Then We Take Berlin

By John Lawton

A gripping, meticulously researched and richly detailed historical thriller moving from London during the Blitz, to divided post-war Berlin.

John Holderness, known to most as 'Wilderness', comes of age during World War II in Stepney, breaking in to houses with his grandfather.

After the war, Wilderness is recruited as MI5's resident 'cat burglar' and finds himself in Berlin, involved with schemes in the booming black market that put both him and his relationships in danger.

In 1963 it is a most unusual and lucrative request that persuades Wilderness to return - to smuggle someone under the Berlin Wall and out of East Germany. But this final scheme may prove to be one challenge too far...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grove Press UK
• Release date: Nov 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781611859805

Reviews for Then We Take Berlin

[basilisksam_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the things that drew me to read this book was the comparison to Alan Furst. Furst’s earlier works were sensationally good but it seemed to me that the quality dwindled with each new book. In fact Night Soldiers, which I believe was his first, was the best and he’s never improved on it.The resemblance to Furst is mainly due to the time period covered in Next We Take Berlin, being set in the post-war world and running into the early sixties. The writing style, however, is more ornate and that’s a plus as far as I’m concerned. I like the sparse language of Furst but Lawton’s prose is better suited to describing the complexities of the post-war world. Lawton’s protagonist is a likable London wide boy and his exploits as a burglar and black marketeer segue nicely into his burgeoning role as a spy. The amount of detail given of his exploits in post-war Berlin are convincing and showcase the immense amount of research that must have gone into writing the book. The only criticism I have is that the espionage plot set in the sixties comes to an abrupt end signalling (I think) a sequel. A very enjoyable read and I’ve already bought the next book in the series. I’m eager to get started

[rumuse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book poses as a post-WWII spy thriller. But it's mostly a well-researched historical novel about 1) life in London's impoverished Eastside London circa WWII and 2) Berlin in the aftermath of WWII. The central characters are well-developed and the book is rich in historical detail. I quite relished it. However, if you are looking for a suspense-laden plotty spy thriller, this is probably not a book for you. The plot takes a third seat to the above-mentioned details, and the book's ambiguous resolution will leave most devotees of this genre dissatisfied. For those reasons I tagged this book a 'literary thriller.'

[rosareads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Warning: The first sixty percent of the book is mediocre backstory. Then the actual "spy story" starts and it's good fiction. Almost as good as Lawton's WWI series.

[johnwbeha · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent book mainly about the immediate post war period in Berlin. It is not a pert of Lawton's "inspector Troy" series, albeit that he makes an appearance. The plot is well constructed and the main characters well drawn and believable. It reinforced my decision to seek out more of Lawton's books.

[shazjhb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book. Loved the story. I think I missed something at the end!

[annbury_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A solid read, with a lot of research into the events that are described. The ending is impossible to understand, and it is just confusing. But the descriptions of opening up Bergen Belsen after the war and post war Berlin are true and horrifying.

[edwardsgt · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Strangely I struggled to finish this and in fact didn't, perhaps it was just too long with the back story before getting down to the main plot, interesting though that was...

[picardyrose · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Requires slogging. Don't feel like it.

[maneekuhi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have read Lawton's excellent 7 book series on Commander Frederick Troy (FT) of Scotland Yard, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. John Wilfrid Holderness, "Wilderness to his women" and Joe to others, is the hero of the new series, and "Then We Take Berlin" (W) is the first entry in what I hope will be another lengthy series. Unlike the FT books, the W book was told mostly in chronological order, if you don't nitpick about the flashback that occupies the middle 60% of the book. It's 1963 and Joe is married, living in England, and is a private investigator of sorts. Joe gets a call to have a face-to-face chat with a WWII contact in New York. It's a free first-class ticket, he's never flown cross the Atlantic before, and what can go wrong. Well, plenty based on his past experiences with Frank. He is offered a job, "job" in the sense of "mission" and the money is just too hard to turn down.Flashback time. Joe as a raggamuffin breaking and entering with his granddad in war ravaged London, drafted in the final days of the war, and ultimately assigned to a high ranking officer to vet German applicants for identity papers. As Joe's talents for more clandestine ops become evident, he is transferred to Berlin in 1945. Joe is young, he is promoted to corporal (never makes officer), but he has clout given his special talents and his direct boss, a colonel. A host of new characters are introduced as well as some old familiar ones - a number from the FT series, particularly Tosca, and there's even a cameo for FT himself. And of course Berlin, and the rubble.Unlike Troy, Joe is not a refined kind of guy, and also cursed with youth he finds trouble very easily, including black market activities. It's at this point that the reader realizes that something is right around the corner for Joe and it ain't gonna end well. It takes a few years, but finally it eventually comes crashing down on Joe, but not on Frank.Now it's 1963, the book is almost finished and Joe is just starting his new assignment for Frank. Joe is back in Berlin, looks up some old friends and meets some new ones. And then there's the Wall. And the "go" date for his assignment is June 26, 1963. Look it up. And it ends with two pages I would not have imagined had I scribbled 100 possible finishes. The only bad news here is having to wait a year plus for the next one.