
a rip roaring page turner
I thoroughly enjoyed John Birmingham’s Sleeper Agent, a thriller set in the US starts with a bang and takes you on a ride to and from the villain’s lairs. Not a hard read but a fun one.
Mr Birmingham, could you please revise a couple of discontinuities? Cooper can’t ride in cars or buses but gets in the coach’s pick up at the start, and towards the end is ‘unarmed’ but a second before shoots four people, and a second later aims the same gun.
I thoroughly enjoyed John Birmingham’s Sleeper Agent, a thriller set in the US starts with a bang and takes you on a ride to and from the villain’s lairs. Not a hard read but a fun one.
Mr Birmingham, could you please revise a couple of discontinuities? Cooper can’t ride in cars or buses but gets in the coach’s pick up at the start, and towards the end is ‘unarmed’ but a second before shoots four people, and a second later aims the same gun.
September 12, 2024
Anxiety, anxiousness!
This had me on the edge way too much. It felt exactly like a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) cycling program one minute your heart rate is over the roof the next minute everything is calm and the cycle continues in perpetuity.
Well written story line, I was proud that the direction was not predictable even though it did not go according to my preferences. But it was exceptional.
There will be a sequel yes and I can't wait.
This had me on the edge way too much. It felt exactly like a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) cycling program one minute your heart rate is over the roof the next minute everything is calm and the cycle continues in perpetuity.
Well written story line, I was proud that the direction was not predictable even though it did not go according to my preferences. But it was exceptional.
There will be a sequel yes and I can't wait.
May 12, 2025
SPOILERS: None.
PROS: Intriguing storyline, certain to keep reader’s interest piqued. The rock solid bond between the two main characters, Cooper & Mary is admirable and feels real.
The Audible narrator shows his versatility in that he does a great job of creating unique voices for the multitude of characters.
CONS: Toward the very end, the suspense drags on much too long; then, when the end is reached, it’s unexpected, but not in a good way; thus, the 3️⃣ out of 5️⃣ stars.
PROS: Intriguing storyline, certain to keep reader’s interest piqued. The rock solid bond between the two main characters, Cooper & Mary is admirable and feels real.
The Audible narrator shows his versatility in that he does a great job of creating unique voices for the multitude of characters.
CONS: Toward the very end, the suspense drags on much too long; then, when the end is reached, it’s unexpected, but not in a good way; thus, the 3️⃣ out of 5️⃣ stars.
February 14, 2022
My expectations were quite high for this book having made my way through another John Birmingham series last year. This felt like a set up for another series in some ways. It took a while to get going and there was a lot missing. I liked it but not as much as the previous reads. I will stick with his stuff though and will probably read more. Well done on another reliable story.
March 24, 2024
Used to be good
I feel like JB has strayed. Into pulp. His books and stories used to be engaging. Clever and creative. Deep and incisive. Full of intriguing ideas and concepts.
Now........... Pulp trashy short stories without substance. If there's a sequel I'm not looking forward to it.
Sorry JB this is not your best.
I feel like JB has strayed. Into pulp. His books and stories used to be engaging. Clever and creative. Deep and incisive. Full of intriguing ideas and concepts.
Now........... Pulp trashy short stories without substance. If there's a sequel I'm not looking forward to it.
Sorry JB this is not your best.
May 24, 2024
So I started this book around 10:30pm and finished the following afternoon. Talk about a page turner
Complicated but relatable characters. Interesting and exciting plot. Just fun to read. I suspect that there will be future additions to the protagonist's story but a novel that was complete in itself.
Complicated but relatable characters. Interesting and exciting plot. Just fun to read. I suspect that there will be future additions to the protagonist's story but a novel that was complete in itself.
July 4, 2024
Could have been a 3 but the non-ending kind of ruined it for me.
Implausible maybe - yet clever idea for a book. However, many of the characters felt more like caricatures than real people. This felt like more of a fleshed out ouline of a novel. That being said I did listen all the way to the end ... well the non-end.
Implausible maybe - yet clever idea for a book. However, many of the characters felt more like caricatures than real people. This felt like more of a fleshed out ouline of a novel. That being said I did listen all the way to the end ... well the non-end.
November 18, 2025
An okay story with a bit of a wild turn with the reveal of the underlying mystery. Checked this out mainly as a fan of Dan Bittner's narration, but I can say that John Birmingham is a pretty decent and capable writer for this type of story. Doesn't matter if it's a bit predictable, all in all just a fun listen.
October 2, 2021
It’s a much simpler story than what John usually tells but still quite enjoyable. It felt a bit like a young adult novel. It’ll be interesting to see if John makes this into a series too; it has the potential.
October 24, 2021
Cooper lives in a small town with no memory of his life before the car accident that left him with a brain injury. He has a job and girlfriend. It becomes apparent he has a complicated past. Disappointing and unbelievable compared to the excellent 'End of days' trilogy.
February 10, 2023
It was an interesting book except there wasn’t an ending ?
It seems as though there needs to be a second book. I had high hopes for this book but it was a huge lead up to pretty much not have an actual ending ?
It seems as though there needs to be a second book. I had high hopes for this book but it was a huge lead up to pretty much not have an actual ending ?
April 1, 2024
super read!! hope there are more instalments.
As usual with JB, fast paced, gets you from the get go, it’s a style I like and i can’t wait (hope) that the story continues. Definitely need closure on Coops adventures.
As usual with JB, fast paced, gets you from the get go, it’s a style I like and i can’t wait (hope) that the story continues. Definitely need closure on Coops adventures.
October 31, 2024
I honestly thought this was an early work that was just re-published. Not really the best of Birmingham, no offense intended. It feels a little simple and the writing isn't up to what I think of as his quality. Easy read, and something you can knock out quickly. But only for completists, I'd say.
September 21, 2025
This was like a cosy Jason Bourne story with the lead character being a Cinnamon Roll Guy. It has all the sleeper agent elements, but I wasn't buying most of the storyline, which didn't seem very plausible to me.
November 13, 2021
Another ripping yarn, excellent narration.
Will there be a sequel????
Will there be a sequel????
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews