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The Berlin Exchange
From “the most accomplished spy novelist working today” ( The Sunday Times , London), a “heart-poundingly suspenseful” ( The Washington Post ) espionage thriller set at the height of the Cold War, when a captured American who has spied for the KGB is returned to East Berlin, needing to know who arranged for his release and what they now want from him.
Berlin, 1963. An early morning spy swap, not at the familiar setting for such exchanges, nor at Checkpoint Charlie, where international visitors cross into the East, but at a more discreet border crossing, usually reserved for East German VIPs. The Communists are trading two American students caught helping people to escape over the wall and an aging MI6 operative. On the other side of the Martin Keller, a physicist who once made headlines, but who then disappeared into the English prison system. Keller’s most critical his American passport. Keller’s most ardent to see his ex-wife Sabine and their young son.
The exchange is made with the formality characteristic of these swaps. But Martin has other Who asked for him? Who negotiated the deal? The KGB? He knows that nothing happens by chance. They want him for something. Not physics—his expertise is out of date. Something else, which he cannot learn until he arrives in East Berlin, when suddenly the game is afoot.
Intriguing and atmospheric, with action rising to a dangerous climax, The Berlin Exchange “expertly describes what happens when a disillusioned former agent tries to come in from the cold” ( The New York Times Book Review ), confirming Kanon as “the greatest writer ever of historical espionage fiction” ( Spybrary ).
Berlin, 1963. An early morning spy swap, not at the familiar setting for such exchanges, nor at Checkpoint Charlie, where international visitors cross into the East, but at a more discreet border crossing, usually reserved for East German VIPs. The Communists are trading two American students caught helping people to escape over the wall and an aging MI6 operative. On the other side of the Martin Keller, a physicist who once made headlines, but who then disappeared into the English prison system. Keller’s most critical his American passport. Keller’s most ardent to see his ex-wife Sabine and their young son.
The exchange is made with the formality characteristic of these swaps. But Martin has other Who asked for him? Who negotiated the deal? The KGB? He knows that nothing happens by chance. They want him for something. Not physics—his expertise is out of date. Something else, which he cannot learn until he arrives in East Berlin, when suddenly the game is afoot.
Intriguing and atmospheric, with action rising to a dangerous climax, The Berlin Exchange “expertly describes what happens when a disillusioned former agent tries to come in from the cold” ( The New York Times Book Review ), confirming Kanon as “the greatest writer ever of historical espionage fiction” ( Spybrary ).
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 22, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 360 reviews
April 23, 2022
I have read a number of books written by this author and found them all to be well executed and very good reads. This one manages to be moving as well as delivering a tightly woven account of life in East Berlin in the early 60's. The release of prisoner Martin, a physicist during that bomb making era, sets up a very difficult living arrangement as he must enter the living arrangements set by a fixer who married Martin's wife and has custody of Martin's son who is a television star.
Telling more would spoil book for others, but it is a challenge Martin faces head on.
Telling more would spoil book for others, but it is a challenge Martin faces head on.
February 8, 2022
I haven't read Joseph Kanon previously but had heard good things. The excerpt sounded interesting so I gave it a try. I love espionage thrillers but The Berlin Exchange left me wanting for more. I tried and tried to get into but couldn't. I kept picking it up and putting it down. From the time I started it, it took about 5 months and I finished probably 40ish books in between. Intriguing characters and redeeming qualities of the "good guys" can hide a lot of blemishes in the story. Unfortunately, The Berlin Exchange fell short in all of the above. However, the ending had a surprise, which was nice.
I want to thank Joseph Kanon, Scribner, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Berlin Exchange.
I want to thank Joseph Kanon, Scribner, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Berlin Exchange.
March 17, 2022
5/10
Reading this book further solidified in my mind the greatness of the book “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold”, by John Le Carre.
Joseph Kanon is no Le Carre.
The “Berlin Exchange” has some similarities to “Came In From The Cold” but is a second rate version. Let me clarify.
The story is good enough it’s got characters and intrigue and a twist. It just has nothing new.
The setting is 1963. WWII is over, the Cold War is in full effect. Martin is an American who worked on the Manhattan Project and spied for the Russians during WWII. He spent the past 15 years in jail for, you know, spying. He was taken out of jail and sent to East Berlin, where his ex-wife and son are living.
Of course it’s a spy novel set in East Berlin so you never know who’s good and who’s bad, you don’t know who is telling the truth and who is lying, and you’re not quite sure where it’s all leading to.
My biggest problem with the book - and this is a big big problem - is Joseph Kanon’s writing style. He doesn’t give a ton of description so I never got a great picture in my head of any of the characters. Or the places.
And with the dialogue, everybody sounds the same. Every single person talks with the same cadence. It’s hard to differentiate which person is saying what - or to even remember who they are.
But that’s not the biggest problem.
The grande dame of challenges for this book is the dialogue. Good lord it was frustrating. Everybody speaks in short non-sentences with incomplete thoughts. In any given five sentence paragraph, there is only one sentence that has all the elements of a proper sentence structure. The rest are short snippets of thoughts that may or may not seem like they relate to each other.
This style can work and it can work effectively. But it can NOT work when every single person speaks the same and the words in a sentence just don’t make sense. And it can not work without cadence.
This was so ridiculously frustrating to read. Dear editor of Joseph Kanon’s, help him work on cadence and description.
I had never read Joseph Kanon before and, truthfully, I’m not sure I will again.
Did I tell you how much I love Le Carre?
#netgalley #theberlinexchange
Reading this book further solidified in my mind the greatness of the book “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold”, by John Le Carre.
Joseph Kanon is no Le Carre.
The “Berlin Exchange” has some similarities to “Came In From The Cold” but is a second rate version. Let me clarify.
The story is good enough it’s got characters and intrigue and a twist. It just has nothing new.
The setting is 1963. WWII is over, the Cold War is in full effect. Martin is an American who worked on the Manhattan Project and spied for the Russians during WWII. He spent the past 15 years in jail for, you know, spying. He was taken out of jail and sent to East Berlin, where his ex-wife and son are living.
Of course it’s a spy novel set in East Berlin so you never know who’s good and who’s bad, you don’t know who is telling the truth and who is lying, and you’re not quite sure where it’s all leading to.
My biggest problem with the book - and this is a big big problem - is Joseph Kanon’s writing style. He doesn’t give a ton of description so I never got a great picture in my head of any of the characters. Or the places.
And with the dialogue, everybody sounds the same. Every single person talks with the same cadence. It’s hard to differentiate which person is saying what - or to even remember who they are.
But that’s not the biggest problem.
The grande dame of challenges for this book is the dialogue. Good lord it was frustrating. Everybody speaks in short non-sentences with incomplete thoughts. In any given five sentence paragraph, there is only one sentence that has all the elements of a proper sentence structure. The rest are short snippets of thoughts that may or may not seem like they relate to each other.
This style can work and it can work effectively. But it can NOT work when every single person speaks the same and the words in a sentence just don’t make sense. And it can not work without cadence.
This was so ridiculously frustrating to read. Dear editor of Joseph Kanon’s, help him work on cadence and description.
I had never read Joseph Kanon before and, truthfully, I’m not sure I will again.
Did I tell you how much I love Le Carre?
#netgalley #theberlinexchange
March 8, 2022
This book! I pondered for an entire day before doing the review. That is not my usual practice- doing the review almost immediately upon finish. It's fully 4.5 stars. I wanted to round it up but couldn't. Why? Because the nature of the beast is so complex and manipulative and frankly confusing- that the character / plot/ transitions/ continuity remain entirely mixed throughout the book. It's difficult to even remember all the primes' names. There are probably 20 to 25 all going in various and shadowed (or not) directions. Thus it is not an easy read.
This book was probably my most enjoyed read of 2022, so far. In 1983 I and my parents and one cousin and aunt took an extended trip to Europe and in the main lengths of time to Germany. It was for the Passion Play but my Father, Mother and I took an extended trip through the DDR. Several reasons to do it. We spent time in Leipzig and within other areas Westerners and especially Americans rarely had gone for over 25 years. Until that time I did not truly understand the divisions and that Berlin itself as a city was located deep within the DDR (Eastern Germany) under Russian control. So passing as Checkpoint Charlie in the city to the American sector (we did) still left you only those square miles. The entire city was surrounded by East Germany. STILL In our case it was a multi hour bus ride with papers being checked at intervals. Stop, they get on, check your papers, get off. Make you wait another 10 minutes. Tell you to go. Americans do not get that in majority. They thought/ think you went "over or under the wall" and you were in Western Germany proper. Safe. No. You were still a long drive to anywhere outside of the DDR. Your embassy help? Your passage from those permissible to travel? All still very much a dubious prospect.
So this book, with all the levels of being watched and watching. All the entry and exits eyes. All the meals with beets as the main course or wanting to take/ exchange your foodstuffs or jeans instead of cash money. All the lack of color and lack of smiles. All the collapsing structures and windows boarded or boxed in. All the people staring at your clothes. All the doors with bricks used as locks. All of it- reading it and seeing it through these eyes (even Peter's)- was sure a 5 star reading experience. Or 6 stars. I remember them well.
I could go super long on the plot and the contributing constant associations of necessity for the power/ knowledge/ economics of this spying life- but I won't. Read it. It was 20 years after this book's time (1963) that I was there but all was still extremely similar. Especially in the duo soldiers who looked about 15 years old following us around all days with their rifles. (Long guns, I am not kidding). Everywhere we went. And everywhere we did go had to be plotted out and told before hand with accompany criteria of actions described. In 1983 there was NOTHING that even held a true coat of paint anymore in the structural. It was like a black and white movie in true life. With your papers out constantly. Cars appeared like rusted little boxes looking more beat up than golf carts in an after accident pile.
So I do understand the incredible duplicity of these characters and their often ridiculous and true believer idealisms, as well. Especially those last features of "mutti" here. Sick and beyond. And what it takes to have such acting ability as Martin had in this one.
Superb choices by the author of using looks for worded language here too. That was SO real as it was lived. Joseph Kanon truly can write reality. He absolutely does not suffer fools.
If he has others, I will read them. Looking that up immediately.
This book was probably my most enjoyed read of 2022, so far. In 1983 I and my parents and one cousin and aunt took an extended trip to Europe and in the main lengths of time to Germany. It was for the Passion Play but my Father, Mother and I took an extended trip through the DDR. Several reasons to do it. We spent time in Leipzig and within other areas Westerners and especially Americans rarely had gone for over 25 years. Until that time I did not truly understand the divisions and that Berlin itself as a city was located deep within the DDR (Eastern Germany) under Russian control. So passing as Checkpoint Charlie in the city to the American sector (we did) still left you only those square miles. The entire city was surrounded by East Germany. STILL In our case it was a multi hour bus ride with papers being checked at intervals. Stop, they get on, check your papers, get off. Make you wait another 10 minutes. Tell you to go. Americans do not get that in majority. They thought/ think you went "over or under the wall" and you were in Western Germany proper. Safe. No. You were still a long drive to anywhere outside of the DDR. Your embassy help? Your passage from those permissible to travel? All still very much a dubious prospect.
So this book, with all the levels of being watched and watching. All the entry and exits eyes. All the meals with beets as the main course or wanting to take/ exchange your foodstuffs or jeans instead of cash money. All the lack of color and lack of smiles. All the collapsing structures and windows boarded or boxed in. All the people staring at your clothes. All the doors with bricks used as locks. All of it- reading it and seeing it through these eyes (even Peter's)- was sure a 5 star reading experience. Or 6 stars. I remember them well.
I could go super long on the plot and the contributing constant associations of necessity for the power/ knowledge/ economics of this spying life- but I won't. Read it. It was 20 years after this book's time (1963) that I was there but all was still extremely similar. Especially in the duo soldiers who looked about 15 years old following us around all days with their rifles. (Long guns, I am not kidding). Everywhere we went. And everywhere we did go had to be plotted out and told before hand with accompany criteria of actions described. In 1983 there was NOTHING that even held a true coat of paint anymore in the structural. It was like a black and white movie in true life. With your papers out constantly. Cars appeared like rusted little boxes looking more beat up than golf carts in an after accident pile.
So I do understand the incredible duplicity of these characters and their often ridiculous and true believer idealisms, as well. Especially those last features of "mutti" here. Sick and beyond. And what it takes to have such acting ability as Martin had in this one.
Superb choices by the author of using looks for worded language here too. That was SO real as it was lived. Joseph Kanon truly can write reality. He absolutely does not suffer fools.
If he has others, I will read them. Looking that up immediately.
March 1, 2022
I've enjoyed previous Joseph Kanon novels but struggled with this one.
February 9, 2022
I received a free advance review copy of the book from the publisher, via Netgalley.
Berlin, 1963. Martin Keller is being exchanged into East Berlin for some westerners who had been imprisoned in the DDR. Martin himself has been in prison for 15 years in Britain as an atomic spy. Martin was one of those atomic scientists working on the Manhattan Project in World War II who thought that nuclear secrets should be shared with the USSR because they were our allies and because it was too dangerous to have that kind of power in just one country’s hands.
Martin can’t figure out why he’s being treated as a valuable asset to be exchanged. His scientific knowledge is many years out of date. He thought he was a forgotten man. He learns that his wife, Sabine, who he agreed should divorce him when he went to prison, has a new husband, Kurt, whose job as a lawyer is to arrange prisoner exchanges. Sabine says that Peter, the son she had with Martin, is growing up and she wants him to know his father, so she got Kurt to pulls strings.
But from the day of his arrival, it’s clear there is far more to it than that. After he comes over the border, an ambulance comes speeding up and someone shoots at Martin and Kurt. But who is the target, Martin or Kurt? And why? As Martin gets to know Kurt, he learns that there is an underside to the prisoner-exchange program, having to do with the West paying the East a large per-head fee for some prisoners, especially citizens who had unsuccessfully attempted to flee the East. Naturally, a program like that is ripe for corruption. Maybe Kurt is part of that?
And Martin soon learns that there are other people in East Berlin from his past, people who want something from him. But Martin comes to want something too, and his careful, determined, long-range mind puts together an audacious plan to get it.
I always expect a good story from Joseph Kanon, and I wasn’t disappointed. This is an intricate and thoughtful espionage story, with a cinematically dramatic ending.
Berlin, 1963. Martin Keller is being exchanged into East Berlin for some westerners who had been imprisoned in the DDR. Martin himself has been in prison for 15 years in Britain as an atomic spy. Martin was one of those atomic scientists working on the Manhattan Project in World War II who thought that nuclear secrets should be shared with the USSR because they were our allies and because it was too dangerous to have that kind of power in just one country’s hands.
Martin can’t figure out why he’s being treated as a valuable asset to be exchanged. His scientific knowledge is many years out of date. He thought he was a forgotten man. He learns that his wife, Sabine, who he agreed should divorce him when he went to prison, has a new husband, Kurt, whose job as a lawyer is to arrange prisoner exchanges. Sabine says that Peter, the son she had with Martin, is growing up and she wants him to know his father, so she got Kurt to pulls strings.
But from the day of his arrival, it’s clear there is far more to it than that. After he comes over the border, an ambulance comes speeding up and someone shoots at Martin and Kurt. But who is the target, Martin or Kurt? And why? As Martin gets to know Kurt, he learns that there is an underside to the prisoner-exchange program, having to do with the West paying the East a large per-head fee for some prisoners, especially citizens who had unsuccessfully attempted to flee the East. Naturally, a program like that is ripe for corruption. Maybe Kurt is part of that?
And Martin soon learns that there are other people in East Berlin from his past, people who want something from him. But Martin comes to want something too, and his careful, determined, long-range mind puts together an audacious plan to get it.
I always expect a good story from Joseph Kanon, and I wasn’t disappointed. This is an intricate and thoughtful espionage story, with a cinematically dramatic ending.
May 6, 2022
Joseph Kanon has done it again with another superb Cold War thriller. The main character is released from a British prison for espionage as part of a prison swap. He learn that his former wife's husband has arranged the exchange and he gets to reunite with his son. I won't describe what unfolds further so as to not spoil the rather complex plot.
Suffice it to say it shows what life was like in the East Berlin 1960s and how the West Germans were paying ransoms to free political prisoners. That is not much discussed in other Cold War books. The Lutheran church serves as the cutout to pay the ransoms in money or products like machine tools. It is these ransoms that allowed East Germany to sustain a higher standard of living than any other East European country and the USSR itself. Although I enjoyed it, I wouldn't list it as my favorite Kanon book and I have read them all.
Suffice it to say it shows what life was like in the East Berlin 1960s and how the West Germans were paying ransoms to free political prisoners. That is not much discussed in other Cold War books. The Lutheran church serves as the cutout to pay the ransoms in money or products like machine tools. It is these ransoms that allowed East Germany to sustain a higher standard of living than any other East European country and the USSR itself. Although I enjoyed it, I wouldn't list it as my favorite Kanon book and I have read them all.
March 9, 2023
It’s a nice quick breezy read and a keeps you engaged. A little bit of espionage , a little bit of Cold War and a little bit of family story. In the end it looked like author was in a hurry to meet his writing deadline and hurriedly ended the book .
March 22, 2022
The plot is interesting enough, but the writing sorta drags on and it can feel like nothing and everything is happening at once.
December 14, 2021
Joseph Kanon is a master of intrigue in the post WWII world, writing books that put a compromised American, or someone living in America, back in Berlin with a super high stakes challenge. "The Berlin Exchange" Takes place later than many of his books, in 1962, and American spy and physicist Mark Keller is suddenly pulled from his British prison cell and shoved across Checkpoint Charlie to return to East Berlin. During the war, he spied for the Soviets, was caught, and imprisoned by the British. Now, for reasons he can't imagine, he has been released and has the chance to see his beloved ex-wife and son.
Mark is wondering why this is happening--his physics are out-of-date, his spy skills useful in wartime only. He encouraged his wife to divorce him, and she is now married to a prominent East German lawyer, while his son is the star of a popular TV show where he plays a boy with model Communist values and behaviors.
Like "Leaving Berlin," "The Berlin Exchange" gives us the thriller as art. Fine tuned to a fair-the-well, this novel is so good, so deep, and raises so many questions. East Germany continues to be a mystery to us, and we need Joseph Kanon to give us more stories that unpeel layers of the post war world where the iron curtain fell.
I'm very grateful to Simon and Schuster and Edelweiss for digital access to this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Mark is wondering why this is happening--his physics are out-of-date, his spy skills useful in wartime only. He encouraged his wife to divorce him, and she is now married to a prominent East German lawyer, while his son is the star of a popular TV show where he plays a boy with model Communist values and behaviors.
Like "Leaving Berlin," "The Berlin Exchange" gives us the thriller as art. Fine tuned to a fair-the-well, this novel is so good, so deep, and raises so many questions. East Germany continues to be a mystery to us, and we need Joseph Kanon to give us more stories that unpeel layers of the post war world where the iron curtain fell.
I'm very grateful to Simon and Schuster and Edelweiss for digital access to this novel in exchange for an honest review.
February 24, 2022
Post-war Berlin stories are a dime a dozen but IMO this one is especially well done. The plot moves beyond the usual cliches. (Up to a point, still a thriller, after all.) Bonus points for weaving in the MLM.
October 28, 2023
I was on the edge of my seat!
November 2, 2023
It's so good to be back in the universe of well-written stuff! In fact, it's so good that I keep wanting to give 5s.
But I'm sensible... honest.
Joseph Kanon has never let me down. Yes, there is an element of Hollywood about his work (and it's interesting how it does have a 1940s, 50s movie feel to it) but it's good Hollywood (think Hitchcock!); it's dramatic, tense, even thrilling. He leaves you on the edge of your seat, begging for more.
I've yet to read a bad one!
But I'm sensible... honest.
Joseph Kanon has never let me down. Yes, there is an element of Hollywood about his work (and it's interesting how it does have a 1940s, 50s movie feel to it) but it's good Hollywood (think Hitchcock!); it's dramatic, tense, even thrilling. He leaves you on the edge of your seat, begging for more.
I've yet to read a bad one!
October 8, 2022
Quite frankly this was a superb, hard-to-put-down, view of spy exchanges and the convolutions the Cold War represented especially after the creation of the Berlin Wall. Following the exchange of American physicist Martin Keller between England and East Germany in 1963, we see the consequences of his defection and the realities of living in Communist East Germany. Keller is a flawed but sympathetic CH and the reader’s attachment to him and his family propels the novel as the minutiae of everyday life, the political ramifications of every decision, and the tension between appearance and reality define who Keller has become and governs the choices he makes. His former wife Sabine, 11-year-old son Peter, Sabine’s current husband Kurt, and assorted Russian, American, and Stasi spies populate the Plot which contains superb spy craft details and a mirror of everyday life in East Germany. The last 50 pages are nail biters as the reader guesses where the pea is under the walnut shell over and over again. As most Cold War spy stories, the ending is realistically bittersweet. So well done. For fans of Dan Fesperman, Len Deighton, and Jason Matthews.
February 22, 2022
Espionage thriller!
Always a sucker for a Cold War spy novel, especially East vs West Berlin and of course the infamous Checkpoint Charlie, along with John Le Carre’s Smiley and crew, remembrances beckoned me just from Kanon’s title. How could I resist this addition to a long held tradition? And let me just say I Ioved it. A smart and intricate plot. Martin is that quiet, intelligent character that I adore. He has hidden idealist’s past and hidden depths.
It’s 1963. American communist and Physicist, Martin Keller, is exchanged back into East Germany from Britain after ten years in prison for treasonous espionage. Fortunately he’d been caught in Britain and imprisoned there. If he’d been caught in the US it would have been the death penalty. The exchange is organized by his ex-wife’s husband, some sort of free lance wheeler and dealer, with links to the KGB and it seems, the Black Market. During the exchange an ambulance races past them attempting to crash the barrier into West Berlin. Shots are fired, and a death occurs. Martin finds himself wondering just who was the target of those shots?
Reunited with his ex-wife and son, all very weird, it’s not long before Martin realises that he doesn’t want to return to make weapons. It seems his ideology has taken a blow. Martin wants his son safely away from the East. But who to trust? How to make this happen? The Stasi is real. Who’s a friend and who’s waiting to turn him in? Talk about misdirection, about false information mixed in with truth, and of course, betrayal.
(BTW, I did not know that these swaps became big business for the DDR. Kanon explains in his Notes, “the swaps grew into an important revenue stream for the DDR…for some DM 3.4 billion ($850 million). Whatever the actual figures, there is no doubt that the swaps made a contribution to the DDR’s economic viability.” Fascinating! I also loved the cover.)
A Scribner ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
Always a sucker for a Cold War spy novel, especially East vs West Berlin and of course the infamous Checkpoint Charlie, along with John Le Carre’s Smiley and crew, remembrances beckoned me just from Kanon’s title. How could I resist this addition to a long held tradition? And let me just say I Ioved it. A smart and intricate plot. Martin is that quiet, intelligent character that I adore. He has hidden idealist’s past and hidden depths.
It’s 1963. American communist and Physicist, Martin Keller, is exchanged back into East Germany from Britain after ten years in prison for treasonous espionage. Fortunately he’d been caught in Britain and imprisoned there. If he’d been caught in the US it would have been the death penalty. The exchange is organized by his ex-wife’s husband, some sort of free lance wheeler and dealer, with links to the KGB and it seems, the Black Market. During the exchange an ambulance races past them attempting to crash the barrier into West Berlin. Shots are fired, and a death occurs. Martin finds himself wondering just who was the target of those shots?
Reunited with his ex-wife and son, all very weird, it’s not long before Martin realises that he doesn’t want to return to make weapons. It seems his ideology has taken a blow. Martin wants his son safely away from the East. But who to trust? How to make this happen? The Stasi is real. Who’s a friend and who’s waiting to turn him in? Talk about misdirection, about false information mixed in with truth, and of course, betrayal.
(BTW, I did not know that these swaps became big business for the DDR. Kanon explains in his Notes, “the swaps grew into an important revenue stream for the DDR…for some DM 3.4 billion ($850 million). Whatever the actual figures, there is no doubt that the swaps made a contribution to the DDR’s economic viability.” Fascinating! I also loved the cover.)
A Scribner ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
August 25, 2025
Dialogue-driven Cold War thriller; lacking depth.
An American, Martin, is brought into a late-1940s spy network by his wife, a German with communist sympathies. As a scientist in the US atomic weapons program he is able to pass secrets to the Russians before he is discovered and jailed. In 1963, years later, he is sent to East Germany in exchange for an imprisoned American agent, a move that will reunite him with his wife, now remarried, and his son.
While Martin becomes ostensibly "free" in East Germany, he is pressured to resume research on nuclear weapons, something he now finds morally abhorrent, and to monitor and inform on his new scientist colleagues. Martin's challenge is how to navigate between the East German and Russian authorities, while being mindful of those also informing on his every move.
Kanon writes with an emphasis on dialogue, with much less attention to descriptive text. This moves the plot along in a breathless manner, but is less successful in capturing mood - the look and feel of life behind the iron curtain in the early 1960s, or the different personalities in the novel. As a result, the novel is flat, characterless.
While the undemanding text of Berlin Exchange is perhaps decently suited to beach reading, it is not literature to savor. I'll not be looking for Kanon's other works.
An American, Martin, is brought into a late-1940s spy network by his wife, a German with communist sympathies. As a scientist in the US atomic weapons program he is able to pass secrets to the Russians before he is discovered and jailed. In 1963, years later, he is sent to East Germany in exchange for an imprisoned American agent, a move that will reunite him with his wife, now remarried, and his son.
While Martin becomes ostensibly "free" in East Germany, he is pressured to resume research on nuclear weapons, something he now finds morally abhorrent, and to monitor and inform on his new scientist colleagues. Martin's challenge is how to navigate between the East German and Russian authorities, while being mindful of those also informing on his every move.
Kanon writes with an emphasis on dialogue, with much less attention to descriptive text. This moves the plot along in a breathless manner, but is less successful in capturing mood - the look and feel of life behind the iron curtain in the early 1960s, or the different personalities in the novel. As a result, the novel is flat, characterless.
While the undemanding text of Berlin Exchange is perhaps decently suited to beach reading, it is not literature to savor. I'll not be looking for Kanon's other works.
June 6, 2022
I’m thrilled to read another top spy thriller, just published, I’ll be looking for more. Set in east Berlin, 1963, the plot involves a spy newly released from serving his prison sentence for spying. He’s trying to pick up his life, meet ex-wife, child etc, both still living in this part of Berlin divided by the Wall. The novel is full of great characters, many of them complex, secretive, everyone has a past of some sort. It’s well written, very atmospheric about place. The author has excellent control of suspense, it’s on every page, growing, receding, then building to a clever finish.
March 18, 2022
Joseph Kanon is a master of the atmospheric wartime and post-wartime spy novel and "The Berlin Exchange" is a fine example of his work. Although the plot is a bit clunkier than in some of his best efforts, the prose is perfectly matched to the rhythm and pace of his characters and he paints a great picture of the story's setting.
The main character, Martin Keller, was an American physicist who passed atomic bomb secrets to the Russians after WWII in the hopes that parity in weaponry would lead to peace. Unfortunately for him, he ended up in a British prison for espionage. The story opens with Martin being set 'free' in a prisoner exchange in East Berlin. He's in a complicated situation: his wife divorced him when he went to prison, moved to East Berlin with their son and married Kurt, a local 'fixer', and the son has unexpectedly become a local celebrity due to his gig in a television series. Those are the 'easy' complications. The harder ones are that he's immediately contacted by his old 'control' boss and tasked with spying on an old friend of his who is currently working outside Berlin, his wife's new husband is running the prisoner exchange program and protecting his boss who's skimming off the top, virtually everyone is spying on everyone else and nobody trusts anyone, he is a witness to a killing by Kurt, and his ex-wife is dying of lung cancer and needs treatment not available locally.
Martin doesn't have a whole lot of scruples left but he takes advantage of every bit of leverage he has to keep above the fray and survive. He's asked to do more and more by his control, he realizes he still loves his ex-wife even as her health continues to deteriorate, and he re-engages with his son after his long period in exile. He still possesses an American passport as does his ex-wife, and realizing they can't accept the status quo he begins to form a plan.
The Berlin Exchange isn't Kanon's best, but it's a damn good reminder of the 'bad old days' of the post-war divided Germany and the complexity of life behind the Iron Curtain. Kanon draws the characters well and my only real criticism is that so much was made of Martin's son's prominence in the local media that I expected him to have some sort of role in the conclusion. The ending of The Berlin Exchange was a bit convoluted but that's what happens when plans go awry. 4.5 stars, rounded up!
The main character, Martin Keller, was an American physicist who passed atomic bomb secrets to the Russians after WWII in the hopes that parity in weaponry would lead to peace. Unfortunately for him, he ended up in a British prison for espionage. The story opens with Martin being set 'free' in a prisoner exchange in East Berlin. He's in a complicated situation: his wife divorced him when he went to prison, moved to East Berlin with their son and married Kurt, a local 'fixer', and the son has unexpectedly become a local celebrity due to his gig in a television series. Those are the 'easy' complications. The harder ones are that he's immediately contacted by his old 'control' boss and tasked with spying on an old friend of his who is currently working outside Berlin, his wife's new husband is running the prisoner exchange program and protecting his boss who's skimming off the top, virtually everyone is spying on everyone else and nobody trusts anyone, he is a witness to a killing by Kurt, and his ex-wife is dying of lung cancer and needs treatment not available locally.
Martin doesn't have a whole lot of scruples left but he takes advantage of every bit of leverage he has to keep above the fray and survive. He's asked to do more and more by his control, he realizes he still loves his ex-wife even as her health continues to deteriorate, and he re-engages with his son after his long period in exile. He still possesses an American passport as does his ex-wife, and realizing they can't accept the status quo he begins to form a plan.
The Berlin Exchange isn't Kanon's best, but it's a damn good reminder of the 'bad old days' of the post-war divided Germany and the complexity of life behind the Iron Curtain. Kanon draws the characters well and my only real criticism is that so much was made of Martin's son's prominence in the local media that I expected him to have some sort of role in the conclusion. The ending of The Berlin Exchange was a bit convoluted but that's what happens when plans go awry. 4.5 stars, rounded up!
December 15, 2024
The Berlin Exchange, by Joseph Kanon, is an excellent morally complex thriller, involving prisoner swaps between the East & the West during the Cold War period. This drama taking place in 1963, reflects not only the trading of spy/political prisoners from one side to the other, but also introduces the the purchase of political prisoners captured in the East, by the West with contraband or cash then used to fund East German state operations, less of course the usual graft in the transfer of assets.
Martin Keller is an American physicist, captured and imprisoned in Britain in the early ‘50’s for giving nuclear secrets to the Soviets. Justified in conscience, by he and his wife, Sabine, as an attempt to balance nuclear strengths, to act as deterrent against the misuse of these weapons by the West. Martin, 10 years in prison is now up for parole from his 14 year sentence. He is now viewed as a fair asset in the continuing trade and prisoner exchanges between the East and the West.
Welcome to East Berlin. “For a second Martin was tempted to turn around and face him, almost a tease. But it wasn’t a game, being followed here. It was a reminder, like bars on a window, that your life wasn’t your own. What had Digby said? They’ve all got an ear out over there. — maybe the point was being obvious, so that both of them knew— His life now. And then the man, as if he had heard him, moved his mouth in a small smile and nodded. He started walking again, past Martin, everything understood. When he reached the Kino, he waited, as if he wanted to make sure Martin got home safely.”
Father meets son. “Martin smiled, the target of this, because he saw, what he hadn’t expected, that Peter was trying to please him. Maybe the natural instinct of all actors, wanting the light.” [Peter, 11 almost 12, a child celebrity in an East German family tv series] “ A little teasing at school—that happens to everyone. He never said anything to me.” “He wouldn’t.” “Well, it’s not serious. Maybe good for him. You have to learn to deal with all types.” — “his head is up there.” Pointing a finger. “In the clouds. It’s good for the work, it’s easy for him to pretend.”
Ex-wife Sabine, remarried and ill. “We’ll see another doctor.” A faint smile. “Americans always want to see another doctor. It won’t change anything.” …
“We were good together.” — “Until we weren’t,” he said”
Back to work…new targets. An old colleague Stefan. “How to stop the build up? Governments will never do it. Only scientists themselves can make this happen, can stop it. A moral act.” Old agent Andrei. “ Rule number one. Make the story true. Or as close to the truth as possible. You’re comfortable so far? With your story?” - “ I’m looking forward to this, working together again. It was always a pleasure with you. So quick to understand the situation.” The words put out to sit on the table, a test question. Martin met his eyes. “I don’t have a choice.” Andrei nodded. “You made it. Years ago.”
Choices and decisions then follow…irrevocable ones involving, family, colleagues, mixed in worldly/political knowledge, experience gained, and the realities of life. Kanon weaves a thought provoking, political thriller, based on the exchange of live assets between East & West. Follow along..
Note on the Author. I met Joe Kanon, in the late ‘80’s he was at the time Senior VP and Editor of Houghton Miflin’s Trade Books Division. It was an informational interview, as I considered a career and job change. He was generous of his time, straight forward, helpful and good humored, an all around good guy. Joe in the decade following became a well known author of political thrillers, many of them best sellers. He stands out in the genre and is noted for historical accuracy, cultural and political astuteness, a sophisticated view of the modern world, and related moral complexities. And his ability to develop realistic and interesting characters and dialogues to carry forward his fiction.
Martin Keller is an American physicist, captured and imprisoned in Britain in the early ‘50’s for giving nuclear secrets to the Soviets. Justified in conscience, by he and his wife, Sabine, as an attempt to balance nuclear strengths, to act as deterrent against the misuse of these weapons by the West. Martin, 10 years in prison is now up for parole from his 14 year sentence. He is now viewed as a fair asset in the continuing trade and prisoner exchanges between the East and the West.
Welcome to East Berlin. “For a second Martin was tempted to turn around and face him, almost a tease. But it wasn’t a game, being followed here. It was a reminder, like bars on a window, that your life wasn’t your own. What had Digby said? They’ve all got an ear out over there. — maybe the point was being obvious, so that both of them knew— His life now. And then the man, as if he had heard him, moved his mouth in a small smile and nodded. He started walking again, past Martin, everything understood. When he reached the Kino, he waited, as if he wanted to make sure Martin got home safely.”
Father meets son. “Martin smiled, the target of this, because he saw, what he hadn’t expected, that Peter was trying to please him. Maybe the natural instinct of all actors, wanting the light.” [Peter, 11 almost 12, a child celebrity in an East German family tv series] “ A little teasing at school—that happens to everyone. He never said anything to me.” “He wouldn’t.” “Well, it’s not serious. Maybe good for him. You have to learn to deal with all types.” — “his head is up there.” Pointing a finger. “In the clouds. It’s good for the work, it’s easy for him to pretend.”
Ex-wife Sabine, remarried and ill. “We’ll see another doctor.” A faint smile. “Americans always want to see another doctor. It won’t change anything.” …
“We were good together.” — “Until we weren’t,” he said”
Back to work…new targets. An old colleague Stefan. “How to stop the build up? Governments will never do it. Only scientists themselves can make this happen, can stop it. A moral act.” Old agent Andrei. “ Rule number one. Make the story true. Or as close to the truth as possible. You’re comfortable so far? With your story?” - “ I’m looking forward to this, working together again. It was always a pleasure with you. So quick to understand the situation.” The words put out to sit on the table, a test question. Martin met his eyes. “I don’t have a choice.” Andrei nodded. “You made it. Years ago.”
Choices and decisions then follow…irrevocable ones involving, family, colleagues, mixed in worldly/political knowledge, experience gained, and the realities of life. Kanon weaves a thought provoking, political thriller, based on the exchange of live assets between East & West. Follow along..
Note on the Author. I met Joe Kanon, in the late ‘80’s he was at the time Senior VP and Editor of Houghton Miflin’s Trade Books Division. It was an informational interview, as I considered a career and job change. He was generous of his time, straight forward, helpful and good humored, an all around good guy. Joe in the decade following became a well known author of political thrillers, many of them best sellers. He stands out in the genre and is noted for historical accuracy, cultural and political astuteness, a sophisticated view of the modern world, and related moral complexities. And his ability to develop realistic and interesting characters and dialogues to carry forward his fiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2022
Kanon’s ability to create believable characters entangled in a sphere of spies and governmental intrigue almost matches John le Carre. le Carre is the superior author when it comes to detailing the intricacies of the agencies in play, for Kanon doesn’t get into those weeds much in this novel. But his players are built with a masterful touch, just as le Carre’s magnificent array of characters. I’ve read several other Kanon books and they all are written with supreme talent. We also care about these characters, in varying degrees. As all spy tales must include, this book has the betrayal we expect, though Kanon’s talent delays the reveal on some of the betrayal. The Berlin Exchange is an excellent continuation of a superb collections of novels.
November 2, 2021
Over the past few weeks I have been reading a couple of books set in the past, with the Soviet Union a menace looming over the West. One was a WWII mystery which focused on facts and history. The other was the much more interesting “The Berlin Exchange” by Joseph Kanon, set in East Berlin during the height of the cold war. Mr. Kanon continues his strong run of character-driven espionage mysteries that capture the mood and paranoia of us versus them.
We start in 1963 Berlin, as East and West swap spies. The West gives up Martin Keller, pulled out of an English prison, a physicist who got caught spying for the Soviets. But why was Martin swapped? He was never a true believer, never an ardent communist, just someone who thought he was doing what was best for world peace. To make things even stranger, he is picked up by his ex-wife’s new husband, Kurt Thiele, a lawyer who takes care of these swaps, trusted (or maybe just used?) by both sides.
Martin gets reunited with Sabine and Peter, his ex-wife and son. Peter is the star of an East German TV show, a model communist son displaying proper communist values. Martin and Kurt co-exist in a strange family dynamic, trying to do what’s best for Peter.
But this is still communist East Germany. The Stasi are everywhere, the walls have ears. Kurt is working for the government (Stasi?), selling dissidents to the West for much needed hard currency. Martin is trying to find out what his role is in this new country is, in this new family. And, of course, the Russians aren’t known for just sitting back and taking things easy: Martin’s old Russian control agent, Andrei, reenters his life and “asks” him to do some work, not something Martin can say no to if he wants to live his comfortable life.
But Martin has an ace in the hole: an American passport, which becomes critical as a crisis looms to threaten his future. Can Martin use this to his advantage before the East swallows him up along with his family?
A well-written dark and moody character study set in dirty cold war 1960s. For fans of Le Carre and Furst, this is the type of book that makes the case that espionage novels can make for great literary fiction.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Scribner via NetGalley. Thank you!
We start in 1963 Berlin, as East and West swap spies. The West gives up Martin Keller, pulled out of an English prison, a physicist who got caught spying for the Soviets. But why was Martin swapped? He was never a true believer, never an ardent communist, just someone who thought he was doing what was best for world peace. To make things even stranger, he is picked up by his ex-wife’s new husband, Kurt Thiele, a lawyer who takes care of these swaps, trusted (or maybe just used?) by both sides.
Martin gets reunited with Sabine and Peter, his ex-wife and son. Peter is the star of an East German TV show, a model communist son displaying proper communist values. Martin and Kurt co-exist in a strange family dynamic, trying to do what’s best for Peter.
But this is still communist East Germany. The Stasi are everywhere, the walls have ears. Kurt is working for the government (Stasi?), selling dissidents to the West for much needed hard currency. Martin is trying to find out what his role is in this new country is, in this new family. And, of course, the Russians aren’t known for just sitting back and taking things easy: Martin’s old Russian control agent, Andrei, reenters his life and “asks” him to do some work, not something Martin can say no to if he wants to live his comfortable life.
But Martin has an ace in the hole: an American passport, which becomes critical as a crisis looms to threaten his future. Can Martin use this to his advantage before the East swallows him up along with his family?
A well-written dark and moody character study set in dirty cold war 1960s. For fans of Le Carre and Furst, this is the type of book that makes the case that espionage novels can make for great literary fiction.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Scribner via NetGalley. Thank you!
March 1, 2022
Joseph Kanon was a new author for me and I’m not always a big espionage thriller fan, but I went into The Berlin Exchange with an open mind and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This was an intriguing, compelling thriller about a man desperate to put his estranged family back together during the height of the Cold War.
Martin Keller is recently released back into East Berlin after spending time in jail for espionage. No one can quite understand his desire to go back to East Berlin given he possesses an American passport. What he doesn’t let on is his desire to see his estranged wife Sabine (who divorced him and remarried while he was in jail) and his young son back together with him. We quickly learn that the prisoner exchange that was orchestrated for his freedom is nothing but a cover and they want him to return to what he does best—physics and spying.
There were a lot of things I liked about this book. First of all, the era. I always like learning about different historical events and from the atmospheric setting and vivid detail, it’s clear Kanon did his research. I did need to familiarize myself with some terms and landmarks that were often referenced and I’d be lying if I wasn’t confusing characters on occasion. I had to double back a few times as there were a lot of them. While the characters aren’t overly developed—we get more of an on the surface development with a few back story facts—I found quite invested in Keller and even a few of the secondary players. I was truly cheering for Keller as he risks it all to put his family back together. Sometimes spy thrillers are all action an no heart but this wasn’t the case with Exchange. While there is plenty of action—and even a few shocking twists—it’s truly a captivating story about family at it’s core. The effects a divided country has on its people, past regrets and broken trust are also significant themes found in the narrative. Like I said, it’s much more than just an action-packed thriller. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who is a fan of espionage books that press more into the historical elements with a bit more development and less into extremely fast-paced all action types.
Thank you to Scribner for the advanced copy of this book
Martin Keller is recently released back into East Berlin after spending time in jail for espionage. No one can quite understand his desire to go back to East Berlin given he possesses an American passport. What he doesn’t let on is his desire to see his estranged wife Sabine (who divorced him and remarried while he was in jail) and his young son back together with him. We quickly learn that the prisoner exchange that was orchestrated for his freedom is nothing but a cover and they want him to return to what he does best—physics and spying.
There were a lot of things I liked about this book. First of all, the era. I always like learning about different historical events and from the atmospheric setting and vivid detail, it’s clear Kanon did his research. I did need to familiarize myself with some terms and landmarks that were often referenced and I’d be lying if I wasn’t confusing characters on occasion. I had to double back a few times as there were a lot of them. While the characters aren’t overly developed—we get more of an on the surface development with a few back story facts—I found quite invested in Keller and even a few of the secondary players. I was truly cheering for Keller as he risks it all to put his family back together. Sometimes spy thrillers are all action an no heart but this wasn’t the case with Exchange. While there is plenty of action—and even a few shocking twists—it’s truly a captivating story about family at it’s core. The effects a divided country has on its people, past regrets and broken trust are also significant themes found in the narrative. Like I said, it’s much more than just an action-packed thriller. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who is a fan of espionage books that press more into the historical elements with a bit more development and less into extremely fast-paced all action types.
Thank you to Scribner for the advanced copy of this book
January 29, 2022
I thank the author and Scribner/Simon and Shuster for giving me access to an ARC via NetGalley.
Mr. Kanon has been a favorite author of mine, for his many-layered novels with lots of human interest across a wide variety of WWII and Cold War locales. He creates a world filled with dread and fear, justifiably, and is highly skilled at building tension. The reader must look between the lines for subtle clues, that’s his style.
This novel is not one of my favorites. It feels rather “thin” with a rushed ending and a hero who is not as easy to admire as many of his other leading characters. I missed the backstory for Martin Keller: how did he end up spying for Russia as a double agent (no spoiler here, it’s obvious from page 1)? How did his years in an English prison change him?
Keller is parachuted into much tension and drama in East Berlin. The description of post-war life in East Germany is filled with moral ambiguity (to put it mildly) and a wide disparity in wealth and security.
I enjoyed the adventure aspects of the story and the examination of a split family. I just wish it had been more developed, less rushed. I look forward to his next creation. 3 stars.
Mr. Kanon has been a favorite author of mine, for his many-layered novels with lots of human interest across a wide variety of WWII and Cold War locales. He creates a world filled with dread and fear, justifiably, and is highly skilled at building tension. The reader must look between the lines for subtle clues, that’s his style.
This novel is not one of my favorites. It feels rather “thin” with a rushed ending and a hero who is not as easy to admire as many of his other leading characters. I missed the backstory for Martin Keller: how did he end up spying for Russia as a double agent (no spoiler here, it’s obvious from page 1)? How did his years in an English prison change him?
Keller is parachuted into much tension and drama in East Berlin. The description of post-war life in East Germany is filled with moral ambiguity (to put it mildly) and a wide disparity in wealth and security.
I enjoyed the adventure aspects of the story and the examination of a split family. I just wish it had been more developed, less rushed. I look forward to his next creation. 3 stars.
February 17, 2022
It’s 1963, a time of the Cold War with spies, Communists, and thoughts of escape to the West. Martin is being released from a British Prison where he has been serving time for espionage. He’s to be transferred to East Berlin and he doesn’t know why, other than the fact that his ex-wife has had something to do with it. He’s looking forward to seeing her and getting to know his son. But his Russian handler has resurfaced and he has plans for Martin to resume spying. Martin doesn’t want to spy, especially when told the name of the person he’s supposed to keep under surveillance. Hoping to get to know his 11-year-old son and maybe to reconnect with his ex, he decides the best way to do that is by fleeing East Berlin with them. The question is: how to do this without attracting the attention of his handler, the Stasi, and/or his wife’s current husband?
There are a lot of holes in the story, making it hard to fully sympathize with the protagonist. Several red herrings are thrown in to add suspense, but at times the pace is somewhat slow. On the other hand, the last chapter is a bit of a nail-biter, fast-paced with an unexpected twist. All-in-all, I enjoyed reading this espionage thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
There are a lot of holes in the story, making it hard to fully sympathize with the protagonist. Several red herrings are thrown in to add suspense, but at times the pace is somewhat slow. On the other hand, the last chapter is a bit of a nail-biter, fast-paced with an unexpected twist. All-in-all, I enjoyed reading this espionage thriller.
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2022
As a middle school student in the early 1960s, I was intrigued by the stories of the Berlin Wall, the various escapes, and prisoner exchanges, most notably Gary Powers. My memory is reading something about Powers in a Weekly Reader at school. I wanted to read The Berlin Exchange. I felt the exchange scene at the beginning of the book was exciting. During this time, we find out that Martin has been in a British prison for ten years. Kurt, a lawyer who handles exchanges and also the husband of Martin’s ex-wife, Sabine, and mother of Martin’s son, Peter, are introduced.
While the book is off to a good start, I soon found myself lost several times in dialogue and trying to figure out who was speaking. I had to keep rereading in several spots. I think shorter chapters might have helped. I did find the story interesting. My thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.
While the book is off to a good start, I soon found myself lost several times in dialogue and trying to figure out who was speaking. I had to keep rereading in several spots. I think shorter chapters might have helped. I did find the story interesting. My thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.
February 2, 2022
I do not usually read espionage novels, so this was an opportunity to try something different. I had never read this author before. I do like thrillers and crime novels. I like exciting fiction, and I thought this might be exciting. I am also interested in Cold War era fiction.
Unfortunately, with the exception of when the people were actually escaping East Germany, I did not find this book exciting.
The author did establish the setting and atmosphere well. The characters seemed decently developed. I found the underlying reality of exchange of prisoners between East and West Germany very interesting.
Much of this novel was comprised of dialogue, pages of dialogue. The author relied very heavily on dialogue to tell this story and drive the plot. It actually felt out of proportion. I read pages of dialogue during which not much seemed to happen. I guess the author was establishing relationships between the characters; however, much of it seemed like routine conversation that I readily skimmed to get to the meatier parts of the story.
The premise and situation were interesting, but I found the execution much less so. Maybe people who regularly read espionage fiction would appreciate this book more than I did.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.
Unfortunately, with the exception of when the people were actually escaping East Germany, I did not find this book exciting.
The author did establish the setting and atmosphere well. The characters seemed decently developed. I found the underlying reality of exchange of prisoners between East and West Germany very interesting.
Much of this novel was comprised of dialogue, pages of dialogue. The author relied very heavily on dialogue to tell this story and drive the plot. It actually felt out of proportion. I read pages of dialogue during which not much seemed to happen. I guess the author was establishing relationships between the characters; however, much of it seemed like routine conversation that I readily skimmed to get to the meatier parts of the story.
The premise and situation were interesting, but I found the execution much less so. Maybe people who regularly read espionage fiction would appreciate this book more than I did.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.
February 22, 2024
Atmospheric, serpentine and slow-paced is how I think of Joseph Kanon novels. I thought I'd read them all a couple of years back but somehow seemed to have missed this one.
Normally I'd expect pages of luscious prose as we become submerged in whichever period/circumstances the novel portrays. However, this feels much starker with descriptive language eschewed in favour of conversation creating an entirely dialogue driven novel.
Largely that works. The plot evolves in a fog of misdirection constantly adjusting to the complex motivations and relationships. Nothing is entirely as it seems, and given that this is set in the Stasi controlled former DDR, you can never be completely sure who is watching, listening and informing. The novel is, as intended, convoluted and claustrophobic.
Overall its a good, engrossing read with a couple of smallish problems. Kanon largely avoids the 'he said, she said' signposts on the dialogue which enables it to flow but can sometimes result in it being unclear who said what. Several times I had to re-read segments to untangle the exchanges. Separately, the final twist, the final betrayal, was made a bit too obvious leading to a somewhat anti-climactic final 'discovery'.
Overall, though, a rewarding experience.
Normally I'd expect pages of luscious prose as we become submerged in whichever period/circumstances the novel portrays. However, this feels much starker with descriptive language eschewed in favour of conversation creating an entirely dialogue driven novel.
Largely that works. The plot evolves in a fog of misdirection constantly adjusting to the complex motivations and relationships. Nothing is entirely as it seems, and given that this is set in the Stasi controlled former DDR, you can never be completely sure who is watching, listening and informing. The novel is, as intended, convoluted and claustrophobic.
Overall its a good, engrossing read with a couple of smallish problems. Kanon largely avoids the 'he said, she said' signposts on the dialogue which enables it to flow but can sometimes result in it being unclear who said what. Several times I had to re-read segments to untangle the exchanges. Separately, the final twist, the final betrayal, was made a bit too obvious leading to a somewhat anti-climactic final 'discovery'.
Overall, though, a rewarding experience.
March 24, 2022
Have I mentioned that I love spy thrillers set in Berlin, be they historical or contemporary?
(Well, I suppose I might have, like once or twice or a few dozen times...)
This latest release by Joseph Kanon therefore immediately went onto my TBR, both because I can never resist this combination of genre and setting, and because it sounded very intriguing besides that. Set in 1963, it's the tale of physicist Martin Keller, just released into East Berlin through a spy swap after spending the past decade in an English prison for espionage activities, as he is drawn back into the service that has had its hooks in him for so long while reuniting with his ex-wife and son. This was another excellent read by Kanon that had me hooked all the way through.
(Well, I suppose I might have, like once or twice or a few dozen times...)
This latest release by Joseph Kanon therefore immediately went onto my TBR, both because I can never resist this combination of genre and setting, and because it sounded very intriguing besides that. Set in 1963, it's the tale of physicist Martin Keller, just released into East Berlin through a spy swap after spending the past decade in an English prison for espionage activities, as he is drawn back into the service that has had its hooks in him for so long while reuniting with his ex-wife and son. This was another excellent read by Kanon that had me hooked all the way through.
May 7, 2023
Kanon is picture perfect yet again in his bringing to life post war Berlin and the Cold War...the fantasy world East German apparatchiks wanted their citizens to embrace and believe was Utopia...his writing is comparable to the scarcity of goods in the shops -- though remedied in this fine novel by exchanges of political prisoners for goods -- but highly effective and conveying the underlying emotions without laying it on heavy. Martin the hero has served time for espionage in England but his days of betrayal are hard to shake off or ditch once he is 'released' into East Berlin and is reunited with his ex-wife -- now married to his 'saviour' Kurt -- and TV star young son. I will not divulge more of the plot though you can imagine the family dynamic plays a major role. Splendidly drawn characters from across the spectrum leads to quite a climax. It is an excellent read a fine broadside from Kanon and solidifies his reputation for me as one of the best story tellers of that extraordinary era. Chapeau sir.
May 31, 2023
Joseph Kanon is a master of Cold War espionage novels. 'The Berlin Exchange' takes place in 1963 Berlin. Martin Keller ,an American physicist convicted of spying for the Russians and imprisoned in the UK for 13 years, is unexpectedly released from prison and exchanged for political prison ers in East Germany. The question is why? Of what value could he possibly have to the East Germans or the Russians. We soon find out that he was not exchanged out of the goodness of the Russian's hearts...big surprise. But, he certainly has something of value to them and once Martin finds out what it is the pace of the novel moves at an incredible pace! Kanon never disappoints!
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