The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat

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The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat

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Now that the Watergate scandal source, Deep Throat, has decided to step forward (or at least Mark Felt's family has), this audiobook serves as the final chapter of the saga Woodward and Carl Bernstein began with All the President's Men. Boyd Gaines has a tough job as reader. Retelling a tale that was so memorably and, as it turns out, accurately portrayed by Robert Redford and Hal Holbrook on film is a daunting task. But Gaines rises to the occasion with aplomb. His rendition of Woodward is authoritative yet humble and delivered with a confident crispness. His take on Felt's voice is also strong, and it is interesting to hear Felt's digression into the less complimentary mannerisms of old age. Gaines's version of the older, forgetful Felt sounds a bit like his Richard Nixon, with a pinch of John Wayne thrown in the mix. Overall, The Secret Man is a historically informative and enjoyable listening experience that also speaks to the current issue of journalism and the protection of sources. –- From Publishers Weekly

There's plenty of fascinating Deep Throat trivia in this audiobook–for example, at one point, Nixon sends a congratulatory bottle of champagne to ex-FBI agent Mark Felt, unaware that he is the man who brought down the presidency. But what keeps the listener riveted to this story is not the unmasking of an informer–it's the transformation of two men in a father-son-style relationship. Boyd Gaines's narration is particularly sensitive to this element, adding poignancy to Felt's deterioration and Woodward's reflections on his own aging. If ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN was a book about youth and the quest for truth, then Woodward's new book is, as he bills it, the antithesis-a story about aging and the quest for meaning. –- From AudioFile