Code Peking Duck

by Max Claro

West German pacifist Michael Müller ends up as a GI in the U.S. Army after a wild cross-country odyssey through America, the land of his dreams. Now Michael Miller, he’s a medic in Vietnam. Shaken by combat’s horrors, Miller decides to desert. Eluding the authorities halfway around the world, he returns to the United States. To avoid prison for desertion, Miller pledges to smuggle defectors and dissidents from hostile countries for the CIA. After thrilling operations in the Eastern Bloc and the Middle East, he faces the ultimate challenge: rescuing 141 German civilians from the chaos of revolutionary Iran.

360 pages, Paperback

Published July 4, 2024

Reviews

[Gianna ✧*:･ﾟ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book almost seems almost too incredible to be true! The book tells the real-life story of Max as a young German who, after dropping out of high school, finds himself on one incredible journey after another—from the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War to deserting and becoming a secret agent for both the CIA and the German Foreign Intelligence Service. The storytelling feels like a mix of Forrest Gump and an international thriller but without the innocent charm of Gump. Claro’s protagonist is sharp, witty, and ready to adapt to any challenge. This book is chaotic but tells the story of such an extraordinarily full life, rich with unusual twists and insights into the espionage world.

The humor in Code Peking Duck is sprinkled throughout, which makes the realities of his secret agent life easier to digest, and even quite funny at times. The story is unpredictable but true to life! If you love stories about espionage and the hidden parts of history, this book is a must-read. It’s an unforgettable adventure that shows how one person’s unusual choices connected with some of the most important moments of the late 20th century.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded down for a thrilling, true life story of a man who worked for the CIA and the West German government, bringing defectors and dissidents out of communist countries and Iran.
Max Claro/Michael Muller was born in West Germany and always wanted to see the United States. He saves up enough money to get to the US and is living in Los Angeles when he is recruited to join the US Army in 1971. He is a pacifist and therefore asks to be trained as a medic. Still, he is horrified by the deaths and wounded soldiers that he treats. He decides to desert and switches identity with a dead medic. He ends up on a medevac plane to Korea, where he deserts. He then switches identity again, stealing the ID and a plane ticket of a man taking a shower in a public bathing facility.
However, he doesn't want to go to prison, and turns himself in to the Army. His wild and improbable story is verified after several days. This is when the CIA recruits him. He accepts, since the alternative is prison.
The ensuing tales of difficult escapes are great reading and I strongly recommend it to fans of Cold War history. The translation was excellent.
Thank You Heller Publishing/Heller Verlag for sending me this book through LibraryThing.

[John Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For an interesting read about a Cold War agent for the CIA, try “Code Peking Duck” by Max Claro. The story follows the life of Michael Mueller from 1971 through 1979. The travels include traveling to the U.S., his enlistment and citizenship in the US Army during the Vietnam War, his recruitment by the CIA, and travel/missions in Europe and the Middle East. A well told story of this period of his life. I enjoyed the book. The book did a good job of telling the politics and events of the Cold War and the overthrow of the Shah of Iran.

This book reminded me of one my favorite books, “You’re Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger” by Roger Hall that I first read in 70’s and have reread several times. This book covered Roger Hall’s Office of Strategic Services experiences in WWII. While Code Peking Duck did not have as much humor, it did provide a good look at how the bureaucracy worked and the life of people in the 70’s.

[Scott Breslove · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as part of the Early Reviewer program on LibraryThing and Wow, this was very interesting. It is labeled as a novel that “is based on true events” but it reads more like a memoir. It really has me wondering what were the true events and what was fiction invented for the novel. Something makes me believe that it’s more true than the author is willing to admit, but that just could be due to the way it is written. Either way, it was fascinating and man, what a life Mr Müller led, fictionally or nonfictionally. Very well done!

[Andy Kö · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannend und beklemmend und leicht zu lesen, dank einer bildlichen Sprache