Book description
Englishman John Russell is a member of the foreign press corps in
Berlin and a first-hand witness to the brutal machinations of Hitler
and the Nazi party in the build-up to war during the early months of
1939. Unlike many of his colleagues, Russell wishes to remain in
Berlin for as long as possible to be close to Effi, his glamorous
actress girlfriend, and above all to Paul, his eleven-year-old son who
lives with his estranged German wife. When an old acquaintance turns
up at his lodging house, Russell's life begins to change. Gradually he
is persuaded by a combination of threats, financial need and appeals
to his conscience to become a spy first for the Soviet Union and then,
simultaneously, for the British. The grimness, the constant fear and
the skin-deep glitter of pre-war Berlin alleviated by atmospheric
excursions to Prague, Danzig, London and the Baltic seashore form a
rich backdrop as Russell, a reluctant hero and saviour for some,
treads along ever narrowing lines between the Russians, the British
and the Gestapo.
David Downing is the author of several works of fiction and
non-fiction. His first novel in the 'John Russell and Effi Koenen'
series, Zoo Station, was published by Old Street in 2007, followed by
Silesian Station in 2008, Stettin Station in 2009 and Potsdam Station in
2010. He lives in Surrey with his wife and two cats.
