Then We Take Berlin
Then We Take Berlin by John Lawton, published by Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated on November 11, 2014, is a historical thriller that spans the tumultuous years following World War II. This edition, comprising 432 pages, follows Joe Wilderness, a World War II orphan who finds himself drafted into the Royal Air Force. Tasked by MI6 to interrogate ex-Nazis in occupied Berlin, Wilderness navigates a world of espionage, crime, and moral ambiguity, all while forming complex relationships with characters like Frank, a US Army captain, and Nell Breakheart, a German girl with a troubled past.
Readers will discover a richly detailed narrative that explores themes of loyalty, survival, and the consequences of war. As Wilderness transitions from a life of petty crime to one of international intrigue, the story delves into the black market operations of post-war Berlin and the shifting dynamics of power. The plot unfolds over fifteen years, culminating in a new scheme that involves smuggling people rather than goods. Lawton’s meticulous research and vivid storytelling provide a compelling backdrop to the personal and political challenges faced by the characters during this pivotal era in history.
Official synopsis Publisher
Joe Wilderness is a World War II orphan, a condition that he thinks excuses him from common morality. Cat burglar, card sharp, and Cockney wide boy, the last thing he wants is to get drafted. But in 1946 he finds himself in the Royal Air Force, facing a stretch in military prison . . . when along comes Lt Colonel Burne-Jones to tell him MI6 has better use for his talents.
Posted to occupied Berlin, interrogating ex-Nazis, and burgling the odd apartment for MI6, Wilderness finds himself with time on his hands and the devil making work. He falls in with Frank, a US Army captain, with Eddie, a British artilleryman and with Yuri, a major in the NKVD and together they lift the black market scam to a new level. Coffee never tasted so sweet. And he falls for Nell Breakheart, a German girl who has witnessed the worst that Germany could do and is driven by all the scruples that Wilderness lacks.
Fifteen years later, June 1963. Wilderness is free-lance and down on his luck. A gumshoe scraping by on divorce cases. Frank is a big shot on Madison Avenue, cooking up one last Berlin scam . . . for which he needs Wilderness once more. Only now they’re not smuggling coffee, they’re smuggling people. And Nell? Nell is on the staff of West Berlin’s mayor Willy Brandt, planning for the state visit of the most powerful man in the world: “Ich bin ein Berliner!”
Then We Take Berlin is a gripping, meticulously researched and richly detailed historical thriller – a moving story of espionage and war, and people caught up in the most tumultuous events of the twenty-first century.
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