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Cold Protocol
Berlin, Christmas 1979. The Wall cuts through the city like a scar. On one side, the glare of neon; on the other, the darkness of control. When a covert mission falters, two Americans find themselves hunted through the snow by a Soviet armoured carrier. At the border, a single decision by a Soviet adviser alters the course of events and threatens to turn the Cold War hot. It is a story of espionage, loyalty and betrayal, written by a man who lived through the very world he describes.
260 pages, Hardcover
Published March 31, 2026
About the author
David Bickford
5 books24 followersDavid Bickford CB is a former Legal Director to MI5 and MI6 and author of Cold War espionage thrillers including the Katya series and the forthcoming Cold Protocol.
Drawing on decades inside intelligence and government, his fiction explores surveillance, state power and the hidden mechanics of espionage.
Drawing on decades inside intelligence and government, his fiction explores surveillance, state power and the hidden mechanics of espionage.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC received from the author for unbiased review March 2026
Well I have to say, that I thoroughly enjoyed this. Once i got into the book, I found it exceedingly difficult to turn the light off at night, much to my wife’s irritation.
With regards the book I found it brilliantly written and zips along at a fair old pace, keeping me fully engrossed in what was going to happen next. Set during the Cold War days before the fall of the Berlin Wall, this book focuses on the relationship between the four major powers that controlled Germany, and specifically Berlin at that time.
Each of the four representatives that meet regularly to discuss issues and problems between the four nations as well as matters of governance are of completely different characters and their interplay and machinations are the center of this novel. Can they trust each other to be telling the truth or are they all playing games to further their nations control of their sector. In addition how much are they telling their bosses and the military or are they keeping their own secrets.
I really enjoyed the cat and mouse antics of the 4 main players as well as the interplay with other characters that had a major bearing on the story. The US representatives sidekick and comrade from Vietnam, the Englishman’s wife, the Russian’s animosity with the local KGB leader, and the Frenchman’s laid back attitude.
Having visited Berlin when my youngest son lived there until a couple of years ago, and having grown up through the Cold War, made it all seemed more real even if this book was set nearly 50 years previously.
A big thank you to the author David Bickford for giving me the opportunity to read this book and I thoroughly recommend to anyone who enjoys espionage or thrillers.
Well I have to say, that I thoroughly enjoyed this. Once i got into the book, I found it exceedingly difficult to turn the light off at night, much to my wife’s irritation.
With regards the book I found it brilliantly written and zips along at a fair old pace, keeping me fully engrossed in what was going to happen next. Set during the Cold War days before the fall of the Berlin Wall, this book focuses on the relationship between the four major powers that controlled Germany, and specifically Berlin at that time.
Each of the four representatives that meet regularly to discuss issues and problems between the four nations as well as matters of governance are of completely different characters and their interplay and machinations are the center of this novel. Can they trust each other to be telling the truth or are they all playing games to further their nations control of their sector. In addition how much are they telling their bosses and the military or are they keeping their own secrets.
I really enjoyed the cat and mouse antics of the 4 main players as well as the interplay with other characters that had a major bearing on the story. The US representatives sidekick and comrade from Vietnam, the Englishman’s wife, the Russian’s animosity with the local KGB leader, and the Frenchman’s laid back attitude.
Having visited Berlin when my youngest son lived there until a couple of years ago, and having grown up through the Cold War, made it all seemed more real even if this book was set nearly 50 years previously.
A big thank you to the author David Bickford for giving me the opportunity to read this book and I thoroughly recommend to anyone who enjoys espionage or thrillers.
Displaying 1 of 1 review