Operation Playboy cover art

Operation Playboy

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Operation Playboy

By: Kathryn Bonella
Narrated by: Joan Walker
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

From the acclaimed author of best sellers Hotel Kerobokan and Snowing in Bali.

Sex. Drugs. Danger. Death.

This is the adrenaline-pumping story of the world's most audacious drug runners and the police hunt, 'Operation Playboy', to track them down.

These drug-running playboys travel the globe: they ski in Europe, surf in Bali, hook up with celebrity models and live in five-star hotels. They are 24/7 party boys with brass balls, steely nerves and reckless ambitions. They pay for their high-risk, hedonistic lifestyle by trafficking cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana on international flights and through the world's biggest airports.

But to ride the wave you have to roll the dice. And in this game a bust means prison - or even a firing squad. A Brazilian cop is watching closely, determined to close the net. With a small team, he battles corrupt colleagues and bent judges to learn the secrets of the playboys and bring about their downfall.

Celebrated true-crime writer and journalist Kathryn Bonella has travelled the world to collect first-person testimony from an international network of mules and their bosses, as well as from the elite cops who are hot on their trail.

The result is a white-knuckle thriller - the true story of a manhunt code-named Operation Playboy.

©2018 Kathryn Bonella (P)2018 Macmillan Australia Audio
Organised Crime Exciting

What listeners say about Operation Playboy

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    47
  • 4 Stars
    24
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    38
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    45
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Odd narrator choice

Still enjoyable, but it takes a while to get used to the narrators accent which feels very far removed from the characters. Another great story after Snowing in Bali.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Poor choice of narrator.

Interesting story but very difficult to listen to. Narrator should be working with kids books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

where's george

we need another book surely there's more to tell george and andre updates are needed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Book Ordinary Narrator

Enjoyed the story but thought the narration was terrible. Joan was definitely the wrong choice

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

In what world

Does it make sense for a middle-aged British woman to narrate a book where 99% of the voices are of young Brazilian men?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

Narrator is pretty annoying but book is great continuing on with her other books! Yeh

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wrong Narrator

Sorry, story is great, but choice of narrator has not done this book any justice. Someone with vibrancy and perhaps a little naughtiness, even pull off the Portuguese accent or whoever the characters are. Joans flat monotone voice just didn’t do it for me, it just didn’t match the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book terrible reader

This dynamic thriller is spoiled by a reader who over acts every line putting emphasis in the wrong places. She makes every sentence sound like a cliche. I would love to hear it read by a Brazilian accent or by the writer herself. After enjoying Snowing in Bali I was disappointed not by the book but by the narrator. I'll buy the paper version!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

great story, narration could be better

great story of drug trafficing and the investigation around catching them. story is made from compilations of interviews from many involved. narration leaves a lot to be desired

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating story

I remember whatching it unfold in the Brazilian news, back in the day, and this book was a nice and entertaining way to travel back in time and have a fresh view of the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.