A Wicked Device

by Jack Thompson

"A Wicked Device" is a no-holds-barred political thriller. The story is set mainly in Germany and features Charlie Barrow, a British journalist working in Berlin, who is obsessed by the rise of neo-Nazism especially in former, communist, East Germany. When he witnesses the murder of a member of a neo-Nazi movement in a Berlin back street, he seeks to delve into a dangerous world where the Far Right main and kill. He also finds that they are planning the assassination of a German chancellor at an anti-Nazi rally close to the Brandenburg Gate, symbol of the division, conflict and violence that overtook Germany in the 20th century. Barrow is never sure whether his contacts in the police and security forces, notably a woman officer with whom he falls in love, are there to help or hinder him, or even destroy him altogether. The story takes us into the very core of neo-Nazism, its brutality, its mindless longing for a new Hitler, and its links to latter day terrorist organisations like Al Qaeda. Charlie Barrow, slightly sad and lonely but an honest old hack, comes out on top but loses a lot on the way.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[John Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Barrow is a British journalist working in a fairly recently re-unified Germany. He is keen to get to grips with “The Movement”, a neo-nazi party, which is particularly strong in eastern Germany. His ensuing experiences are pretty livid, to say the least, and my attention rarely wandered. Espionage, counter-espionage, a guilt ridden national psyche, which stifles debate on any subject connected with the pariah state that was the Third Reich, all figure throughout. Charlie must grapple with the Stasi remnants of the recently deceased GDR and the interchangeability of tactics and even policies between left and right. He must also negotiate the various bureaucracies charged with national security – courtesy of the Allies post WW2,(lest Germany arises again, militarily. Has this weakened Her ability to safeguard Her citizens?) Who is his enemy, who is his friend? We need to see all through Charlie’s eyes.

The story is more gripping than I am making it sound and there is, for me at least, a scary reality about it. Jack Thompson of course is at pains to point out that his tale is entirely fictional.
Interestingly though, his career uncannily reflects aspects of Charlie Barrow’s past. The author was at one time an industrial spy, pianist, foreign correspondent for the BBC World Service, latterly a newsreader for Deutsche Welle TV. Recommended.

I am surprised, very, that it has such a low profile here on G.R.