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The Devil's Spies: Faith, Betrayal, and Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall
Needing to stop the flood of humanity fleeing communist oppression by making it to the divided city of Berlin, the communist government of East Germany took drastic measures. In August of 1961, construction of the Berlin Wall began.
Two young lovers, one an American refugee worker, the other an East German seminary student, find themselves separated by the wall. Desperate to be reunited and build a life together, Angela Wettin and Michael Dieterich, with Michael’s brother Joseph, set in motion a dangerous plan to escape by tunneling under the Berlin Wall.
Determined to stop any hope of gaining freedom, the East German Stasi, the dreaded secret police of the communist state, formed Department XX/4 to infiltrate and spy on the Church in East Germany.
Faced with betrayal, the ever present watchful eyes of the Stasi, and family conflict, the trio enters a life-and-death race against the Stasi and Department XX/4.
In the divided city of Berlin, no secret is safe from The Devil’s Spies?
Two young lovers, one an American refugee worker, the other an East German seminary student, find themselves separated by the wall. Desperate to be reunited and build a life together, Angela Wettin and Michael Dieterich, with Michael’s brother Joseph, set in motion a dangerous plan to escape by tunneling under the Berlin Wall.
Determined to stop any hope of gaining freedom, the East German Stasi, the dreaded secret police of the communist state, formed Department XX/4 to infiltrate and spy on the Church in East Germany.
Faced with betrayal, the ever present watchful eyes of the Stasi, and family conflict, the trio enters a life-and-death race against the Stasi and Department XX/4.
In the divided city of Berlin, no secret is safe from The Devil’s Spies?
408 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 29, 2024
About the author
K.C. Sivils
44 books218 followersScience fiction and classic crime novels have long been favorites of author K.C. Sivils. A fan of past noir masters such as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, Sivils also enjoys the current generation of storytellers like Matt Abraham, Renee Pawlish and Alex P. Berg.
The combination of film noir and science fiction in director Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s sci-fi classic Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep into the masterful Harrison Ford vehicle Blade Runner encouraged him to consume as much of both genre’s as possible.
When not working at his real job, Sivils enjoys his family, his dogs, writing and rocking out to classic rock bands like the Rolling Stones, New Wave rockers The Cars, and the Godfathers of Punk, the Ramones.
Follow Author K.C. Sivils on BookBub at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/k-c-s...
The combination of film noir and science fiction in director Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s sci-fi classic Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep into the masterful Harrison Ford vehicle Blade Runner encouraged him to consume as much of both genre’s as possible.
When not working at his real job, Sivils enjoys his family, his dogs, writing and rocking out to classic rock bands like the Rolling Stones, New Wave rockers The Cars, and the Godfathers of Punk, the Ramones.
Follow Author K.C. Sivils on BookBub at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/k-c-s...
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 1, 2024
The Stasi were the ultimate evil from the East German government. This story brings their hideous behavior to the reader, sometimes in a very painful way. This historical fiction accurately documents how the Stasi built their web of spies and informants. The reader can see the same thing in practice via reporting from Russia today.
The story includes significant real history to background the events presented by the author. The reader is introduced to the significant characters in a way to bring them to life for you. Then the web of relationships and people evolves to reveal the stories for this group of people. As the story develops, the pressure and abuse comes into play to show the impact on the lives of the key characters. There is time driven pressure that will pull you further into the story.
The mystery is how, who and in what ways these people are drawn into the common goal. Really an excellent read for those who appreciate good historical fiction with totally relatable characters.
The story includes significant real history to background the events presented by the author. The reader is introduced to the significant characters in a way to bring them to life for you. Then the web of relationships and people evolves to reveal the stories for this group of people. As the story develops, the pressure and abuse comes into play to show the impact on the lives of the key characters. There is time driven pressure that will pull you further into the story.
The mystery is how, who and in what ways these people are drawn into the common goal. Really an excellent read for those who appreciate good historical fiction with totally relatable characters.
May 20, 2024
A thriller set about the time that the Berlin Wall was erected, this historical novel portrays a family dealing with the realities of the Russian occupation of East Germany. The Wall was started in 1961 - according to the communists - to keep the fascists out. The reality was that, because Russia had taken everything of value as reparations after WWII leaving privation, underemployment behind. The people suffered and were aware of the disparity of living a better life in the West.
Capitalism was thriving in West Germany. When Russia subsidized common value goods, West Germans took advantage of easy access bargains before the Wall was created. East Germans had few job opportunities and gulag-style under-heated buildings with limited opportunities to thrive. A healthy black market provided some relief. The East German police established a system in which neighbors informed on their neighbors. Nearly everyone was a spy just to gain a small perk.
Khrushchev considered Kennedy as weak and inexperience especially after the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Russian wanted to stop the flow of intellectual capital out of the East. Against this background, the key players in this story included a pretty daughter of a wealthy American, a CIA station chief, an (East) German minister, the minister's two sons, and the Stasi chief for East Berlin.
The human toll on East German residents - separated from opportunity and from both friends and family - was palpable. You could feel the fear of constant surveillance, monitored telephone calls, opened mail, and even bugs in the homes of East Berlin residents. In his home, the minister used a pad of paper to communicate with his sons while talking about "safe" topics. The scraps of paper were burned, because, if found by the feared Stasi, everyone who could have had knowledge of the conspiracy would be arrested and sent to re-education schools ...or shot.
The idea of building a tunnel under the wall seemed to be the only way out. With luck, stealth, and a few prayers, a tunnel was built right next to the guard towers. This the story of a three-month construction and the attempt to interdict it. A good read to be sure.
Capitalism was thriving in West Germany. When Russia subsidized common value goods, West Germans took advantage of easy access bargains before the Wall was created. East Germans had few job opportunities and gulag-style under-heated buildings with limited opportunities to thrive. A healthy black market provided some relief. The East German police established a system in which neighbors informed on their neighbors. Nearly everyone was a spy just to gain a small perk.
Khrushchev considered Kennedy as weak and inexperience especially after the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Russian wanted to stop the flow of intellectual capital out of the East. Against this background, the key players in this story included a pretty daughter of a wealthy American, a CIA station chief, an (East) German minister, the minister's two sons, and the Stasi chief for East Berlin.
The human toll on East German residents - separated from opportunity and from both friends and family - was palpable. You could feel the fear of constant surveillance, monitored telephone calls, opened mail, and even bugs in the homes of East Berlin residents. In his home, the minister used a pad of paper to communicate with his sons while talking about "safe" topics. The scraps of paper were burned, because, if found by the feared Stasi, everyone who could have had knowledge of the conspiracy would be arrested and sent to re-education schools ...or shot.
The idea of building a tunnel under the wall seemed to be the only way out. With luck, stealth, and a few prayers, a tunnel was built right next to the guard towers. This the story of a three-month construction and the attempt to interdict it. A good read to be sure.
June 18, 2024
3.75 stars
KC Sivils takes on the challenge of WWII-1963 era Berlin quite skilfully in this novelisation of the (eventual) building of the wall and spy networks on both sides of the Iron Curtain. You get to see three different Berlins over the course of this novel: WWII Berlin and its devastation and fall to the Allied forces; pre-Wall Berlin, where East and West still interacted and intermingled; and post-Wall Berlin and how the Stasi and CIA behaved in the light of deteriorating relations between the former allies.
Certain aspects of the story are under-developed compared to others, which means we see too little to understand what is really going on from a western perspective or how the CIA became every bit as paranoid and seeking of publicity as the Stasi. There are also too many characters at times, particularly of the bit part variety, which does detract from the story being told. However, that could have been remedied by the addition of another 100+ pages, which would have turned a good book into an excellent one (the exact opposite case to The Beach by Alex Garland). A further positive point to be made is the fact that he avoids looking at JFK (in his brief appearances in the book) through rose-tinted glasses, which is refreshing.
Sivils is a writer worth sticking with, his ideas are good and his execution is often very interesting to behold.
KC Sivils takes on the challenge of WWII-1963 era Berlin quite skilfully in this novelisation of the (eventual) building of the wall and spy networks on both sides of the Iron Curtain. You get to see three different Berlins over the course of this novel: WWII Berlin and its devastation and fall to the Allied forces; pre-Wall Berlin, where East and West still interacted and intermingled; and post-Wall Berlin and how the Stasi and CIA behaved in the light of deteriorating relations between the former allies.
Certain aspects of the story are under-developed compared to others, which means we see too little to understand what is really going on from a western perspective or how the CIA became every bit as paranoid and seeking of publicity as the Stasi. There are also too many characters at times, particularly of the bit part variety, which does detract from the story being told. However, that could have been remedied by the addition of another 100+ pages, which would have turned a good book into an excellent one (the exact opposite case to The Beach by Alex Garland). A further positive point to be made is the fact that he avoids looking at JFK (in his brief appearances in the book) through rose-tinted glasses, which is refreshing.
Sivils is a writer worth sticking with, his ideas are good and his execution is often very interesting to behold.
May 9, 2024
Received the book for a voluntary ARC review.
An entertaining story of life during the Cold War in West and East Berlin in the 1960s. Good interpretation of life in East Berlin with limited goods and not sure who you could trust. Anybody could sell out their neighbor/friend to the Stasi (the East German secret police).
Karl Dieterich, a pastor in East Berlin, lives with his sons Michael and Werner. Michael is in love with Angela Wettin, the daughter of a wealthy American industrialist. They want to get married. Angela despises Werner, whom she finds “creepy.”
Their lives are put into chaos with the building of the Berlin Wall. Werner convinces Michael and Angela that the only way to escape to the West is to dig a tunnel. At the same time, Angela is recruited by the CIA to help escort some people out of East Berlin to West Berlin.
Werner does most of the work and also gets help from Michael and some of the people that Angela is helping. Werner is captured by the Stasi but does not say anything despite being tortured. The day of the escape is also the day that Fuchs and the Stasi discover the tunnel.
The story has a unique ending. The book is very enjoyable.
An entertaining story of life during the Cold War in West and East Berlin in the 1960s. Good interpretation of life in East Berlin with limited goods and not sure who you could trust. Anybody could sell out their neighbor/friend to the Stasi (the East German secret police).
Karl Dieterich, a pastor in East Berlin, lives with his sons Michael and Werner. Michael is in love with Angela Wettin, the daughter of a wealthy American industrialist. They want to get married. Angela despises Werner, whom she finds “creepy.”
Their lives are put into chaos with the building of the Berlin Wall. Werner convinces Michael and Angela that the only way to escape to the West is to dig a tunnel. At the same time, Angela is recruited by the CIA to help escort some people out of East Berlin to West Berlin.
Werner does most of the work and also gets help from Michael and some of the people that Angela is helping. Werner is captured by the Stasi but does not say anything despite being tortured. The day of the escape is also the day that Fuchs and the Stasi discover the tunnel.
The story has a unique ending. The book is very enjoyable.
April 6, 2024
Interesting and terrifying story on Berlin during the crisis in the early 1960's. The mindset of not only the people living in Berlin at the time but the leaders in the US, Russia, and East Germany. Ordinary citizens in Berlin crossing back and forth between the Russian controlled section and the American/British/French, unaware of the major change coming to their lives. Story goes into the plotting of those trying to escape to West Berlin. Some of the escape plans are simple, some more long-term and complex. Some plotters make it, some are discovered and shot. You can almost feel the tension coming off the page of those trying to escape, as well as the Stasi fearing the wrath of their superiors. I read last 24 chapters in one sitting, anxious to see how it turns out, who makes it. I should note that I got an ARC from the author.
May 31, 2024
The Cold War Story Chillingly Told
How much do you know about the Cold War and the divided city of Berlin? Most of us don't know many of the actual facts, just the glossed over generalized version that's in our high school history books. We never learned about how the lives of the citizens who lived in East or West Berlin differed. Or what the real reason was for building the Berlin Wall. Through this work of historical fiction you can see how lives of families were torn apart in total disregard for their needs, hopes and dreams. You can also feel how the actions taken by the Soviets in the pursuit of achieving a utopian society is nothing more than a failed pipe dream. Skillfully written and riveting prose.
How much do you know about the Cold War and the divided city of Berlin? Most of us don't know many of the actual facts, just the glossed over generalized version that's in our high school history books. We never learned about how the lives of the citizens who lived in East or West Berlin differed. Or what the real reason was for building the Berlin Wall. Through this work of historical fiction you can see how lives of families were torn apart in total disregard for their needs, hopes and dreams. You can also feel how the actions taken by the Soviets in the pursuit of achieving a utopian society is nothing more than a failed pipe dream. Skillfully written and riveting prose.
June 3, 2024
"The Devil's Spies" by K.C. Silvas:
"The Devil's Spies" is a historical thriller set against the backdrop of the Berlin Wall. It's the story of a young couple in love, Angela and Michael, who are separated by the construction of the wall. They devise a plan to escape East Germany by tunneling under the wall. I liked the story. It has a lot of suspense and a nail-biting plot. The characters are well-developed and I became engaged with them and their cause easily. It kept me guessing and also rooting for the two young lovers throughout. The pace was a bit slow at times but the content of the characters and their daring made it enjoyable. Overall, it's an engaging read. I would recommend it for fans of historical fiction and thrillers.
"The Devil's Spies" is a historical thriller set against the backdrop of the Berlin Wall. It's the story of a young couple in love, Angela and Michael, who are separated by the construction of the wall. They devise a plan to escape East Germany by tunneling under the wall. I liked the story. It has a lot of suspense and a nail-biting plot. The characters are well-developed and I became engaged with them and their cause easily. It kept me guessing and also rooting for the two young lovers throughout. The pace was a bit slow at times but the content of the characters and their daring made it enjoyable. Overall, it's an engaging read. I would recommend it for fans of historical fiction and thrillers.
April 17, 2024
A historical thriller set mainly in august 1961, Berlin, when the Soviets decided they had enough of young and intelligent citizens fleeing East Berlin and the GDR to West Berlin and West Germany, and started to build the Berlin Wall. Mainly centered around a couple of lovers, Angela and Michael, and family members and their plan for Michael and his brother Joseph to flee the oppressive east to the free west. A very well researched historical fiction that will give readers an authentic view of the events in Berlin during the building of the wall. Packed in a spy/love story that keeps the reader glued to the pages until the end.
May 10, 2024
The Devil's Spies - a review by Rosemary Kenny.
K.C Sivils departs from his usual dystopian future noir stories, in The Devil's Spies, a thriller set in Berlin at the start of the 60s Cold War between Russia and the Western powers.
An East Berlin pastor, his two sons, the younger son's naive American girlfriend, (who's working in West Berlin) and the covert agents working on both sides of the Berlin Wall, form the central characters in this life-or-death drama.
Who wins their freedom...and at what cost to loved ones?
Read this riveting drama to find out...you'll be shocked at the results of the secrets and lies in The Devil's Spies!
K.C Sivils departs from his usual dystopian future noir stories, in The Devil's Spies, a thriller set in Berlin at the start of the 60s Cold War between Russia and the Western powers.
An East Berlin pastor, his two sons, the younger son's naive American girlfriend, (who's working in West Berlin) and the covert agents working on both sides of the Berlin Wall, form the central characters in this life-or-death drama.
Who wins their freedom...and at what cost to loved ones?
Read this riveting drama to find out...you'll be shocked at the results of the secrets and lies in The Devil's Spies!
April 29, 2024
"My first excursion into a novel of KC Sivils and I received an ARC and have bought the final published book . I can only say I thoroughly enjoyed this book based in Berlin references to post war period, but the story lines based in the Late forties to the time of the building of the Wall. The whole story line was repeated many times in this period and shows how some Eastern Berliners reacted. Well worth reading and comes very highly recommended by my self buy and enjoy"
May 2, 2024
1960's: The USA, Russia, and Germany all have their thoughts about Berlin remaining free. The people cross back and forth into the Russian-controlled section of Berlin. Students, doctors, engineers, etc. were leaving East Germany in droves creating what was known as the Brain Drain. Little did the people know a wall was planned to divide East Germany from the West. I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
May 5, 2024
The Devil's Spies is exceptional. The storyline, intertwined with history, is excellent and I felt like I was with them in their urgency to escape the Berlin Wall and treachery they suffered at the hands of the Stassi agent, Fuchs. A must read. I received an ARC copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 2, 2024
The wall divides Berlin and two very different people will find love but it will not be easy to be together. A great tale which will pull you in and keep you there until you reach the end. So see how they get on
May 2, 2024
A historical thriller based in Germany during the construction of the Berlin wall. The story is narrated well with interesting characters.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews