Ръкописът на Шопен

Harold Middleton #1

by Jeffery Deaver, Джефри Дивър, Елена Чизмарова (Translator)

Бившият следовател по военнопрестъпления Харолд Мидълтън притежава неизвестен ръкопис на Фредерик Шопен. Той обаче не подозира, че сред написаните на ръка ноти се крие тайна, която би застрашила живота на хиляди американци. Докато препуска от Полша до Америка, за да разгадае тайната на ръкописа, Мидълтън е обвинен в убийство, преследван от федерални агенти и наемни убийци. Но най-голямата заплаха ще дойде от загадъчна личност от миналото му — мъж, известен като Фауст. „Ръкописът на Шопен“ е уникален колективен проект на 15 от най-известните автори на трилъри. Джефри Дивър замисля героите и дава ход на фабулата, а всеки от останалите автори пише по една глава, след което Дивър довършва започнатото до експлозивната кулминация.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Crime, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

203 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

#1 international bestselling author of over thirty novels and three collections of short stories. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He's received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under the auspices of a new form of writing project, the International Thriller Writers (ITW) worked to create an audiobook story with many top-name contributors. Led by the opening and closing chapters by Jeffrey Deaver, these ITW members created quite the story that mixes history, action, and a mystery that spans the globe. After working on international criminal tribunals in the Balkans, Harold Middleton is trying to make his way back to D.C. He’s stopped in Warsaw, but not because of the manuscript he has in his carryon. It would appear that a group with whom he was seen speaking died hours later. Middleton is baffled, but wonders if it might have something to do with the aforementioned manuscript. Middleton discovered this presumed lost Chopin piece while in Kosovo, but he is unsure of its authenticity. He wishes to look deeper, as it might be a Nazi relic used to communicate. When he is freed by Polish authorities and makes his way to Washington, another clash occurs and two policemen are left dead. Now, Middleton is sure that someone is seeking to find him and take possession of this manuscript, with nefarious intentions. He presumes it could be the infamous Faust, a man Middleton encountered while working in the Baltic region. When others close to Middleton are targeted, he can only presume that there is something within this Chopin manuscript that is more valuable than simply the notes, though he is still unsure what he has in his possession. He’ll need to act fast if he wants to protect those closest to him, as well as the larger population, from a madman’s plans. An interesting collaborative effort that allows the reader to see many writing styles bound together. Recommended to those who like collaborative efforts of this nature and fans of international mysteries.

I know I read this piece years ago, likely when it was newly released on Audible, but I could not remember much of it. With three instalments to the series, I thought I ought to return and read it, while also appending a review for others to see. The story is quite well developed and the constant character advancement leaves the reader fully involved in the process. Harold Middleton is quite the character, having been through a great deal over the years. He is not part of the formal police authorities, though his attention to detail and drive to solve the case gives the reader an interesting flavour for his sleuthing abilities, as seen through the eyes of fifteen authors. Others in the story work through some of the interesting thriller themes of the time (Balkan terrorism and fallout from the regional wars) and provide the reader with something interesting to enjoy. Succinct development within each chapter is essential before the author hands it off to another to further build on an aspect or leave it to wilt. The story was good for a collaborative effort of this size. The reader who can comprehend how hard it is to intertwine so many writing styles into a single piece will not be as judgmental with the final product. That said, the overall effort is one that has me rushing to get my hands on the sequel, written in the same style.

Kudos, Mr. Deaver et al., for completing this unique writing assignment and offering it up to readers. I have always loved the challenge the ITW pushes on its members to work outside their comforts to appease the reading public.

This book fulfils Topic #1: More Cow Bell in the Equinox #8 Reading Challenge.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book written by 15 different authors each contributing a chapter.
An interesting concept but did it work?
The book, for me, was like a collection of short stories all held together by a common thread. I found all the different writing styles a bit confusing. Each author was given free rein to take their chapter anywhere they wanted. The last two chapters were written by Jeffery Deaver and it was his job to bring the whole thing together, and he did it well I have to say.
For me there was just too much going on. Too many Red Herrings and too many twists and turns.
I can't say that I didn't enjoy it but it is not a book that I will want to revisit at a later date.

A good read but alas it fell short of the mark for me.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun! Fifteen different authors each writing a single chapter (Jeffrey Deaver wrote two - first and last), with no idea how the story was to proceed. That means they took what was written, built upon it, then passed it on to the next.

One of the most fascinating things about this project was the vast differences between the authors, in tone, writing style, and direction. At the end of the book, there's a great interview with several of the authors explaining the process and their thoughts.

I'll definitely be reading/listening to the rest of these books!

[Yigal Zur · Rating 4 out of 5]

review done on my 5th day of self isolation coming back from Cuba back to Israel.
interesting. first to have around 15 different writers to sit and create a book and follow one plot. quite amazing. because it sometimes looked like each one looked into it as an experiment of what part of the plot was not searched and brought a new and fresh angel i can not say it is brilliant but it was fun even there were time i said ahh a bit too much or hard to swallow but still interesting. i admire the ability of all these writers to cooperate together. only this deserve 5".

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a unique and amazing idea. I only heard about this originally through a posting on Jeffery Deaver's web site. I was so excited to see a collection of top mystery writers contribute to this story in weekly increments. Since I didn't have an audible subscription I was sadly left out. About a year later it came to CD and I was elated to get the chance to give this a read.

The plot of this serial thriller is that a Chopin manuscript is found and there is a question as to the integrity of the document. Since this never existed it could be a priceless find if it is real. Harold Middelton is asked to verify if the document is the real thing of a very good fake. In the process murder, kidnapping, terrorist plots, and more ensue. I don't feel I can really do this review justice because I wouldn't want to ruin even the smallest detail for future readers.

I must give credit to the many authors who wrote each chapter. They all have their own style and it shows in each chapter. However, they all were able to write one story that was coherent. I can only imagine what each author must have thought when beginning the write their chapter. Each one flowed flawlessly and felt as if one person wrote the whole thing. I highly recommend this to any mystery fan. Even after a second read I still think this is worthy of five stars.

[Grumpus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audio download from [www.audible.com].

Narrated by: Alfred Molina

I loved the concept of this for "audio only" book that was developed by Audible.com. There were 15 writers each writing a chapter without knowing how the project will end. Jeffrey Deaver wrote the first chapter to start it off as well as the last two to bring it all together. I was very pleased the way all the details were wrapped up in a cogent manner. I have to admit, based on this one chapter per author concept, I didn't think it would have all come together so well in the end. It was a pleasant surprise.

The book was initially meted out to buyers a few chapters at a time over a period of weeks. I have mixed feelings about that form of distribution. I understand the idea of having cliff hangers like old-time radio and the business behind having users visit the website frequently to get their updates but times have changed to a more instant gratification world. I was listening to one book and reading another and could not keep with the flow of the book in this piecemeal fashion. So I waited until all the chapters were available and then listened from start to finish. That worked best for me. Now as all chapters are available for immediate download, others won’t have that factor interfering with their enjoyment of this book.

I'm not a big fiction reader but I thought this thriller was very well done. The first few chapters are a little slow as I could sense those early writers were hesitant about the direction they wanted to take the story. The later writers did an excellent job in creating the thrill with Deaver tying it up in the end.

[Sean Wylie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird concept where each of about a dozen writers write 1 chapter of the book. At the half way point and there are WAY too many story lines. Basically 6 different 1st chapters. Hope the next authors are amazing at bringing them together. Otherwise this will be a FAIL

Well got to the end and it was OK. IT was Jeffery Deaver idea and therefore he wrote the first and last chapters. Well the other writers got so deep into sub-plots that Jeffery had to write 2 final chapters and was forced to accelerated the plot dramatically. Frankly the plot was interesting, but involving the other writers was a mistake. So much happened in the last 2 chapters I feel like almost the entire story was told there, with the proceeding 13 chapters being only character development. Also as you might expect with so many writers, there were ridiculously sudden shifts in plot that were then poorly expanded on in succeeding chapters. Many of the side characters introduced by the other authors were subsequently forced back into the story in strange places or just killed for no reason to get them out of the way. Overall poor collaboration on a plot that could have been much more interesting.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just listened to this as an e-book read excellently by Alfred Molina. I'm not a Jeffrey Deaver fan but I was intriqued due to the concept of the story beginning/end being written bt Jeffrey Deaver and each chapter in between written by another well known mystery/crime writer (eg. Lee child, Lisa Scottoline). The story plot seemed interesting at first ( a war crimes investigator chasing down a famous music manuscript which had been hidden by the Nazi's and re-emerged in modern day Kosovo. It supposedly has some secret code embedded that terrorists are trying to get their hands upon. The story line quickly unravels as all sorts of new characters are introduced and the things get confused as to who is doing what to whom and people are killed off left and right. The story ending is totally bizzare and unbelieveable and appartly the result of trying to tie together too many loose ends.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Book

The premise for this book created a two-level thriller. First, award-winning writer Jeffrey Deaver wrote the first chapter of an international thriller, challenged 14 colleagues to continue the story a chapter at a time, and assumed the ultimate challenge himself of tying up all the loose ends in the final chapters. The complicated plot (details in the product description) winds around the globe with munificent mayhem and bountiful betrayals before settling in the Baltimore-Washington area. Second, a major part of the thrill was to watch each author devise plot complications for later authors to unravel and to see how the later authors handled the material presented to them.

There are advantages and disadvantages to this collaborative approach. Not knowing how the later parts of the story will develop, neither the author of a chapter nor the listener/reader knows which new concept will become a main linchpin of the story and which will not be followed up at all. A listener/reader faces this type of challenge even in normal thrillers, but in a normal story conventions of good writing keep complete red herrings down to a more reasonable number. It can be fun and frustrating at the same time. In The Chopin Manuscript, lead author Jeffrey Deaver did a marvelous job of tying up loose ends masterfully, given the many strange and sometimes unlikely turns of the plot. There were several plot elements that were outstanding in my mind as lacking in credibility until Deaver explained them in the denouement.

As international thrillers go, the plot was probably not significantly more complicated or unlikely than the norm, and some of the characters were engaging,, such as the nineteen-year-old Polish violinist who is swept from being a street musician in Rome to being abducted internationally as part of an apparent terrorist plot.

If, as I did, you hoped this book would introduce you to some new authors whose work you might like to try later, you will probably not have that goal satisfied. For the most part the chapters were not really long enough to give you a good sense of the author's style, with a few exceptions such as the author whose lovingly portrayed scene of mayhem in the Dulles airport clearly told me what kind of writer HE is or Lisa Scottoline's chapter, which, at the other extreme, focused on the personal reaction of a young woman who sees all her plans for her future life being destroyed through no involvement of her own.

For the most part, although there were differences in style, the writing was compatible enough to flow fairly well, but there were some jarring dissonances, most notably to me two authors' tendency to have all the characters use profanity profusely. Some people talk that way, but if they do, it is consistent, and to have a character say “f---” multiple times in one chapter and not at all for a number of chapters after is disruptive.

The Audio Production

The reader did a good job with expression and with the many accents of the international cast of characters. He mispronounced a few words, and in this case I do not believe they were “britishisms”. Which brings up another issue: WHY was the narrator British? All of the authors with whom I was familiar are American, as was the protagonist. There were no British characters. A British voice is neither as neutral or as easy to comprehend as an American one for American listeners, and in this case I think it was not the best choice. Good reader, but not for this work.

My reaction to the technical aspects of the audio was mixed. There were unobtrusive but effective musical interludes to show the transition from one scene to another, in place of the space between paragraphs that normally fill that role in print. On the other hand, there were several places where the break between CDs could have been much better chosen, e.g., so that a chapter or a scene would begin at the beginning of a CD. The endings seemed very arbitrary, although there clearly was a lot of leeway---the last CD was only 44 minutes long, whereas some of the others were more than 70 minutes long. There was plenty of room to move things around.

Finally, since this was a collaborative effort, it is natural for the listener to want to know which author did which sections. At a list price of $29.95 I would expect at minimum a package insert or listing on the package of a Table of Contents with the authors listed next to their chapters.

Despite its flaws, this audio book is entertaining and engrossing enough to make a long car trip seem much shorter, and that makes it worth your consideration

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally had an opportunity to settle down and listen to THE CHOPIN MANUSCRIPT without interruption. The concept of having fifteen different writers collaborate on the creation of a single book is certainly an unconventional and unique undertaking. I personally would judge the results as a qualified success. There are so many twists and turns in the story, some relevant and some questionable, and so many different characters and story lines to follow (each author creates his/her own story within a story adding new individuals and taking the story in yet another direction) that one truly has to concentrate and pay attention. Some of these twists are relevant and exciting, adding to the development of the total picture while others appear wander aimlessly not contributing much to the main storyline but instead painting their own little cartoon drawing in the corner of the canvas.

Chapter one introduces us to Harold Middleton, a former war crimes investigator who has come into possession of a previously undiscovered musical manuscript by Frederic Chopin (which may or may not be authentic). From there we are led from Poland to the USA, joining the protagonist as he threads his way through a maze of murders and narrow escapes, pursued and targeted by assassins and federal agents, reconnecting with members of his old investigative team, unraveling secret codes, and ultimately confronting his nemesis and past adversary, a threatening presence named Faust.

Alfred Molina's presentation was magnificent and added just the right inflection and tone to the tale while Jeffery Deaver did a job that was nothing short of miraculous in tying together all the divergent threads and bringing the story to a believable and thundering conclusion. My recommendation: Save this offering for a road trip where you can devote six hours of uninterrupted listening. It will definitely make the story more cohesive in your mind and you will be so busy listening that the miles will just fly by.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, with 14 of its chapters written by 14 different authors without a predetermined plot, was an interesting attempt to do something new (newish?) and fun, but the result wasn't really up to the standards of a book worth buying. The book suffered from being 95% action and 5% character, not surprising since who wants to be the author that doesn't actually move the story forward. That wasn't the only flaw, though. Authors were not always careful in their reading of what came before, and details changed frequently. One female character went from being not all that much to look out and nicknamed Buttercup by her lover in one chapter to a woman who could be hot when she wanted and insisted on being called by her initials because it made her less girly in the another. The twists were constant, and started to get old, and the happy ending was too trite for my taste. And the chapter introductions? So dramatic I could barely take the book seriously from the outset. Some producer at Audible had a little too much fun with this book.

[Kristie Rue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is extraordinary in that each chapter is written by a different author - excepting the first and last chapters which were written by Jeffery Deavers. The musical aspects which were worked into the book made it somewhat more appealing for musician's. It was an action packed thriller - too violent for my taste. My husband and I listened to an Audible recording during recent travels. In as much as he has a great appreciation for the action packed/thriller genre.

[C. Scott Kippen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, not great. An interesting read/listen in that it is a serial novel written by 15 authors. It kept me going, but the plot development ultimately fails in the end. The lack of a lead plotter and each writer just following the previous author made the denouement for this novel to be to quick and too neat. It just felt ended as opposed to working its way there.

[Emanuela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un'idea originale, quella di far scrivere ogni capitolo ad uno scrittore diverso, il prodotto è una storia di piacevole lettura, ben congegnata ed avvincente. Le varie parti si intrecciano bene e le diverse mani si avvertono soltanto nel ritmo narrativo, che a tratti rallenta un pochino la lettura. I personaggi sono tanti ed a volte ho faticato a ricollocarli all'interno della narrazione, sono però tutti ben descritti, anche se presenti in poche pagine. Un esperimento carino che mi ha dato modo di conoscere "thrilleristi" di cui ignoravo l'esistenza.

[Patrizia (Pat72) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro che vede coinvolte le menti di quattordici scrittori di thriller...
tutto parte dall'ideatore, Jeffery Deaver che da il la a questo libro che racconta la storia di un uomo, un ex investigatore di crimini di guerra, che entra in possesso di un manoscritto di Chopin.
Attorno a questo manoscritto si svolgono tutti gli eventi che coinvolgono tantissime persone a vario titolo, con risvolti spesso inaspettati, alcuni eventi inizialmente incomprensibili, diventano chiari in seguito con lo svolgersi del libro.
Non sembra di passare da una mano all'altra. Il libro risulta fluido alla lettura.
Un esperimento decisamente riuscito, probabilmente dovuto alla bravura degli autori, molti dei quali per me fino a oggi sconosciuti.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'idea è buona, ma non si è realizzata completamente. Trama un filino troppo complicata, che solo uno come Deaver riuscirebbe a gestirla al meglio, e in effetti i suoi capitoli spiccano sugli altri. Lettura comunque piacevole.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although fifteen different authors wrote chapters for this book, the plot appeared to be seamless. It was easy to keep track of the characters and I enjoyed all the twists and turns that led to a satisfying conclusion. The narration of the audiobook was great.

[Betty Stoneking · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you jeff deaver you will likee it.

[Dave Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bunch of different writers doing a chapter, each continuing where the last author left off, really didn’t work. Very annoying going from one style of writing to another every 20 minutes.

Overall story, not surprisingly, was not cohesive.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

You don't say.

[Alec · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been excited about the concept of this book since I first found out about it. It is a novel written by 15 different authors as a sort of group project like we used to do in school, one author writing the opening paragraph (in this case chapter) then passing it along to the next in line to add their bit until it circled back around to the first author to tie things off. Having read the result, this remains one of the intriguing facets of the book and its follow-up. Due to the nature of the collaboration, the need to set things up (or tie them off) meant there were some heavy handed bits, things that a single author would have softened, incorporated differently, or perhaps not included at all. I'm also certain a single author wouldn't necessarily have been as bold across a single book as this ended up being, such are the costs and benefits of the collaboration.

As far as the actual novel itself is concerned, it was entertaining enough and impossible to predict (at least for me). The story spanned four different continents, a handful of primary characters, and ties to Central European ethnic cleansing, the mob, and secret US intelligence agencies. There was a lot to digest and a lot to keep track of, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. The main protagonist, Harold Middleton, was an interesting character, with a believable enough past and a unique set of skills. In my opinion, it made him the driving force of the novel and made the parts which focused on other characters not quite as compelling.

The thing I keep coming back to is the thing that started it all. Would I recommend this book strictly based on the book itself? Probably not. If you're a fan of thrillers and want to peer behind the curtain a bit to see how the process works, then I would definitely recommend it. One additional thing in its favor, the audio production of the book is excellent. If you can find an audio copy, I'd definitely check it out.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chopin Manuscript is a fascinating project: fifteen thriller authors collaborate on a novel, with each one writing a chapter after the last. Originally released as a serialized audiobook, narrated by Alfred Molina, The Chopin Manuscript centers on the discovery of highly valuable-- but possibly fake-- music manuscripts in Eastern Europe. The plot was engaging and well developed, with enough interesting characters to make me invested in the action.

A few reviewers complain that the story doesn't really cohere or unify. I disagree. Granted, each chapter is little different, and each author's voice and interpretation is unique, but that should be expected. It would be absurd to expect a project of this sort to have a seamless unity of tone. Don't put a live Grateful Dead jam on the record player and get critical when it isn't Dark Side of the Moon. If listening to the Audible audiobook, stick around for the interviews afterwards, which reveal what a pleasure it was for the authors. For this reader, it was a pleasure as well.

[Сибин Майналовски · Rating 2 out of 5]

Зле. Франкенщайново чудовище от кофти съшити парчета оригиналничене. Дори 39-те ключа са по-интересни. Развръзката също смуче. Похабено време.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to assume this was more fun to write than it was to listen to. Two-thirds of the way in, I was still trying to make sense of it all, starting to hate all the characters and just waiting for another one to die in a spray of gunfire. It felt like all the men were terrible, and all the women merely props, depending on what chapter I was in! What bothered me most was the constant lack of agency on the part of the "good guys," as they were constantly one step behind and being led around by the nose. Maybe thriller just isn't my genre.
I had trouble telling the characters apart in the audio version, probably because the narrator doesn't do voices beyond "foreign accent" and "no foreign accent."

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. An interesting idea - not only is this a "serial", but also each chapter is written by a different author. It's hard to make this 4 stars as not every chapter packs the same punch, and poor Jeffrey Deaver is left with trying to tie it all together in the last chapters. I'll admit that I lost track of the names of all the "bad guys" and I think the authors did too. Make sure you listen to the interviews with some of the authors at the end of the book. Overall, it was an entertaining audiobook, and certainly kept me company on long drives.

[amgirl01 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zajímavý počin, kdy Jeffery Deaver napsal první a poslední dvě kapitoly, zatímco ty ostatní sepsalo 14 jiných autorů detektivek. Lehce jiné styly kapitol dodaly knize hezkou rozmanitost a dokonce i množství zvratů bylo únosné :). S těma to mám pocit Deaver poslední dobou krapet už přehání :).

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

An action packed thriller with different authors writing each chapter.
A great "progressive story".
I read it as part of a two story book called the "Watch list"

[Jannelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites

[Mad · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5*

[Jota Houses · Rating 1 out of 5]

Leyendo la página de Alferd Molina (Doc Oc) en la wikipedia, descubrí que además de ser un británico de ascendencia hispano-italiana, había narrado un audiolibro escrito a modo de cadaver exquisito por 15 escritores de thriller. Un capítulo cada uno.
Escuchar a Molina es un placer aunque no tanto como pillar un audiolibro con Stephen Fry. Es distante y poco expresivo. Tampoco ayuda que le libro sea (como se podía esperar) como ver un choque de trenes a cámara lenta. Los pequeños desastres se acumulan hasta el precipicio final. Al principio, cada nuevo escritor va añadiendo personajes, intentando sumar a lo que hicieron los anteriores sin tener que desarrollar la trama. Después, cuando decidierón que no podían ya meter mas, los personajes se van cayendo y olvidando o desarrollando en caminos completamente desquiciados en una serie de plot twists que no es que termine por girar 360º , es que despues sigue dando vueltas en un carrusel de intrigas anidadas que despojan de sentido incluso al título. Traiciones, requetetraiciones y recontratraiciones en una trama criminal que no se sostiene ni resiste el más mínimo examen.
Hace quedar bien al mismisimo El código da Vinci.