Stettin Station by David Downing
I read a good review of this book somewhere and requested it at the library, not realizing it was part of a series. Since events that happened in the earlier books impact what happens in this one, it would probably be a good idea to start at the beginning with Zoo Station. But even so, I enjoyed this book.
John Russell is an Anglo-American journalist living in Berlin in 1941. He has a German son (who's very pro-Nazi), a German girlfriend (Effi, an actress who, like him, is very anti-Nazi), and a very complicated life.
Everyone in Germany seems to think America will be entering the war soon, which will force John to leave the country--and he wants to take his son and girlfriend with him, He is also involved in some light "spy" work for both the American consulate and a German admiral, which is causing untold problems for him--one of which leads to him and Effi fleeing the city one night, one step ahead of the Gestapo.
You do get a good feel for life in Berlin during the war and how anxious everyone is all the time--waiting for the bombs to fall, the Gestapo to come pounding on your door. And you get a good sense of John's dismay when he realizes what is really happening to the Jews of Berlin, a story he wants to tell the world, once he gets away from the German censors.
I will warn you that the book ends very abruptly, clearly signalling a sequel. But I still thought it was a good story. This series is reminiscent of the excellent Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr
John Russell is an Anglo-American journalist living in Berlin in 1941. He has a German son (who's very pro-Nazi), a German girlfriend (Effi, an actress who, like him, is very anti-Nazi), and a very complicated life.
Everyone in Germany seems to think America will be entering the war soon, which will force John to leave the country--and he wants to take his son and girlfriend with him, He is also involved in some light "spy" work for both the American consulate and a German admiral, which is causing untold problems for him--one of which leads to him and Effi fleeing the city one night, one step ahead of the Gestapo.
You do get a good feel for life in Berlin during the war and how anxious everyone is all the time--waiting for the bombs to fall, the Gestapo to come pounding on your door. And you get a good sense of John's dismay when he realizes what is really happening to the Jews of Berlin, a story he wants to tell the world, once he gets away from the German censors.
I will warn you that the book ends very abruptly, clearly signalling a sequel. But I still thought it was a good story. This series is reminiscent of the excellent Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr
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