An Interlude in Berlin

by Jefferson Flanders

Berlin, January 1959. Dillon Randolph, a young Foreign Service officer, arrives at the U.S. Mission in Berlin hoping for a fresh start after a messy scandal at his last embassy posting. A Soviet ultimatum designed to force the Allies from the city and stop the flow of East Germans to the West has put Berliners on edge.


When Dillon meets Christa Schiller, an actress from the famed Berliner Ensemble, their romance entangles him in a KGB plot designed to intensify the crisis. Dillon and Christa are plunged into the shadowy struggle between competing spy agencies where the innocent become bargaining chips in a game with life-and-death consequences.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Germany, Thriller, Mystery, War, Espionage

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 2, 2018

About the author

Jefferson Flanders, a novelist, has been a sportswriter, columnist, editor, and publishing executive.

He is the author of CAFÉ CAROLINA AND OTHER STORIES, and the critically acclaimed First Trumpet trilogy of HERALD SQUARE, THE NORTH BUILDING, and THE HILL OF THREE BORDERS.

Reviews

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this meticulously crafted Cold War spy thriller, historical auteur Jefferson Flanders scores big. Highly recommended for fans of John le Carré.

Check out the rest of my review on BestThrillers.com

[Harold Kasselman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jefferson Flanders writes with an understated style of writing akin to the "stiff upper lip"of the English stereotype. I love his works. He writes intelligently and educates his reader about the history of the cold war. In this case it is the creation of the island of Berlin amid the conquering nations after the war. The Soviets and East Germans battle the English and American spy agencies for supremacy of Berlin and with it an advance in world leadership. Some of the characters and double agents are real historical figures which greatly adds to the drama Flanders creates.The characters of Dillon and Christa will create a love affair of immense sadness, but the exultation of a free Berlin leaves the reader upbeat.

[Melinda M · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Interlude in Berlin by Jefferson Flanders is a cold war thriller. Jefferson Flanders teaches as well as writes a thrilling spy story. It is set in Berlin and of course concerns a crisis. it is well written and organized. The story flows and keeps your interest.
I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.

[Anne Hamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! Mr Flanders transports the reader to post WWII Europe for tales of intrigue and espionage and romance. A true page-turner that I couldn't put down.

[Joy Cagil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to begin by saying that I truly enjoyed reading this novel. Its story was also a way of recalling history through the author Jefferson Flanders’ words since I have a few years on me. As an added bonus, Flanders informs the reader with a short historical data at the end of the book.

In the story’s setup, the American diplomat Dillon Randolph, after his scandal with a married woman in Australia, is sent to Berlin with no distinct job description. At this time, the communists find out about Dillon’s scandal and deeming him a soft target, they set the actress Christa Schiller on him threatening her with the harsh treatment of her brother who is in their jail. They tell Christa they’ll set her brother free if she succeeds to trap Dillon. Their underlying intention is to intensify the crisis between the West and Russia. The intense love story of Dillon and Christa and the wheelings and dealings of the spies on both sides compose the gist of the plot, which has a realistic and credible ending.

One thing I favored, added to the storytelling skills of the author, was that it contained almost no blood and gore. Yet, it had quite a bit of action and adventure, and good and bad parties--even the double agents--were clearly defined. The plot construction is superb with each scene a success and the scenes connect well without veering off the story’s arc.

In addition, the appeal factors of the story were the main players as finely developed protagonists and antagonists and well-rounded secondary characters, a star-crossed love story, and intelligent and capable spies' actions and reactions. The author also stayed away from showing the Germans of East Berlin and even the Russians as terrible people. They all had their agendas but they had an honorability or a saving point in their characters, too.

The descriptions are exquisite without being florid because the author draws a clear, exact, and vivid pictures of Berlin, of both the eastern and the western sections. The subtlety of clues and details, the intrigue, and the rather fast-moving action enhance the drama in the story.

I think historical fiction readers and spy-fiction enthusiasts will find this book well worth their time.

[Missy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit this was a very confusing book for me, lots of characters to keep track of, and the topic was just kind of off for me. But, if you like pre-Cold War romantic fiction, then this is the book for you. I loved the story between Dillon Randolph, an American working as a diplomat in Berlin, and Christa, an actress from what becomes East Berlin – basically a wrong side of the tracks romance. Christa works with the KGB to release her brother who is in prison because he spoke out against the new government. The KGB sets her up with Dillon because he is an easy American target to get inside information to develop the East more. Enter Felix Hawes who works for the English Intelligence, and his righthand man, Victor, who are investigating who the “rat” is for the English telling secrets to the Russians and becomes the mastermind of breaking her brother out of prison and putting a downfall to the KGB before the beginning of East and West Germany. And a whole flood of other characters that just really got confusing for me to keep track who each was and who they were working for. In the end, plans don’t go as they wanted. Fast forward two years and you have a little story about the beginning of the building of the Berlin Wall. The Epilogue for me was even more confusing because it takes place as the Berlin Wall is about to come down and introduces even more characters.

I enjoyed the story of Dillon and Christa, I wish there would have been more of their story. In all it was an okay story, not a part of history that I have read much about. Had it been more about Dillon and Christa and not so much on the other secondary characters it would have been better.



I received a copy of this from Goodreads in exchange for my honest review.

[Stephanie Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I would like this book. I’m not a big historical fiction lover. However I won this on a Goodreads giveaway and felt it was only fair to give it a shot.

And wow I’m so glad I did. The story keeps your interest the entire time - from start to finish.

I was also expecting maybe some gore-like scenes but surprisingly there were little to none. Which I feel some people will appreciate.

Overall this book has a fascinating plot and I hope it gets created into a movie one day.

[Brian Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a spy story set in Berlin in 1959, when tensions were high between the US and the Soviets over the future of the city. The Soviets, via the East Berlin Stasi, coerce an attractive actress, Christa Schmitt, into seducing a newly arrived US diplomat, Dillon Randolph, in order to compromise him. Through coincidence this plan comes to the attention of a British intelligence agent, Felix Hawes, who has been sent to Berlin to identify a traitor who is leaking secrets from the British Mission to the Soviets. Hawes sees a way to use the East Berlin honey pot scheme to help him identify the traitor at the British Mission. He approaches Dillon to work with him against the Soviets. Dillon who has fallen in love with Christa is reluctant to place her in jeopardy, but agrees to work with Hawes.

It's an easy read: interesting story with interesting characters in an interesting location. There's all the ingredients of a cold war spy novel: an American diplomat, a beautiful woman, political intrigue, British spy-catchers, nasty East Germans and scheming Russians. Despite that, the end product lacks the edge you expect in spy fiction. It's bland and lifeless, a disappointment in view of the potential for a terrific story. Dillon is difficult to take seriously. As one of the intelligence officers said of him, a diplomat who cannot keep it in his pants is trouble waiting to happen. There's a lingering question why the Russians are interested in him because he is junior without access to secret information. We are told at the end that he has had a brilliant career, but no evidence of that is produced. Dillon comes across as a naive entitled son of a politician who got the Berlin posting solely because of his connections and his ability to speak German. On the other hand, the British spycatcher Hawes comes across as the hero of the story, even though he does not initially catch the mole in the British Mission in Berlin. The end of the book is a bit of a mishmash and oddly introduces a couple of new characters, a photographer and a journalist. There may be a point in including a scenario about he fall of the Berlin Wall, but it escaped me.

The Berlin setting is well presented, there's an authentic feeling about it, which helps in creating atmosphere. The notes at the beginning and ending of the book about the political situation are good for putting the story in context.

It's an OK story that could have been a good one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of the book to review. The views expressed are my own.

[Clazzzer C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great cold war thriller. I really enjoyed it. It was unpredictable and highly engaging. I read it very quickly and really did not want to put it down. It's a novel that will appeal to anybody interested in a good thriller based in the cold war era. It flowed and was very well written. Dillon and Christa were both highly credible, their characters worked well with one another. There was nothing about this book that I didn't like. I look forward in the future to reading much more from Jefferson Flanders.

[Gerry Rickard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit I love any story set in Cold War era Berlin, so I was positively biased toward this book before I even read the first page. And it did not disappoint. An entertaining story and also one that taught me some things about the time period.

[oohlalabooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually watch this type of espionage Cold War thrillers at the movies, so I was pleasantly surprised this book read like one! It’s suspenseful, entertaining and fast paced. Great book to read in one sitting! Thanks to the author for an ebook copy through Goodreads. This is my honest review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

It really pulled me in

I really enjoyed the story and the characters. I only wish I could have found out what happened to Christa.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

GA An Interlude in Berlin is an excellent slice of life in the vibrant city of Berlin following the Second World War, from 1958 through August 12, 1961 and the Wall going up. After reading this novel it is much easier to picture the tensions and sparring between the four factions controlling their sections of Berlin following the German defeat, and to understand the reasoning behind the almost inevitable raising of the wall.

Jefferson Flanders writes a tight, well paced story, with marvelous scenes taking place in Berlin. His characters are empathetic and his facts are well researched. This is a novel I am pleased to recommend to family and friends. We need to understand the side effects of that wall before we find ourselves on one side of our own.

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Goodreads Giveaway, Jefferson Flanders, and Munroe Hill Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Posted at B&N 7/25/18

[L.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning in 1959 in Berlin, at a time of high tension and double-crossing, this story mixes just enough realism to the plot to maintain credibility, while weaving a most believable plot of spies, conspiracy and double-agents to keep the reader enthralled and needing to know more.

For Dillon Randolph, Berlin is a chance to escape wagging tongues at home and start afresh as a US diplomat. Romance was to be avoided at all costs.
Enter Christa, an actress from East Berlin, with a desperate desire to see her brother freed from the clutches of the Stasi.
An East German plot is born: Christa is to seduce the American and 'deliver' him to the authorities on the East German side of the city, in return for her brother's freedom.
When British 'spy catcher', Hawes, learns of the plan, he intercepts in a bid to unmask the leak in British security following the recent spy debacles involving Philby & Maclean. Determined to root out another potential defector, Hawes concocts a new conspiracy and draws upon the support of his contacts of old to make it happen.
Of course, as in any good spy story, things don't always go to plan, which is what keeps the reader invested in the story.
A thoroughly good read, with several interesting subplots running alongside the main story.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done Cold War novel.

"An Interlude in Berlin" is a well done novel of the Cold War. It is about two people caught up in a small interlude of an ongoing struggle.
Centered in Berlin in before the infamous wall was built by the East Germans. It tell the story of two people who are brought together by the design of others, men who were used to manipulating people as it they were pawns on a chessboard.

Dillon Randolph , an American diplomat who was sent home in dis grace from his first posting because of sordid love affair with a married woman that ended in her attempted suicide,is given another chance , mainly because of the influence of his father, an important man among the Washington policy elites. Dillon is handed a diplomatic post in Berlin and warned to keep his nose clean and his zipper zipped.
Meanwhile, in east Berlin, Christa Shiller is called to the Stasi ( secret police)HQ. There, an East German secret policeman and his Russian overlord offer her a way to get her brother out of prison: she would be allowed to go to West Berlin where she , would be shown a western diplomat to seduce. Do that, and her brother would be free, she is promised.
Christa, an actress of some repute in the East, goes to the job awaiting her. She is soon starring in the theater, getting good reviews. And soon, she is shown her target: Dillion Randolph.

What happens thereafter is an absorbing story of a love affair that is more troubled that most, as the two are manipulated by lies and cynicism form their handlers. They are witnesses to and actors in dangerous times in the divided city.
I thought that both of the primary characters were well-written, so that I was sympathetic to the dangers surrounding them . The author also did a good job of painting the background of Berlin , a city of light on one side and of darkness on the other, and a lot of gray everywhere .
The novel,is about Dillon and Christa and while it also about espionage, and contains some " spy craft" it never gets lost in trying to be LeCarre-like in complexity. Nor is it filled car chases boms or gun fights.
" An Interlude in Berlin" is worth reading and I recommend it.
Notes: no explicit ses, no foul language. The book doesn't need it .

[Kerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as a goodreads giveaway. I was stationed in West Berlin during the Cold War and was there when the Berlin Wall came down; therefore, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it didn't really live up to them. The author captured the feel and spirit of Berlin well and, for me, that was the only saving grace.

There wasn't enough development of the relationship between Dillon and Christa (at least, not enough to believe that he fell hard for her), there wasn't much depth to any of the characters, the explanation for why the Russians were interested in Dillon in the first place was superficial, there wasn't enough tension interwoven to make it exciting, and the ending was rushed and felt incomplete. It had the potential to be a great spy novel; instead, it felt like the author had a plan to get from point A to point B as efficiently as possible and did that within a flimsy framework.

Overall, it was a fast read, fairly entertaining, and, if you want a quick beach read type of book that masquerades as a spy novel, it's worth picking up.

*SPOILER*
One part that bugged me a lot happened after Christa was told to leave (after they got Durov) and go back to West Berlin and meet someone at Paris Bar without going to the theater or her flat. Then, she promptly went to the theater and her flat. At that point, I was almost hoping that someone would pick her up, for being stupid if nothing else.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in divided Berlin which is 100 miles deep into East Germany. Christa, an actress formerly with the Volkstheater troup, has been recruited by the Stasi as a double agent. She's a willing informer because her brother is being held in East Germany.

She's now with the Neues Theater in the British sector, keeping her eyes wide open. Dillon Randolph, an American with a checkered past and whose father is a US Senator, has recently been assigned to the US Mission diplomatic corps.

Christa conspires to meet Dillon, with the intent of using him to gain information. Dillon, however, is suspicious, and soon agents are recruiting agents who are recruiting agents, and the double-double spying begins.

This is a great look at Cold War politics just before the Berlin Wall is put up.

I read this EARC courtesy of Net Galley and Books Go Social. pub date 03/03/18

[Jak60 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interlude in Berlin is an excellent espionage novel set in Berlin in 1959, so two years before the wall was raised. I have been always fascinated by the difference in ambience, tonality, plot of espionage stories taking place before or after the wall was built. I am fascinated to observe how the wall has drawn a line not only in history and politics but also in this literary genre.
And in fact, while you will enjoy thoroughly the well constructed plot and the well developed characters, this is as much a spy thriller as an ode to Berlin and to its wall.
Only reason for not assigning the 5th star is that, especially in the second half, the plot offered a little too many lucky coincidences or loopholes; but all in all one of the best novels of the genre I read lately.

[ASmythe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read if you like historical spy thrillers!

[Edshakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of LeCarre and Alan Furst, this was right up my alley, intelligent spy story.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good historical fiction read. It was a bit slow moving for my taste but, overall it read like a true spy novel with the twists and turns that a reader would expect from such a novel. There was just the right amount of details and conversations that allowed me to become acquainted to the surroundings and characters, without feeling overwhelmed by the descriptions. Although, at some parts of the book a character would reappear after a few chapters of absence and it would take me a few paragraphs to remember who they were and their role in the story.
One of the things I liked most about this book was the much needed and welcomed historical and character background information and explanations that were found in the "Note on Berlin, 1958" at the start of the book and the "Author's Note" at the end of the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical spy novels.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this on Goodreads in exchange for an honest review. Thank You Goodreads. I was in Berlin on August 13, 1961 and just this last April. I was looking forward to the reading this books timeline.

I liked the story, but it was a lot of back and forth with way to many people involved. Then, the ending was a bit much about not much. Nothing was really concluded. I was thinking if this is a series and the plot continues I might get more out of it. However, book two looks to be about Washington DC.

1. I noticed that Dillon and Christa go to a a revolving restaurant at the top of a Berlin TV tower. If the book was referring to Berliner Fernstern, is was not built until 1968 and well after the book time period.

2. The talk of the Kim Philby affair in the early part of the story in 1958, and he was not exposed until a couple of years later in 1963.

Since I read this on my Kindle I was not able to go back and check the above mentioned notes.

[Mary Warnement · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always game for historical fiction set in Berlin in the 20th century. Flanders did his homework and set the scene well. His main characters American diplomat Dillon Randolph and East German actress Christa Schiller (aristocrat become actress trained under Bertolt Brecht) gave him scope to travel across all of Berlin. I enjoyed the journey, although it lasted too long. The author didn't seem to want to end it. Hawes is a British spy looking for British traitors in Berlin. He finds one...too easily. Flanders knows what happens and lets that inform his plot. Hawes has no credible reason to suspect him other than dislike. I'd have liked that aspect of the story fleshed out more, the spy catcher whose warnings go unheeded. Like most thrillers, this has a love story at its core, and it ends credibly. But the ending abandons our main characters for what feels like a rushed history lesson.

I thank Flanders for giving me a page turner through the streets of Cold War Berlin.

[Florence Fales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Berlin, history and love

This book had a lot of history. It starts in 1959. Berlin Germany. A United States diplomat is sent to Germany because the government wants to put an affair he had under wraps. While in Germany he meets an East Berlin woman, Christa. She works in the western Berlin theater. She's also working with the German government who has her brother in prison. They want her to get the United States diplomat,Dillon, to crossover into Easy Germany to smuggle . He refuses. The people Dilliom is working with tell Christ's to get the government official to meet her in a motel on May Day. Dillion's people kidnap the official. He ends up dead. This all has to do with the wall going up in between East and West Germany. It's fiction but quite interesting. Enjoy

[Marie (UK) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps spy novels are just not my thing. What others see as expert craftsmanship I saw as contrivance. I kept losing interest in the plot. It took me a lot longer than an average book of this size would take me to read normally. However, there is a lot of History in this book and there is realism in the description of Historic events. I enjoyed the intrigue of creating a defector on paper then attempting to turn it into reality. I have wavered between 2 and 3 stars as a rating and feel that it deserves the higher rating.

[Karen Wrobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads giveaway, something I’ve not had a lot of luck with recently, so this book was a pleasant surprise. It’s a well thought out spy thriller, decent plot, easy read, interesting but not always completely likable characters (one hopes our diplomatic services are turning out better than Dillon the moony-eyed doofus, but I digress). The description of pre-wall Berlin and the machinations that took place during that time were interesting and added to the story. If you’re a fan of spy stories and historical fiction, this one’s worth a read.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling

I won this ebook in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you.

While this work has nothing on le Carre, it is an entertaining and diverting story. I found I missed le Carre's use of language and description to set the mood and atmosphere and create the time and place. However, the story and characters were somewhat realistic. I also appreciated the proper use of German throughout.

[Pam Cunningham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

It was an interesting book. I was a little confused at first but then as the story progresses it all
made sense. I enjoyed the love story and the historical aspects in the book. The book was filled with intrigue, romance and drama.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. I liked the book because I know it was fiction but I felt like it could have been nonfiction. If you like books about spies after WWII in Germany you will love this book.

[Nicole Miletta Schilling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book through a good reads giveaway. I read 50% and did not finish. While I liked the female main character, I just couldn’t get into the rest of the story. So my review isn’t complete as I didn’t finish the book.