First published 1984
Sam Laker crosses into East Germany on what should be routine business. The West recruits him as a temporary agent while he conducts his affairs behind the Iron Curtain. Laker accepts the assignment, perhaps thinking the work will prove straightforward. East Germany in the 1980s offers no sanctuary for amateur spies. A ruthless organization captures Laker before he can complete his mission. Now he faces interrogation and worse from people who show no mercy to Western operatives. Laker must find a way to survive in hostile territory where his business credentials mean nothing and his temporary spy status makes him a target. His captors will use every method at their disposal to extract information from him. The businessman turned reluctant agent discovers that espionage demands skills he never learned in boardrooms.
Genres: historical-fiction, thriller, action, espionage
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, reluctant-hero
Setting: East Germany, West Germany
Period: 1980s
192 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Academy Chicago Publishers