Everything Ted Bell’s ever written has ended up on the New York Times bestsellers list. His Alexander Hawke series is beloved by many and, as we first reported back in July of 2016, Lord Hawke is coming to the big screen after Paramount purchased the rights to Bell’s novels. And while Bell’s thrillers are available in all major formats, fans have noticed that, rather oddly, the first book in the series isn’t available on audiobook.
With audiobook sales on the rise over the past few years, many have wondered why Hawke has never been available. More importantly, dozens have written us to find out when, or if at all, it might be released in the future. Good news–we finally have an answer.
The Real Book Spy has just learned exclusively that actor John Shea–who has narrated all of Bell’s novels to date–has inked a deal with Brilliance Audio to go back into the studio and record the unexpurgated version of Ted Bell’s Hawke. But wait, there’s more!
In addition to Hawke, Shea will record a compendium of three Hawke novellas: White Death, What Comes Around, and Crash Dive. Speaking with us just yesterday, Ted Bell said that he’s “always been disappointed that the seminal entry in the series had only received a cursory edited version for fans,” and that he’s “happy to see the novellas available on audio.”
We’re happy too, Mr. Bell. As Hawke fans everywhere suddenly rejoice, don’t forget that next year, Overkill, the highly-anticipated new novel from Ted Bell, is scheduled to finally hit bookstores everywhere. For more on what to expect in Hawke’s tenth adventure, read our 2016 interview with Hawke’s creator for some juicy details.
While we don’t have a pre-order link or release date for the Hawke audiobook yet, we’ll update this article as soon as that information is available!