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Schultz Family #1
Berlin: Caught in the Mousetrap
BERLIN August 1961: Everybody believes something will happen, but nobody knows exactly what or when. People are fleeing East Berlin while they can. The East German authorities are ratcheting up the pressure on the "Bordercrossers". Klaus Schultz is handed documents outlining Ulbricht's plans to build a wall, but are they genuine? Impetuous journalist Jack Kaymer discovers an East Berlin warehouse brimming with concrete posts and barbed wire. The headstrong Eva Schultz continues to live in the eastern sector whilst working in the west.
The Stasi coerce Jack to stop him publishing his story and take his girlfriend, Eva as the bargaining chip.
In spite of their original enmity, Jack and Klaus work together to have Eva released before the border is closed, but Klaus' past comes back to haunt them.
Can Jack and Klaus outwit the Stasi?
Will they get Eva out alive?
Meanwhile, Colonel Hans Erdmann of the People's Army is losing faith in the regime. His bosses want to put him out to grass.
When they find Hans harder to dislodge than they anticipated, they resort to dirty tactics. Hans sees the end coming and decides it's time to get out.
Their destinies are all firmly in the hands of the wily, KGB spymaster, Burzin and his arch rival General Dobrovsky.
Set against the backdrop of the Berlin Crisis, "Caught in the Mousetrap" is a fast-paced thriller for the lovers of Cold War Berlin and those who enjoy a story in the Len Deighton mould, with a touch of Bernie Gunther thrown in.
The story of the Schultz family has begun...
2x Longlisted Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year. Winner CWA History Dagger.
The Stasi coerce Jack to stop him publishing his story and take his girlfriend, Eva as the bargaining chip.
In spite of their original enmity, Jack and Klaus work together to have Eva released before the border is closed, but Klaus' past comes back to haunt them.
Can Jack and Klaus outwit the Stasi?
Will they get Eva out alive?
Meanwhile, Colonel Hans Erdmann of the People's Army is losing faith in the regime. His bosses want to put him out to grass.
When they find Hans harder to dislodge than they anticipated, they resort to dirty tactics. Hans sees the end coming and decides it's time to get out.
Their destinies are all firmly in the hands of the wily, KGB spymaster, Burzin and his arch rival General Dobrovsky.
Set against the backdrop of the Berlin Crisis, "Caught in the Mousetrap" is a fast-paced thriller for the lovers of Cold War Berlin and those who enjoy a story in the Len Deighton mould, with a touch of Bernie Gunther thrown in.
The story of the Schultz family has begun...
2x Longlisted Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year. Winner CWA History Dagger.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 6, 2017
53 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Paul Grant
4 books12 followersPaul Grant lives in Ossett, West Yorkshire and was born in Leeds, UK. He studied History at Newcastle University, England, specialising in Nazi Germany, the Weimar Republic and The Cold War. Berlin: Caught in the Mousetrap is the first book in a trilogy about the Schultz family and their life, originally in Cold War Berlin.
The second book in the series BERLIN: Reaping the Whirlwind is a prequel to Caught in the Mousetrap and is set in World War 2 and the immediate aftermath.
The final book in the trilogy BERLIN: Uprising will be published on 11th January 2019.
The second book in the series BERLIN: Reaping the Whirlwind is a prequel to Caught in the Mousetrap and is set in World War 2 and the immediate aftermath.
The final book in the trilogy BERLIN: Uprising will be published on 11th January 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 18, 2018
An amazing debut.
Paul Grant’s debut book is set in Berlin just as the wall is built in 1961 and realistically captures the febrile atmosphere within the city as the political tensions ramp up in both halves of the city.
We’re quickly introduced to a variety of characters including American reporter Jack, his girlfriend Eva who resides in East Berlin, as well as Colonel Hans Erdmann of the People's Army and KGB spymasters, Burzin and Dobrovsky.
Grant has clearly done his research and fleshes out details of the city and his characters with easy to read, but punchy prose. He doesn’t put a foot wrong with his knowledge of the history and his eye for descriptive detail.
I’m sometimes wary of self-published work, but this is real quality with characters you care about and a pacey plot that keep you turning the pages. This is a well crafted thriller that delivers great insight into the creation of the Berlin Wall alongside a compelling story.
I’m looking forward to reading the prequel “reaping the Whirlwind”
Paul Grant’s debut book is set in Berlin just as the wall is built in 1961 and realistically captures the febrile atmosphere within the city as the political tensions ramp up in both halves of the city.
We’re quickly introduced to a variety of characters including American reporter Jack, his girlfriend Eva who resides in East Berlin, as well as Colonel Hans Erdmann of the People's Army and KGB spymasters, Burzin and Dobrovsky.
Grant has clearly done his research and fleshes out details of the city and his characters with easy to read, but punchy prose. He doesn’t put a foot wrong with his knowledge of the history and his eye for descriptive detail.
I’m sometimes wary of self-published work, but this is real quality with characters you care about and a pacey plot that keep you turning the pages. This is a well crafted thriller that delivers great insight into the creation of the Berlin Wall alongside a compelling story.
I’m looking forward to reading the prequel “reaping the Whirlwind”
November 28, 2017
This is a great book with a compelling story. The characters are well written and go well together. The descriptions of Berlin by the author make the story flow well. This book is a page-turner. I can't wait to read the authors next book.
February 2, 2020
On the morning of August 13, 1961, the residents of East Berlin found themselves cut off from family, friends and jobs in the West by a tangle of barbed wire that ruthlessly cut a city of four million in two. Within days the barbed-wire entanglement would undergo an extraordinary metamorphosis: it became an imposing 103-mile-long wall guarded by three hundred watchtowers. A physical manifestation of the struggle between Soviet Communism and American capitalism—totalitarianism and freedom—that would stand for nearly thirty years. Many brave people risked their lives to overcome this lethal barrier, and some paid the ultimate price.
That's exactly was this book was about. Very readable, nicely written and fast-paced. The book very realistically captured the athmosphere of a city about to be divided by a wall.
Berlin, especially East Berlin, has a special place in my hearth as I lived in Berlin for almost 5 years when I was a small kid. I of course don't remember much, because I was really small (since I was 3 months old, till I was 5 years) but still it is part of me.
That's exactly was this book was about. Very readable, nicely written and fast-paced. The book very realistically captured the athmosphere of a city about to be divided by a wall.
Berlin, especially East Berlin, has a special place in my hearth as I lived in Berlin for almost 5 years when I was a small kid. I of course don't remember much, because I was really small (since I was 3 months old, till I was 5 years) but still it is part of me.
January 24, 2019
Caught in the Mousetrap is the first in a trilogy of stories set in Berlin during the 1960s. It's very well written with an exciting plot and some very interesting characters. East Berlin never felt gloomier.
In my own most recent novel, The Summer of '39, the presence of two 16 year old Artful Dodger types playing a big part in the narrative made the book more exciting and more fun. Here there's only one Artful Dodger, Gerd, but he's a fascinating young man who adds so much to the tale.
Caught in the Mousetrap is a gripping book and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen and Two Families at War, all published by Sacristy Press.
In my own most recent novel, The Summer of '39, the presence of two 16 year old Artful Dodger types playing a big part in the narrative made the book more exciting and more fun. Here there's only one Artful Dodger, Gerd, but he's a fascinating young man who adds so much to the tale.
Caught in the Mousetrap is a gripping book and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen and Two Families at War, all published by Sacristy Press.
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November 10, 2022Great read
Thrilling all the way to the end😀 read the rest of the series. Hopefully as good as first book to read
Thrilling all the way to the end😀 read the rest of the series. Hopefully as good as first book to read
April 27, 2018
I was sceptical about reading a fictional account of this part of history. I knew it would have to be just right or it would feel very wrong. Reading Manchester Military History Society's review allayed those fears somewhat. I really enjoyed this book. I felt empathy for the characters very early on which immersed me in the story. It moves along a pretty rapid pace, having me gripped. Unsure if that's why I woke an hour earlier than usual this morning. But glad it gave me time to finish the book. Looking forward to the second book which seems to be a prequel.
December 22, 2017
Wonderful insight into the traumas of post war Berlin at a time of divided views and the eventual creation of the Berlin Wall. It tracks the lives of a small group of people, all connected through past stories in ways they don't anticipate. Gripping and fast paced, it left me breathless at times and invoked an interest in a period of history I had never previously considered
July 1, 2024
Great take on the building of the Berlin wall and all the intelligence gathering of the Americans.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews