Exit Berlin

by Tim Sebastian

When the Berlin Wall comes down, James Martin's life as a British sleeper agent in East Berlin starts to crumble. He is publicly revealed as a traitor, having been wrongly blamed for the betrayal of a British network in East Germany. Upon his return to the West he discovers he has many enemies on both sides, both known and unknown, especially the real traitor.

Genres: Fiction, Espionage, Germany, Crime

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Seba...

Reviews

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exit Berlin is set at the time that the GDR and the wall collapses and revolves around the question: what happens to secret services and defectors when a regime folds. The protagonist is James Martin, a former British agent who defected to the GDR four years previously. Martin’s position is made more difficult because he is actually a double-agent, planted by the British to try and identify a traitor in SIS, though that fact seems to have been forgotten; an inconvenient truth when the different sides are trying to brush over cold war activities. Rather than returning to his old life, it seems it would be better for some if he disappeared altogether. Sebastian tells Martin’s story through a first person narrative. Though not always the most engaging voice given the character’s dourness, the tale nonetheless maintains intrigue, with Martin unsure of where he stands or who to trust among old colleagues both behind and outside the Iron Curtain. The characterisation, unsettled dynamics and sense of place is nicely done, though the plot is a times a little elusive and by the end I didn’t feel I had a sure grasp of all the intricacies. A decent enough Cold War spy tale.

[Mike White · Rating 5 out of 5]

“’Everyone was so very upset,” she whispered. In fact she whispered the whole time she was in East Berlin. And I couldn’t blame her for that. After all the Stasi had set up whole factories to produce their bugging equipment, That was the comforting thing about this place. However bad you thought it was, you were probably right.”
East Berlin following the fall of the Berlin Wall. James Martin, an English defector from MI6, can now return to the West – if he dares and if no one from the Stasi, KGB, CIA or MI5 kills him first. His defection had reassured MI6 there were no further moles in the Service. But now it seems it wasn’t him: there still is a mole. Agents on both ‘sides’ are murdered, and Martin must unmask the mole before he has him killed.
Exciting & complex. Reading this novel immediately after The White Princess exposed parallels between two police states separated by 500 years.

[Peter Thew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fall of the Berlin Wall and a former British spy who has been planted in the East tries to cope with the new reality. It twists and turns - probably too much for its own good. John Le Carré it ain't, but it'll do in his absence.

[Helen Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a massive fan of stories set around the Berlin wall and this book by Tim Sebastian explores some of the attitudes and treacheries of the Stasi in this taut spy novel. I loved the way this book was written, the lead character was flawed but still relatable and compelling, and there was a sensitively handled romantic subplot that ties the whole story together. I wanted to give it 5 stars but the ending did wrap up a little abruptly for my tastes. It is still well worth reading and I am definitely going to read some more books by Tim Sebastian after this one. I highly recommend this book.

[Discoverylover]

"When the Berlin Wall comes down, James Martin's life as a British sleeper agent in East Berlin starts to crumble. He is publicly revealed as a traitor, having been wrongly blamed for the betrayal of a British network in East Germany. Upon his return to the West he has many enemies on both sides, both known and unknown, especially the real traitor." (from http://www.amazon.com/Exit-Berlin-Tim...)

[Lysergius · Rating 3 out of 5]

For James Martin, a long-term British agent planted in East Berlin, there was little to celebrate when the Berlin Wall came down. For the dirt, scandal and treachery of more than 40 years of communist rule now began to seep into the open.

[Rod Zemke · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75