by Len Deighton
First published 2021
The unnamed British intelligence operative from The IPCRESS File finds himself in 1963 Berlin, tasked with orchestrating an elaborate defection scheme. A prominent Soviet scientist plans to escape to the West hidden inside a mock coffin, and the agent must coordinate this delicate operation in a city split by the newly constructed Berlin Wall. The divided metropolis creates a maze of shadows and uncertainty where loyalties shift like smoke. As the agent navigates the treacherous landscape of Cold War espionage, he uncovers layers of deception that run far deeper than the original mission. What appeared to be a straightforward extraction reveals a more sinister conspiracy lurking beneath the surface. The truth proves more lethal than anyone anticipated, forcing the agent to question everything he believed about the operation and those involved in it.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, thriller, espionage
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Berlin, Soviet Union
Period: 1963
281 pages · Kindle Edition · Penguin