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John Russell & Effi Koenen #3
Stettin Station
In the fall of 1941, Anglo-American journalist John Russell is still living in Berlin, tied to the increasingly alien city by his love for two Berliners: his fourteen-year-old son, Paul, and his longtimegirlfriend, Effi. Forced to work for both German and American Intelligence, he's searching for a way out of Germany. Can he escape and take Effi with him?
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First published September 1, 2009
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About the author
David Downing
123 books496 followersDavid Downing is the author of a political thriller, two alternative histories and a number of books on military and political history and other subjects as diverse as Neil Young and Russian Football.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
September 8, 2024
Love this series.
But in many ways it's often hard to read - so many characters! So many Nazis! Even so many of the good guys. (I made a cue card-thing for the first book and still refer to it, though some of those characters are long gone, and in so many ways.)
John Russell, an American with a German ex-wife and a German son, is a working reporter/journalist living in Germany circa 1941. He also has a German girlfriend who's a prominent actress, often forced to take strongly pro-Nazi roles in the movies being filmed. The book is replete with historical and political references as Russell lives, moves, and works in that world. He has to keep up-to-date; he has to be aware of everything going on all around him, from what Hitler and his minions are up to, to food shortages, the state of mind of the 'ordinary' German, and those trains which keep coming and going and coming and going - in this book, mainly coming and going East.
The way people think, the way they live and move, the affect of air raids, the blackout curtains, the outspoken, outrageous, cruel and inhumane treatment of the Jews, Communists or any 'outsider' - it's all there. And the food! Normally I get tired of a book which mentions food all the time, but in this case it's important, a reflection of how hardship affects people in both small and grand ways.
The story concerns the fact that in the past Russell has been a kind of 'courier' and spy, mostly helping out the Communists (Soviets) who are in the thick of war with Nazi Germany. (America's not there yet.) His past activities become a huge threat as he's dragged before various Nazi leaders, bureaucrats, and members of the Gestapo, etc., to explain himself - or worse - in order to do their bidding. You just have to know that one of these events is going to get him in BIG trouble.
And it does. The end of the book is thriller-suspenseful and I raced through it. Thoroughly satisfied, I'm looking forward to reading book #4 in the series.
Five stars.
But in many ways it's often hard to read - so many characters! So many Nazis! Even so many of the good guys. (I made a cue card-thing for the first book and still refer to it, though some of those characters are long gone, and in so many ways.)
John Russell, an American with a German ex-wife and a German son, is a working reporter/journalist living in Germany circa 1941. He also has a German girlfriend who's a prominent actress, often forced to take strongly pro-Nazi roles in the movies being filmed. The book is replete with historical and political references as Russell lives, moves, and works in that world. He has to keep up-to-date; he has to be aware of everything going on all around him, from what Hitler and his minions are up to, to food shortages, the state of mind of the 'ordinary' German, and those trains which keep coming and going and coming and going - in this book, mainly coming and going East.
The way people think, the way they live and move, the affect of air raids, the blackout curtains, the outspoken, outrageous, cruel and inhumane treatment of the Jews, Communists or any 'outsider' - it's all there. And the food! Normally I get tired of a book which mentions food all the time, but in this case it's important, a reflection of how hardship affects people in both small and grand ways.
The story concerns the fact that in the past Russell has been a kind of 'courier' and spy, mostly helping out the Communists (Soviets) who are in the thick of war with Nazi Germany. (America's not there yet.) His past activities become a huge threat as he's dragged before various Nazi leaders, bureaucrats, and members of the Gestapo, etc., to explain himself - or worse - in order to do their bidding. You just have to know that one of these events is going to get him in BIG trouble.
And it does. The end of the book is thriller-suspenseful and I raced through it. Thoroughly satisfied, I'm looking forward to reading book #4 in the series.
Five stars.
April 18, 2018
Another good one in the series ! This is the third, I found it very detiled and enjoyed the ongoing story of John Russell.
May 16, 2015
I must say I have enjoyed this series (which I recommend reading in order) so far. This is the third and continues an examination of Germany during World War II as seen through the eyes of Russell, an American journalist, who is tied to Germany by his girlfriend, Effie, and his German-born son.
You get a real sense of the claustrophobia people must felt as they became hemmed in by bombing and the repressiveness of the regime, constantly having to watch what you say, who you say it to, and who might overhear you.
Downing is very skillful in showing elements of the Third Reich’s control. For example, Russell stops to purchase a copy of the Beobachter in which he reads that Ernst Udet, WW I ace and big Luftwaffe general had been killed testing a new fighter plane. Thinking that was a bit strange I utilized the wonderful feature of my Kindle and clicking on Udet’s name read the piece on Udet in the Wikipedia only to learn that Udet had committed suicide. So I figured Downing had erred. Just a few pages later, however, at a press briefing, he uses a question from another reporter to point to the suicide (“Does the administration have any comment on the rumor that Udet had committed suicide?”) The truth is outed as well as the ministry’s attempts to hide it.
Russell is a journalist, after all, and in his attempts to discover what’s really happening on the eastern front, he cultivates a locomotive engineer. Some of the important detail that’s revealed I had not learned by reading the standard discussions of the Nazi failure in the Russian winter. For example, Russian tenders carried a larger supply of water, so their water tanks were further apart; the steam pipes were built around the boiler rather than on the outside as with German engines, so they didn’t freeze. These all provided clues for Russell as to why the war in the east had bogged down.
Some people have complained about the ending. It’s a series. Get over it, people. I can’t wait to start the 4th. As I noted above, read them in order.
You get a real sense of the claustrophobia people must felt as they became hemmed in by bombing and the repressiveness of the regime, constantly having to watch what you say, who you say it to, and who might overhear you.
Downing is very skillful in showing elements of the Third Reich’s control. For example, Russell stops to purchase a copy of the Beobachter in which he reads that Ernst Udet, WW I ace and big Luftwaffe general had been killed testing a new fighter plane. Thinking that was a bit strange I utilized the wonderful feature of my Kindle and clicking on Udet’s name read the piece on Udet in the Wikipedia only to learn that Udet had committed suicide. So I figured Downing had erred. Just a few pages later, however, at a press briefing, he uses a question from another reporter to point to the suicide (“Does the administration have any comment on the rumor that Udet had committed suicide?”) The truth is outed as well as the ministry’s attempts to hide it.
Russell is a journalist, after all, and in his attempts to discover what’s really happening on the eastern front, he cultivates a locomotive engineer. Some of the important detail that’s revealed I had not learned by reading the standard discussions of the Nazi failure in the Russian winter. For example, Russian tenders carried a larger supply of water, so their water tanks were further apart; the steam pipes were built around the boiler rather than on the outside as with German engines, so they didn’t freeze. These all provided clues for Russell as to why the war in the east had bogged down.
Some people have complained about the ending. It’s a series. Get over it, people. I can’t wait to start the 4th. As I noted above, read them in order.
April 18, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - plot wise not a lot really happens but the atmosphere of suspicion and fear is pervasive and you live the adventure with John and Effi. It is also very informative on life in Berlin at the time. I would say, however, to new readers that it will be a more rewarding read if you have read the preceding novels in the series (Zoo Station & Silesian Station).
December 2, 2013
For those looking for a detailed and evocative description of wartime Berlin, it would be hard to find a better way of getting insight into this time and period.
For those looking for a tight and taut plot that propells the narrative from beginning to end....not so much.
Given how carefully Downing catalogued every breakfast, lunch, dinner, break for tea, stop for cocktails, trip to a coffee shop and more it is not surprising that copious detail and attention are given the quality (poor) of the food in wartime Berlin.
Increased attention is given to Russell's movie star girlfriend, Effi, in this entry in the series, and these are some of the more interesting and well-developed parts. Notably less attention is given to Russell's son, Paul, who appears to be an increasinbly enthusiastic member of the Hitler Youth. This is a lost opportunity for gaining insight into how a nation and a people made the choices they did. Berlin seems oddly well populated by skeptics and resisters otherwise.
Again, with about thirty pages to go to the end, Downing pulls the loose narrative threads together and focuses on a suspenseful denoument. Until then, there are the usual odd assignments, excessive descriptions of plot points and characters from past books in the series, and all that wandering around.
I will probably come back, but for now I'm taking a break from this series.
For those looking for a tight and taut plot that propells the narrative from beginning to end....not so much.
Given how carefully Downing catalogued every breakfast, lunch, dinner, break for tea, stop for cocktails, trip to a coffee shop and more it is not surprising that copious detail and attention are given the quality (poor) of the food in wartime Berlin.
Increased attention is given to Russell's movie star girlfriend, Effi, in this entry in the series, and these are some of the more interesting and well-developed parts. Notably less attention is given to Russell's son, Paul, who appears to be an increasinbly enthusiastic member of the Hitler Youth. This is a lost opportunity for gaining insight into how a nation and a people made the choices they did. Berlin seems oddly well populated by skeptics and resisters otherwise.
Again, with about thirty pages to go to the end, Downing pulls the loose narrative threads together and focuses on a suspenseful denoument. Until then, there are the usual odd assignments, excessive descriptions of plot points and characters from past books in the series, and all that wandering around.
I will probably come back, but for now I'm taking a break from this series.
December 27, 2015
It’s now 1941 in this series & set a few weeks before Pearl Harbour & America’s belated entry (again) into another world war. A lot of the book is dedicated to the effect of the war on the Eastern Front on ordinary Germans in Berlin & the author paints a vivid picture of this. We also experience the start of the removal of the German jews as part of the “resettlement program” in the east & its quite harrowing as you experience this through a family close to the hero who can’t believe the rumours of mass shootings upon their arrival. The holiday postcards are also featured..... We have Goebbels as a character as the hero’s girlfriend is an actress of repute & has to mingle with said Nazis propaganda machine.
The mystery, later this time as it begins at about ½ way through the book, BUT it’s not really solved in the traditional manner as the reader is treated to the machinations of the 3rd Reich through multiple personas be it the elite, the downtrodden, Nazi party members, the communists network, the jews, intelligence services be it American, Abwehr or the SD, American journalists..... to name but a few.
I won’t even mention the ending bit intrigued (very) as to how this will play out going forward!
Great insight for anyone interested in the period.
For me a 4 stars read & onto the next station
The mystery, later this time as it begins at about ½ way through the book, BUT it’s not really solved in the traditional manner as the reader is treated to the machinations of the 3rd Reich through multiple personas be it the elite, the downtrodden, Nazi party members, the communists network, the jews, intelligence services be it American, Abwehr or the SD, American journalists..... to name but a few.
I won’t even mention the ending bit intrigued (very) as to how this will play out going forward!
Great insight for anyone interested in the period.
For me a 4 stars read & onto the next station
June 24, 2020
This is the third novel in the series featuring John Russell, a freelance journalist living and working in Berlin around the time leading up to World War II. It is now November 1941, two years into the war. The leather coated Gestapo are all over the capital, their numbers increasing since the Russian campaign and the economic downturn that followed. Troops are closing around the final rings of Moscow’s defences with predictions they will soon take the city. The political screws are beginning to tighten and Russell knows it is time to get out. If they agreed to let him leave the country, he knows they would use threats against his German girlfriend Effi to ensure he behaved and all the stories he wanted to tell about what was going on in Germany would remain untold. So his plans to leave must include Effi, which means the only way out is an illegal one.
He seeks out Zembeski, the photographer who helped falsify a passport for him in the past to get someone else out of the country. But when he arrives at the studio he finds the space occupied by the Nazis who tell him Zembiski is no longer in business and has been arrested for “activities detrimental to the Reich”. As he leaves, Russel worries whether Zembiski was tortured and if he released Russell name under the pressure.
Effi is continuing to work in propaganda films for Goebbels and is not happy about it, but it puts her in company where she can eavesdrop about what is going on among those loyal to the Reich. She continues to visit the hospitals to cheer up wounded soldiers but becomes more and more traumatized by what she sees and hears. They talk openly about life on the battlefield, of the constant killing of men women and children and their shame at what they have done. Some have been driven mad by it. These experiences make Effi more and more anxious to leave the country even if it means leaving her sister Zarah with whom she has always been close although lately she can no longer confide in her. They are on different sides in this conflict with different concerns and interests. Zarah’s husband Jens is a decent husband and a doting father, but he is a long time Party member with an important job in the Nazi war machine. It is becoming evident he is beginning to suffer under the increasing pressure to meet the Reich's expectations and it is taking its toll on him and his relationship with his wife.
Meanwhile Russell has been working with his contacts in the Communist underground who are tracking trains heading east with thousands of Jews, mostly women, children and old men. They are trying to find out exactly where these trains are headed and what is happening to these people when they reach their destination. If they can get more details about what is going on, Russell could put the information in print when he gets out of the country and let the world know the unsavory facts about Hitler’s Reich. The more facts he has to write the article, the more convincing it will be.
Russell is also doing work for Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr the Wehrmacht intelligence service. he has been translating United States and English newspaper stories, work that does not require him to take sides. He doesn’t believe they read his translations but are just creating work for him to keep him on board, an asset they keep in their back pocket for a time when they need it. He has also been acting as a safe, neutral and deniable communication channel between the Americans and the Admiral, passing information which each had an interest in the other knowing. And then the time when they need him arrives. Canaris asks Russell to carry a coded message to a contact in Prague and in return he promises Russell safe passage to Switzerland where he could be visited by both Effi and Paul. But the mission runs into snags and once again, Russell comes within a hair’s breadth of being in a very dark place.
Russell also tries to help a colleague smuggle information out of the country which details agreements made between German subsidiaries of American companies that would allow them continuing to operate after war is declared. He watches in horror as a big black sedan arrives to carry the journalist off before they can consolidate their plans.
In his nightly forays with the underground resistance, Russell becomes aware of a huge shipment that has arrived for the Reich and is sitting in storage awaiting delivery. The Germans have ordered a large delivery of Zyklon B gas and Russell shudders when he thinks about how they plan to use this lethal material.
Although Russell is not arrested by the Gestapo, they are suspicious of him and continue to do what they can to continue to remind him it does not pay to abuse the Reich’s hospitality. They invite him to visit a fellow journalist who smuggled out a story about a small farm that supplied Hitler and him alone with fresh vegetables while the rest of the nation is starving. He was arrested and jailed in the cell where they had held Russell’s girlfriend Effi, something Russell knows is not a coincidence. He sees his colleague has been interrogated, beaten and tortured and hears the man sobbing as he leaves him behind. Both know he will never be released. And the message to Russell from the Gestapo is clear. The visit was designed to make a point and to scare him.
The Jews continue to be openly persecuted. They are not allowed out after eight in the evening or permitted to have radios. Their telephones have all been disconnected. And they are not the only ones being ill-treated. The Reich is using Russian POWs to defuse unexploded bombs which have landed in the city.
As a large scale war approaches and the United States hovers on the brink of announcing their intentions, life in Berlin becomes more and more difficult. The quality of food in restaurants is poor and most of the lifts in the department stores are out of order, awaiting repair. Even for those with money there is nothing worth buying. Christmas is coming but there are no toys, no meat and precious little alcohol. Of course there is always good food and wine at Nazi gatherings. It is only in those settings that evenings end with Black Forest cake and fragrant coffee. Meanwhile most Berliners suffer from skin lesions, yellow eyes and gastrointestinal problems from their poor diet. Some have given up hope and feel it is not worth going on. A high profile actor commits suicide jumping from a building while Russell and Paul are sightseeing and later Russell witnesses a young man caught with illegal pamphlets hurl himself in front of a moving train rather than be taken away by the authorities.
As rumours of the United States entering the war increase, Russell knows the best future he can expect in Germany is an indefinite period of internment. His unusual mix of national and political loyalties which so far have made him attractive to so many intelligence services would no longer be relevant and he would become just another enemy alien. It would be years before he saw Effi or Paul again. So after the Switzerland project which looked so promising was compromised, Russell must take greater risks to escape.
Once again Downing provides readers with the sights sounds, tone and tension of life in Berlin. Every time he goes out Russell must be concerned he may be followed and uses evasive tactics to avoid potential pursuers. The author provides every detail of the streets he walks, the bridges he crosses and the alleyways he negotiates. It would have been helpful to have a map of the city to follow him, but even without it, each of those details serves to amp up the tension as readers wonder what Russell will encounter beyond the next turn in the road.
In the closing pages, the tension increases further as Russell and Effi attempt an impossible escape and Downing exerts a strong tug on our curiosity to find out what happens next in the series.
He seeks out Zembeski, the photographer who helped falsify a passport for him in the past to get someone else out of the country. But when he arrives at the studio he finds the space occupied by the Nazis who tell him Zembiski is no longer in business and has been arrested for “activities detrimental to the Reich”. As he leaves, Russel worries whether Zembiski was tortured and if he released Russell name under the pressure.
Effi is continuing to work in propaganda films for Goebbels and is not happy about it, but it puts her in company where she can eavesdrop about what is going on among those loyal to the Reich. She continues to visit the hospitals to cheer up wounded soldiers but becomes more and more traumatized by what she sees and hears. They talk openly about life on the battlefield, of the constant killing of men women and children and their shame at what they have done. Some have been driven mad by it. These experiences make Effi more and more anxious to leave the country even if it means leaving her sister Zarah with whom she has always been close although lately she can no longer confide in her. They are on different sides in this conflict with different concerns and interests. Zarah’s husband Jens is a decent husband and a doting father, but he is a long time Party member with an important job in the Nazi war machine. It is becoming evident he is beginning to suffer under the increasing pressure to meet the Reich's expectations and it is taking its toll on him and his relationship with his wife.
Meanwhile Russell has been working with his contacts in the Communist underground who are tracking trains heading east with thousands of Jews, mostly women, children and old men. They are trying to find out exactly where these trains are headed and what is happening to these people when they reach their destination. If they can get more details about what is going on, Russell could put the information in print when he gets out of the country and let the world know the unsavory facts about Hitler’s Reich. The more facts he has to write the article, the more convincing it will be.
Russell is also doing work for Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr the Wehrmacht intelligence service. he has been translating United States and English newspaper stories, work that does not require him to take sides. He doesn’t believe they read his translations but are just creating work for him to keep him on board, an asset they keep in their back pocket for a time when they need it. He has also been acting as a safe, neutral and deniable communication channel between the Americans and the Admiral, passing information which each had an interest in the other knowing. And then the time when they need him arrives. Canaris asks Russell to carry a coded message to a contact in Prague and in return he promises Russell safe passage to Switzerland where he could be visited by both Effi and Paul. But the mission runs into snags and once again, Russell comes within a hair’s breadth of being in a very dark place.
Russell also tries to help a colleague smuggle information out of the country which details agreements made between German subsidiaries of American companies that would allow them continuing to operate after war is declared. He watches in horror as a big black sedan arrives to carry the journalist off before they can consolidate their plans.
In his nightly forays with the underground resistance, Russell becomes aware of a huge shipment that has arrived for the Reich and is sitting in storage awaiting delivery. The Germans have ordered a large delivery of Zyklon B gas and Russell shudders when he thinks about how they plan to use this lethal material.
Although Russell is not arrested by the Gestapo, they are suspicious of him and continue to do what they can to continue to remind him it does not pay to abuse the Reich’s hospitality. They invite him to visit a fellow journalist who smuggled out a story about a small farm that supplied Hitler and him alone with fresh vegetables while the rest of the nation is starving. He was arrested and jailed in the cell where they had held Russell’s girlfriend Effi, something Russell knows is not a coincidence. He sees his colleague has been interrogated, beaten and tortured and hears the man sobbing as he leaves him behind. Both know he will never be released. And the message to Russell from the Gestapo is clear. The visit was designed to make a point and to scare him.
The Jews continue to be openly persecuted. They are not allowed out after eight in the evening or permitted to have radios. Their telephones have all been disconnected. And they are not the only ones being ill-treated. The Reich is using Russian POWs to defuse unexploded bombs which have landed in the city.
As a large scale war approaches and the United States hovers on the brink of announcing their intentions, life in Berlin becomes more and more difficult. The quality of food in restaurants is poor and most of the lifts in the department stores are out of order, awaiting repair. Even for those with money there is nothing worth buying. Christmas is coming but there are no toys, no meat and precious little alcohol. Of course there is always good food and wine at Nazi gatherings. It is only in those settings that evenings end with Black Forest cake and fragrant coffee. Meanwhile most Berliners suffer from skin lesions, yellow eyes and gastrointestinal problems from their poor diet. Some have given up hope and feel it is not worth going on. A high profile actor commits suicide jumping from a building while Russell and Paul are sightseeing and later Russell witnesses a young man caught with illegal pamphlets hurl himself in front of a moving train rather than be taken away by the authorities.
As rumours of the United States entering the war increase, Russell knows the best future he can expect in Germany is an indefinite period of internment. His unusual mix of national and political loyalties which so far have made him attractive to so many intelligence services would no longer be relevant and he would become just another enemy alien. It would be years before he saw Effi or Paul again. So after the Switzerland project which looked so promising was compromised, Russell must take greater risks to escape.
Once again Downing provides readers with the sights sounds, tone and tension of life in Berlin. Every time he goes out Russell must be concerned he may be followed and uses evasive tactics to avoid potential pursuers. The author provides every detail of the streets he walks, the bridges he crosses and the alleyways he negotiates. It would have been helpful to have a map of the city to follow him, but even without it, each of those details serves to amp up the tension as readers wonder what Russell will encounter beyond the next turn in the road.
In the closing pages, the tension increases further as Russell and Effi attempt an impossible escape and Downing exerts a strong tug on our curiosity to find out what happens next in the series.
May 25, 2024
Enjoying this series - very brutal time, interesting characters. And the story continues as the war progresses.
I think this was the best yet.
I think this was the best yet.
June 14, 2014
It must be hard to write any kind of book, fiction or non fiction, set in or around Germany during the Second World War and not at some point come up against the situation of whether 'they’ knew about what was happening to the Jewish population. The ‘hero’ of David Downing’s wonderful ‘Station’ series (you really don’t have to read on any further now, do you? You can guess this is going to be (another) good review, eh?), John Russell has, as in the previous two books, both become aware of something of what is/was happening and has tried to help. That’s not to set him up as an example of being better than ordinary Germans - mainly because he’s English/American - he’s just offering his help, such as it is, to people he knows, in a time of great need. As I’m sure anyone reading these books would hope that they would, were it them in his position. In ‘Stettin Station’, it looks like he is going to find out where all those trains full of Jews leaving Berlin railway stations in the dead of night are going and why. It seems fairly certain that a lot of people, ordinary people, knew something was happening, but the ordinary person didn’t/couldn’t see the whole picture/realise the whole horror of what was being done in their name. They knew people were being taken away and didn’t come back. They perhaps didn’t believe they were being killed as the reason for them not being seen again. Indeed a lot of Jewish people thought their friends were being resettled, happily in the east. They often had postcards from them saying how happy they were as evidence.
But how does John Russell report what he knows?
‘Stettin Station' begins in November 1941 and John Russell is still clinging on to his journalism job, reporting to various American and English newspapers, on goings on - officially and unofficially - in the German capital. He can’t abide or believe the official announcements he and his fellow reporters are fed by the German propaganda ministry, but he daren’t rock the boat too much or he’d risk being kicked out of Germany (if he’s lucky) and thus losing contact with his girlfriend and his son Paul. German troops have blitzkrieged their way to the gates of Moscow (the ‘Gates of Moscow’ are mentioned so often in the books I read on WWII, I’m guessing there were actually once some gates at the start of Moscow city limits?) and look both imperious and unstoppable. As unstoppable as the United States’ entry into the war looks too - Pearl Harbour happens during the book’s timeline. This will mean Russell must leave, or stay as a ‘guest’ of the Reich. Either eventuality will take him away from those he loves most. Through his film star actress girlfriend Effi, we see how the upper strata of German society functioned. Through his son Paul, a German youth being indoctrinated as all German youth were, we see how the regime worked from the bottom, up. Russell is in an unenviable position. Though as he realises more and more, the people who would envy his position are those Jews on the trains heading east. Those who actually arrive wherever it is they’re going, anyway.
It is almost a waste of time trying to review these John Russell and Effi Koenen books, they’re all uniformly excellent it would seem. ‘Stettin Station' is absolutely no different. It is an amazingly rich and detailed glimpse back at life in Berlin in the Second World War. Lord only knows how David Downing has amassed such knowledge. History books will tell you what happened and when, but these books tell you what it felt like and how ‘normal’ life sounded, smelled, touched and tasted. It goes far beyond ‘information’, it is the knowledge of someone who was there at the time. Or has invented time travel. It is as if he himself has only recently returned from Berlin in 1941 and is writing the stories whilst the experiences are fresh in his memory. You feel you can almost reach out and touch Nazi riddled Berlin of 1941. But you are also perhaps very glad you can’t.
It’s quite extraordinary and no mistake. Brilliant book, incredibly good series. Buy them. Read them.
(The question of whether the ordinary German in the streets knew what was going on, is looked at here, partly though John Russell’s late night meetings with his contact at the railways. The question has also cropped up in at least one of the pervious ‘Station’ books. It is pretty clear - to me at least - that the books’ position is ‘yes’, they knew more or less what was happening, but chose to look the other way, giving the Nazis prone to the worst excesses, carte blanche. For an idea of how much the Allies knew and when they knew it, you should head in the direction of Martin Gilbert’s ‘Auschwitz and The Allies’ or the incredible ‘The Holocaust’ also by Martin Gilbert).
But how does John Russell report what he knows?
‘Stettin Station' begins in November 1941 and John Russell is still clinging on to his journalism job, reporting to various American and English newspapers, on goings on - officially and unofficially - in the German capital. He can’t abide or believe the official announcements he and his fellow reporters are fed by the German propaganda ministry, but he daren’t rock the boat too much or he’d risk being kicked out of Germany (if he’s lucky) and thus losing contact with his girlfriend and his son Paul. German troops have blitzkrieged their way to the gates of Moscow (the ‘Gates of Moscow’ are mentioned so often in the books I read on WWII, I’m guessing there were actually once some gates at the start of Moscow city limits?) and look both imperious and unstoppable. As unstoppable as the United States’ entry into the war looks too - Pearl Harbour happens during the book’s timeline. This will mean Russell must leave, or stay as a ‘guest’ of the Reich. Either eventuality will take him away from those he loves most. Through his film star actress girlfriend Effi, we see how the upper strata of German society functioned. Through his son Paul, a German youth being indoctrinated as all German youth were, we see how the regime worked from the bottom, up. Russell is in an unenviable position. Though as he realises more and more, the people who would envy his position are those Jews on the trains heading east. Those who actually arrive wherever it is they’re going, anyway.
It is almost a waste of time trying to review these John Russell and Effi Koenen books, they’re all uniformly excellent it would seem. ‘Stettin Station' is absolutely no different. It is an amazingly rich and detailed glimpse back at life in Berlin in the Second World War. Lord only knows how David Downing has amassed such knowledge. History books will tell you what happened and when, but these books tell you what it felt like and how ‘normal’ life sounded, smelled, touched and tasted. It goes far beyond ‘information’, it is the knowledge of someone who was there at the time. Or has invented time travel. It is as if he himself has only recently returned from Berlin in 1941 and is writing the stories whilst the experiences are fresh in his memory. You feel you can almost reach out and touch Nazi riddled Berlin of 1941. But you are also perhaps very glad you can’t.
It’s quite extraordinary and no mistake. Brilliant book, incredibly good series. Buy them. Read them.
(The question of whether the ordinary German in the streets knew what was going on, is looked at here, partly though John Russell’s late night meetings with his contact at the railways. The question has also cropped up in at least one of the pervious ‘Station’ books. It is pretty clear - to me at least - that the books’ position is ‘yes’, they knew more or less what was happening, but chose to look the other way, giving the Nazis prone to the worst excesses, carte blanche. For an idea of how much the Allies knew and when they knew it, you should head in the direction of Martin Gilbert’s ‘Auschwitz and The Allies’ or the incredible ‘The Holocaust’ also by Martin Gilbert).
May 24, 2021
John Russell is living in Berlin on borrowed time. A resident of Berlin since the 1920s, he is a former Communist, former British subject, and present American citizen. That citizenship—his father was British, his mother American—has kept him in country since England declared war on Germany, but if Japan attacks America (as expected), and if Germany comes to Japan’s defense (as also expected), Russell’s U.S. passport will be a liability, rather than an asset.
Why would anyone want to remain in Nazi Germany during World War II? Russell’s career as a journalist is the ostensible answer. The real answer is his teenage son Paul and his actress girlfriend Effi Koenen. Berlin is home because they are his loved ones.
Over the years, in order to stay close to Effi and Paul, Russell has done favors for the intelligence services of the Soviet Union, England, America, and even Germany. (He was a double agent for the Soviets against the Nazis.) At present, he’s working for Admiral Wilhelm Canaris’ Abwehr. Working for the nationalist but anti-Nazi Canaris is better than working for the SD or the Gestapo, and so far, safer, but now Russell finds himself a pawn in the battle between Canaris and Himmler.
Needing a way out of Germany, and quick, Russell turns to the only group organized enough to effect an escape: the Communists. But he knows that the bill for doing so will come due some day. Will it be too high?
Stettin Station is the story of why Russell finds himself in such a parlous state, and how the Communists get him out. But there’s a heart-wrenching plot twist you won’t see coming, and when it comes, you’ll wonder whether all the effort put toward escape was really worth it.
I loved this novel, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have read the previous novels in the series. Start with Zoo Station if you haven’t, and work your way through the series.
Why would anyone want to remain in Nazi Germany during World War II? Russell’s career as a journalist is the ostensible answer. The real answer is his teenage son Paul and his actress girlfriend Effi Koenen. Berlin is home because they are his loved ones.
Over the years, in order to stay close to Effi and Paul, Russell has done favors for the intelligence services of the Soviet Union, England, America, and even Germany. (He was a double agent for the Soviets against the Nazis.) At present, he’s working for Admiral Wilhelm Canaris’ Abwehr. Working for the nationalist but anti-Nazi Canaris is better than working for the SD or the Gestapo, and so far, safer, but now Russell finds himself a pawn in the battle between Canaris and Himmler.
Needing a way out of Germany, and quick, Russell turns to the only group organized enough to effect an escape: the Communists. But he knows that the bill for doing so will come due some day. Will it be too high?
Stettin Station is the story of why Russell finds himself in such a parlous state, and how the Communists get him out. But there’s a heart-wrenching plot twist you won’t see coming, and when it comes, you’ll wonder whether all the effort put toward escape was really worth it.
I loved this novel, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have read the previous novels in the series. Start with Zoo Station if you haven’t, and work your way through the series.
Book Reviewed
David Downing, Stettin Station (New York: SoHo Crime, 2010).
P.S. If you liked my review, please click “Helpful” on my Amazon review page.
September 13, 2013
Stettin Station is the third book in the John Russell and Effi Koenen series. The strengths of the tale are the characterisation, sense of atmosphere and place, and the historicisation. Russell and Koenen are well realised and rounded characters and they are accompanied by a broad spectrum of nicely penned others, including journalists, administrators, various forms of police, family, friends and other citizens. Downing manages to nicely blend the everyday realities and complexities of living in Berlin during the war with the politics and machinations of a police state and his role as a foreign journalist. The result is a story that captures the everydayness of getting on with lives in a state of perpetual background fear, and the tactics of surviving and resisting. Moreover, by utilising real events and occasionally real historical characters, Downing provides a semblance of authenticity. Where the book suffers a little is with regards to the plot. Whilst it is an interesting story the tale seemed largely a transitory one, moving the characters into place for the next instalment rather than having its own self-contained arc and denouement. Moreover, the ending seemed somewhat contrived and didn’t ring true to me. Nonetheless, Stettin Station is a solid addition to a very good series and I look forward to reading the next instalment.
May 24, 2019
Why, she wondered, would anyone sane start a war? p250
The short answer is that war is by definition legislated insanity.
Over the course of this 3rd volume in the series DD ups the ante as he traces the last frenzied months in Berlin and environs, before the war became official and in the months to follow. John Russell has an ominous feeling that his lucky status as a neutral journalist is about to turn. As it does for anyone lucky enough to have escaped the Nazi death notice.
I worry about him not coming back, and I worry about who he will be if he does come back. p34
I'm not certain if its because I'm now so fond of the main characters that I feel the writing is even tighter and almost unbearingly tense. I've got the next volume and having a hard time keeping it in its place in the queue beside the bed.
The short answer is that war is by definition legislated insanity.
Over the course of this 3rd volume in the series DD ups the ante as he traces the last frenzied months in Berlin and environs, before the war became official and in the months to follow. John Russell has an ominous feeling that his lucky status as a neutral journalist is about to turn. As it does for anyone lucky enough to have escaped the Nazi death notice.
I worry about him not coming back, and I worry about who he will be if he does come back. p34
I'm not certain if its because I'm now so fond of the main characters that I feel the writing is even tighter and almost unbearingly tense. I've got the next volume and having a hard time keeping it in its place in the queue beside the bed.
March 17, 2018
The third in the series of a journalist with an American passport living in Berlin during the war - this is now late 1941 and the deterioration of American-Japanese relationships increases the potential for US entry into the war. Anxiety about deportation or internment is increased when he asked to carry a message to Prague. Excellent book.
August 22, 2018
Another epic adventure of our dearest John Russell, with lots of coups de théâtre in the plot.
I must say the suspence grows page after page, and the last third of the book displays plenty of thrilling scenes.
I must say the suspence grows page after page, and the last third of the book displays plenty of thrilling scenes.
July 30, 2019
The continued saga of John Russell and his fiance Effi Koenen does not disappoint. There are so many twists and turns in this installment of Downings Station series that a running list of names is handy. It is helpful to read the series books in order, and the ending of Stettin Station will leave you needing to move on to the next one right away.
We find the story opening in December of 1941 in Berlin, the Germans are straining for Moscow, the Gestapo, SD, the Abwehr, and the Americans all have some use for American journalist Russell, practically a native Berliner by now. But its not a good thing to become embroiled between competing intelligence agencies within the Reich, and the Gestapo gets wind of Russell's activities in 1939. These activities do not please them. Its a cloak and dagger cat and mouse game now, as John and Effi make the decision to call upon their old Communist comrades for help escaping the Reich. The cost is high, the way of escape difficult, opportunities lost, close calls at every stop along the flight. Do they make it? One turns back for the sake of the other.
By book three of the series, the characters are well developed old friends. We have seen John grow from a journalist with certain immunities due to his trade, to a savvy and suspicious veteran of espionage. His son, now in the Hitler Youth, and his ex-wife's family are well known to us now, and we ache with sorrow for the tension the broken family has caused. The personal aspects of the story contribute to major plot decisions.
The book feels a little more mature in style and story than the first, and I look forward to reading Potsdam Station next.
We find the story opening in December of 1941 in Berlin, the Germans are straining for Moscow, the Gestapo, SD, the Abwehr, and the Americans all have some use for American journalist Russell, practically a native Berliner by now. But its not a good thing to become embroiled between competing intelligence agencies within the Reich, and the Gestapo gets wind of Russell's activities in 1939. These activities do not please them. Its a cloak and dagger cat and mouse game now, as John and Effi make the decision to call upon their old Communist comrades for help escaping the Reich. The cost is high, the way of escape difficult, opportunities lost, close calls at every stop along the flight. Do they make it? One turns back for the sake of the other.
By book three of the series, the characters are well developed old friends. We have seen John grow from a journalist with certain immunities due to his trade, to a savvy and suspicious veteran of espionage. His son, now in the Hitler Youth, and his ex-wife's family are well known to us now, and we ache with sorrow for the tension the broken family has caused. The personal aspects of the story contribute to major plot decisions.
The book feels a little more mature in style and story than the first, and I look forward to reading Potsdam Station next.
February 27, 2021
#3 in an excellent series of historical novels, each named for one of the train stations surrounding the city of Berlin . Action takes place from 1939-1942 (so far).
February 7, 2017
This is the 3rd installment of John Russell's ongoing struggles. In this story he finds himself in an increasingly complicated situation. "In reality he had done nothing to help Nazi Germany and several things to impede it, but the number of people who could actually testify to that fact were decidedly thin on the ground. If all of them dropped dead before the war's end he would have some difficult explaining to do."
The story begins in the fall of 1941 when the Nazis are apparently about to take Moscow and presumably end the war. The unanswered question of the moment was how and when the US would enter the war. The situation in Berlin was in a holding pattern. The Brits were gone. The Soviets were gone. The Americans were still there represented by diplomats, businessmen, and of course, reporters. "And four more different Americans were hard to imagine: a cosmopolitan diplomat, an ex-actor turned Nazi, a would-be spymaster from California and an essentially German communist. Not to mention himself, the American who had only spent six weeks in his homeland. Yet they were all in Berlin waiting ..."
It's difficult for me to like John Russell and understand his judgment calls. He finds himself running missions for the German Abwehr, which in turn, is being monitored by the Gestapo; but is passing messages to the Americans. He is supposed to be gathering information for the Americans, but keeps putting off that obligation because he considers that too dangerous. In the meantime, he keeps turning for help to the Communists that have betrayed him in the past. As John keeps agonizing over his situation, his ex-brother-in-law Thomas is a Schindler-like character who employs Jews in his print enterprise. His girlfriend Effi is an actress who has to keep her opposition to the regime under wraps. The lure of these novels is the way Downing captures the atmosphere of ordinary life in Berlin.
There is a great commentary about news in the Reich: "... all the papers would be carrying the same stories. ... What one paper said, they all said, and were equally disbelieved ...
And yet, despite themselves, the German newspapers did offer their readers a mirror to the real situation. It was merely a matter of learning to read between the lines. Over recent weeks, for example, there had been many articles stressing the inherent difficulties of the war in the East: the inhuman strength of the primitive Russian soldier, the extremes of climate and conditions. Prepare yourself for setbacks, the subtext read, we may have bitten off more than we can chew."
The story begins in the fall of 1941 when the Nazis are apparently about to take Moscow and presumably end the war. The unanswered question of the moment was how and when the US would enter the war. The situation in Berlin was in a holding pattern. The Brits were gone. The Soviets were gone. The Americans were still there represented by diplomats, businessmen, and of course, reporters. "And four more different Americans were hard to imagine: a cosmopolitan diplomat, an ex-actor turned Nazi, a would-be spymaster from California and an essentially German communist. Not to mention himself, the American who had only spent six weeks in his homeland. Yet they were all in Berlin waiting ..."
It's difficult for me to like John Russell and understand his judgment calls. He finds himself running missions for the German Abwehr, which in turn, is being monitored by the Gestapo; but is passing messages to the Americans. He is supposed to be gathering information for the Americans, but keeps putting off that obligation because he considers that too dangerous. In the meantime, he keeps turning for help to the Communists that have betrayed him in the past. As John keeps agonizing over his situation, his ex-brother-in-law Thomas is a Schindler-like character who employs Jews in his print enterprise. His girlfriend Effi is an actress who has to keep her opposition to the regime under wraps. The lure of these novels is the way Downing captures the atmosphere of ordinary life in Berlin.
There is a great commentary about news in the Reich: "... all the papers would be carrying the same stories. ... What one paper said, they all said, and were equally disbelieved ...
And yet, despite themselves, the German newspapers did offer their readers a mirror to the real situation. It was merely a matter of learning to read between the lines. Over recent weeks, for example, there had been many articles stressing the inherent difficulties of the war in the East: the inhuman strength of the primitive Russian soldier, the extremes of climate and conditions. Prepare yourself for setbacks, the subtext read, we may have bitten off more than we can chew."
November 2, 2011
“Stettin Station” continues the story of John Russell, a British/American journalist living in Berlin during WWII. While the last three books focused more on espionage and Russell’s involvement with the Nazi’s, the Americans, and the Russians, this book focuses more on the personal life of Russell and the events and decisions he has to make in order to survive. Once again David Downing’s writing is excellent and he is able to create such incredible tension and anxiety about this period in history with just a few words. You can’t help but read one of his books and be completely transported to a different time and place. When I read one of Downing’s books I find myself sitting on the edge, eager to rush ahead and make sure that everything is going to be okay. The ending of this book…well…it’s not what I expected or wanted…but it’s realistic and in keeping with what the characters have been going though. And it left me with much anticipation for the next book.
June 23, 2017
This is now the 3rd book that I have read in the John Russell series and I have enjoyed all of them. This book is set in 1941 in Germany just before the US become involved in the war. It is a spy/mystery novel and the protagonist John Russell seems to get himself involved with German, Soviet and American spy agencies. Very suspenseful and a very compelling read. It maintains a very believeability factor which is very good for a spy book. I really enjoyed how the book caught the flavor of what it was like to live in Berlin during the war under the control of the Nazi party. If the Gestapo catches a contact you will only have 24 hours before they talk.
July 23, 2014
It's rare I get frustrated when a book ends and I want *more* now but this series became so good and this book (which is the best so far, though Zoo and Silesian were excellent too) is so compelling and the characters' arc so interesting that I got upset when it ended, re-read it twice and the next book (hopefully tbp in 2010) Postdamer Station is an asap...
February 14, 2017
A two star review seems somewhat mean, I quite liked many aspects of the book but, going by the goodreads rating system, overall I thought it was ok. I feel like I should clarify that I really enjoyed the two previous books (especially the first which is superb), however, I felt that the plot let this instalment down somewhat.
March 13, 2017
I had not come across David Downing before and have entered this series of books mid way through. However I did get a sense of the tense and dangerous nature of everyday life in 1941 Germany. I will seek out some more of this 'John Russell' set and maybe Hinson fiction books . If you enjoy Philip Kerr maybe you should try David Downing.
October 26, 2013
Downing continues this fascinating series. His writing about Berlin prior to WWII and its aftermath is heartbreaking, but he puts just enough romance and humor into the story to make it readable, even through the dark settings.
June 21, 2013
War is hell. Especially if you are living in hell's capital.
Potsdam Station next- where just about everybody gets off the line.
Permanently.
Potsdam Station next- where just about everybody gets off the line.
Permanently.
June 19, 2019
Much better than book 2, with a lot more action, tension, and plot.
June 15, 2020
Finished the first book Zoo Station and moved straight to the second and then the third novel in Downing's Station Series.
It's pretty much more of the same, so if you enjoyed Book One then you'll like the others too, and contrary-wise. I'd advise reading the series in order if you can, though the novels would work as stand-alones too.
There's good period atmosphere, enough of a history lesson without coming over heavy-handed and burdened by research. I like that Downing shows it's not a simple matter of Bad Germans,Good Brits/Americans and Scheming Communists. Choices and circumstances, good and bad luck, character, strength and weakness, courage and conviction, all are in play. For e.g., the willingness of big international corporations to do business with Nazi Germany enabled Hitler to fight his war. There's realistic muddy, shades of grey morality, complex decisions, tangled loyalties, love and friendship.
John Russell is a sympathetic everyman character caught in a horribly difficult situation, about to get much worse as the US edges closer to entering the war. So far blitzkrieg has brought Germany easy victories, vast territory to occupy, millions of forced and slave labourers. However, already there are signs it is not going well in the east, particularly in Russia, where the Germans have halted short of Moscow as winter sets in, and in the Caucasus, failed to secure essential oil supplies. There are rumours about mass shootings and soldiers returning from the Eastern front traumatised by what they are being asked to do.
The love story between Russell and German film star girlfriend Effi is engaging and tense. As is Russell's relationship with his adolescent son Paul. Then there's his ongoing, reluctant role as a spy and go-between, caught in a web of espionage and intrigue involving Germany, the Soviet Union and the USA. All he wants is to survive the war and be with his family. In his role as journalist his focus is on trying to tell the world the full extent of what is going on in Nazi Germany, the concentration camps, euthanasia of the disabled, deportation and mass killings of Jews, Russian POWs, homosexuals, and all those considered subhuman in Hitler's Reich.
I'm enjoying the books, though I can see others disagree. I am very interested in the period and have read extensively, fiction and nonfiction. Downing does a good job depicting life in Hitler's Germany, how that changes with the outbreak of war and its escalating costs, for armed forces, civilians, the hunted and persecuted, those who support the regime and those trying to resist.
It's pretty much more of the same, so if you enjoyed Book One then you'll like the others too, and contrary-wise. I'd advise reading the series in order if you can, though the novels would work as stand-alones too.
There's good period atmosphere, enough of a history lesson without coming over heavy-handed and burdened by research. I like that Downing shows it's not a simple matter of Bad Germans,Good Brits/Americans and Scheming Communists. Choices and circumstances, good and bad luck, character, strength and weakness, courage and conviction, all are in play. For e.g., the willingness of big international corporations to do business with Nazi Germany enabled Hitler to fight his war. There's realistic muddy, shades of grey morality, complex decisions, tangled loyalties, love and friendship.
John Russell is a sympathetic everyman character caught in a horribly difficult situation, about to get much worse as the US edges closer to entering the war. So far blitzkrieg has brought Germany easy victories, vast territory to occupy, millions of forced and slave labourers. However, already there are signs it is not going well in the east, particularly in Russia, where the Germans have halted short of Moscow as winter sets in, and in the Caucasus, failed to secure essential oil supplies. There are rumours about mass shootings and soldiers returning from the Eastern front traumatised by what they are being asked to do.
The love story between Russell and German film star girlfriend Effi is engaging and tense. As is Russell's relationship with his adolescent son Paul. Then there's his ongoing, reluctant role as a spy and go-between, caught in a web of espionage and intrigue involving Germany, the Soviet Union and the USA. All he wants is to survive the war and be with his family. In his role as journalist his focus is on trying to tell the world the full extent of what is going on in Nazi Germany, the concentration camps, euthanasia of the disabled, deportation and mass killings of Jews, Russian POWs, homosexuals, and all those considered subhuman in Hitler's Reich.
I'm enjoying the books, though I can see others disagree. I am very interested in the period and have read extensively, fiction and nonfiction. Downing does a good job depicting life in Hitler's Germany, how that changes with the outbreak of war and its escalating costs, for armed forces, civilians, the hunted and persecuted, those who support the regime and those trying to resist.
May 26, 2018
This is the third novel of a six book series that I have really been enjoying. Stettin Station begins about 2 years after the prior novel in the series, a jump in time that unbalanced me a little. This story covers a short period of time in Berlin, from November 17, 1941 until the end of the year. Roughly six weeks. The reasons I like this series are here, the detailed look at life in Berlin under the Nazi regime, visits to nearby areas I am unfamiliar with (it helps to be s slight geography geek) and the cast of characters. Perhaps a few too many to keep track of I decided as I read. The plot here is rather minimal compared to the earlier books and since we know what is going to happen 3 weeks after the story opens our main worry is what is going to happen to the people we care about when Japan attacks America and Germany soon thereafter declares war against America. When one sees how bad things are for the average German in November 1941 it is hard to imagine how Hitler and associates thought a bigger war would be better. (Hitler had apparently been advised to not go to war with America but decided almost on a whim a few days after Pearl Harbor to declare war on the US. One of the biggest mistakes he ever made.)
I think this novel is a little weaker than the earlier entries but it does have moments of excitement, especially when the story kicks into a higher gear midway through, and I am very eager to continue the series and read the next book, Potsdam Station. I would recommend that anyone interested in these books start with the first novel, Zoo Station, and read them in order. Downing does a good job of refreshing the reader's memory of people and events from prior books, and this could certainly be read as a standalone, but the reader would then miss out on a lot of the backstory that informs this novel.
I think this novel is a little weaker than the earlier entries but it does have moments of excitement, especially when the story kicks into a higher gear midway through, and I am very eager to continue the series and read the next book, Potsdam Station. I would recommend that anyone interested in these books start with the first novel, Zoo Station, and read them in order. Downing does a good job of refreshing the reader's memory of people and events from prior books, and this could certainly be read as a standalone, but the reader would then miss out on a lot of the backstory that informs this novel.
February 4, 2018
The early winter of 1941 goes from bad to worse for the Wehrmacht outside of Moscow. It seems to be the same for John Russell, an Anglo-American journalist in Nazi Berlin. In this third installment of David Downing's on-going Russell saga, John finds himself in a precarious position after playing the Soviets, Nazis, British and Americans off on another in order to stay in Berlin with his film star girlfriend and young son.
I felt Stettin Station's story had a chaotic beginning. The book starts about 9 months after the previous novel, Zoo Station, ends. There were a few new characters added this time around without any introduction or background provided. It was if I'd slept through a portion of the narrative, or perhaps a large portion of the story was left on the editors floor. As the book progresses the story does become a bit more cohesive as, ironically, those newly introduced characters are almost totally forgotten.
The story develops at its own pace resulting in John and film star Effie finding themselves in grave danger fleeing the Gestapo. Stettin Station has a significantly different ending from the previous two novels. It will be interesting to see where David Downing takes the story from this point forward.
A comment on the production quality of the audiobook published by Audible Studios. The sound editing was horrendously bad. The cuts and edits were very evident as a result of differing tone and recording levels. If the edits had been done at chapter breaks that wouldn't have been so jarring, but when they happen mid-sentence it has a tendency to break the narrative and put one's ears on edge. The production rating on this audiobook is one star. I would encourage Audible Studios to clean up the mess of an edit job and re-issue this title.
I felt Stettin Station's story had a chaotic beginning. The book starts about 9 months after the previous novel, Zoo Station, ends. There were a few new characters added this time around without any introduction or background provided. It was if I'd slept through a portion of the narrative, or perhaps a large portion of the story was left on the editors floor. As the book progresses the story does become a bit more cohesive as, ironically, those newly introduced characters are almost totally forgotten.
The story develops at its own pace resulting in John and film star Effie finding themselves in grave danger fleeing the Gestapo. Stettin Station has a significantly different ending from the previous two novels. It will be interesting to see where David Downing takes the story from this point forward.
A comment on the production quality of the audiobook published by Audible Studios. The sound editing was horrendously bad. The cuts and edits were very evident as a result of differing tone and recording levels. If the edits had been done at chapter breaks that wouldn't have been so jarring, but when they happen mid-sentence it has a tendency to break the narrative and put one's ears on edge. The production rating on this audiobook is one star. I would encourage Audible Studios to clean up the mess of an edit job and re-issue this title.
November 26, 2017
This book, the third in the John Russell series, covers Russell's experiences in Berlin in November and December of 1941: the period immediately before and after America's entrance into World War II. The strengths of the series--incredible mastery of atmosphere and setting--are showcased here. The author has clearly done his research, and the payoff is in lavish, immersive descriptions of Berlin, its streets, shops, offices, restaurants, cafes, rides on the U-Bahn and S-Bahn. Berlin's residents are haunted, suspicious, hungry, sleep-deprived (owing to frequent nighttime British bombing raids), and largely ignorant of the war's true progress, thanks to the pervasive propaganda machine controlled by Goebbels (who makes one or two brief appearances here).
Russell's daily travels around Berlin bounce him among his contacts in the Luftwaffe, the Communist underground, and the American consulate, among the foreign press corps, with suspicious Gestapo agents, and with his 14-year-old son Paul, and his girlfriend Effi. The main problem with the book is that these comings and goings never gel into any sort of overarching plot. As a result, the book reads more like a series of short stories (some more interesting than others) than a novel.
Russell's daily travels around Berlin bounce him among his contacts in the Luftwaffe, the Communist underground, and the American consulate, among the foreign press corps, with suspicious Gestapo agents, and with his 14-year-old son Paul, and his girlfriend Effi. The main problem with the book is that these comings and goings never gel into any sort of overarching plot. As a result, the book reads more like a series of short stories (some more interesting than others) than a novel.
November 20, 2022
The John Russell series of thrillers is very enjoyable. It engages one's interest partly because of the author's deep knowledge of the geography of Berlin in the 1930s and during World War II. At least it appears to be deep knowledge; how are we to know if Downing fabricates a lot of details? One of the satisfying things about these stories is the development of John Russell's relationships. During the timeframe of Stettin Station, Paul (Russell) Gehrts is 14, and he's having trouble coming to terms with his father being Anglo-American, that is, an enemy of the German Reich.
Effi Koenen, John's girlfriend, is a film star. She appears rather shallow, but, as times get tough and decisions must be made, Effi reveals, or perhaps creates, skills and attitudes we might not have expected of her.
Stettin Station is a very pleasant read, and I look forward to the next in the series: Potsdam Station.
Effi Koenen, John's girlfriend, is a film star. She appears rather shallow, but, as times get tough and decisions must be made, Effi reveals, or perhaps creates, skills and attitudes we might not have expected of her.
Stettin Station is a very pleasant read, and I look forward to the next in the series: Potsdam Station.
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