Berlin Game by Len Deighton (October/November 2019)

[Nigeyb]

Thanks Susan - I'll add any musings to our Len Deighton favourite author thread.

[Nigeyb]

By the way, I've just finished the Spybrary podcast which is the perfect way to finish the reading experience. As mentioned above, it's really whetted my appetite for the rest of the trilogy, and the series.

[Sue]

I've just started this and I'm enjoying it very much. I feel like I know these people already, even though Len Deighton doesn't spend pages describing them in detail. It also seems to me that nobody may be what they first appear to be, which bodes well!

[Susan]

Glad you are enjoying it, Sue. Also glad you liked the podcast, Nigeyb.

[Pamela]

Sue wrote: "I've just started this and I'm enjoying it very much. "

I'm glad I'm not the only one, I've just started too. It seems like this will be an enjoyable read.

[Susan]

Spy buffs often call it the best spy series, or in the top 5. I am pleased that I gave Deighton another try and glad you are enjoying it, Pamela.

[Roisin]

Ha! I'm very behind! About to start this one...: )

[Susan]

Oh, me too, Roisin! Hope you enjoy this. I thought it was a great read.

[Pamela]

Just finished this, I thought it was a great read too! I like spy stories because everyone is unreliable, I'm sure you get used to lying in that world, and not trusting anyone.

I did have my suspicions about what was going on, but there were enough extra twists and turns to keep it interesting. I'll definitely read more from Len Deighton, but not sure when.

[Nigeyb]

I hope you enjoy it too Roisin - looking forward to reading your comments


Pamela wrote: "I did have my suspicions about what was going on, but there were enough extra twists and turns to keep it interesting"

Yes, I thought it was quite obvious from fairly early on, so much so that I wondered if it was a double bluff.

[Lynaia]

I had the same thought Nigeyb. It seemed too obvious. But that actually added another layer to the story. You can’t believe what you’re seeing.

[Nigeyb]

Yes, I agree Lynaia. It added another level of uncertainty to the book.


Hiding in plain sight, and all that

[Nigeyb]

On a vaguely related note, to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, BBC Four has announced four new films that address and discuss the surrounding circumstances that led to the end of the Cold War and the fall of the wall...

The films will be broadcast around the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and include a trio from BBC Arts, Rich Hall’s Red Menace, London Calling: Cold War Letters and A British Guide To The End Of The World alongside Reporting History: The Fall Of The Berlin Wall with John Simpson from BBC Factual.

It all starts next week

[Susan]

Thanks, Nigeyb. I am a huge fan of BBC4 generally and will look forward to those.

There is also a new book I came across, while book browsing the other day. Checkpoint Charlie: The Cold War, the Berlin Wall and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth which I thought looked interesting.

'Checkpoint Charlie is a fascinating and telling reminder of what was perhaps the most potent symbol of the Cold War . . . Iain MacGregor writes with great fluency and narrative drive' William Boyd, New Statesman

'With a gripping narrative and vivid interviews with those on all sides whose lives were directly affected by that grim symbol of the East-West divide that poisoned Europe for almost half a century, [MacGregor] has made an important contribution to the history of our times' Jonathan Dimbleby

'Captures brilliantly and comprehensively both the danger and exhilaration that I and other reporters, soldiers, and people experienced intersecting with the wall - a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the Europe we have inherited' Jon Snow

A powerful, fascinating, and ground-breaking history of Checkpoint Charlie, the legendary and most important military gate on the border of East and West Berlin where the United States and her allies confronted the USSR during the Cold War.

As the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall approaches in 2019, Iain MacGregor captures the mistrust, oppression, paranoia, and fear that gripped the city throughout this period. Checkpoint Charlie is about the nerve-wracking confrontation between the West and the Soviet Union that contains never-before-heard interviews with the men who built and dismantled the Wall; lovers who crossed it; relatives and friends who lost family trying to escape over it; German, British, French, and Russian soldiers who guarded its checkpoints; CIA, MI6 and Stasi operatives who oversaw secret operations across its borders; politicians whose ambitions shaped it; journalists who recorded its story; and many more whose living memories contributed to the full story of Checkpoint Charlie. A brilliant work of historical journalism, Checkpoint Charlie is an invaluable record of this period.

[Nigeyb]

That book sounds very interesting - and great background for this Deighton book

[Susan]

Yes, definitely added to my 'want to read,' list.

[Roisin]

I agree with Val's comments on it. Was good but not sure that I would read the rest of the series. Though might be tempted! : )

[Nigeyb]

Thanks Roisin


I thought the three books make more sense as a trilogy than a standalone.

I'm really looking forwad to getting stuck into the next three which I have already bought.