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Then We Take Berlin
Series: Joe Wilderness series
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 2,552 ratings, 238 reviews)
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
An historical thriller from the author of the Inspector Troy series, moving from London during the Blitz, to divided post-war Berlin - and introducing Joe Wilderness.
A new historical thriller from the author of the Inspector Troy series, moving from London during the Blitz, to divided post-war Berlin.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
John Holderness, known to the women in his life as 'Wilderness', comes of age during World War II in Stepney, East London, breaking into 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.
Then We Take Berlin is a gripping, meticulously researched and richly detailed historical thriller—a moving story of espionage and war, and people caught up in the most tumultuous events of the twentieth century.
Series: Joe Wilderness series
View all-
The Unfortunate Englishman
A thrilling portrait of 1960s Berlin and Khrushchev's Moscow, centring around the exchange of two spies— a Russian working for the KGB, and an unfortunate Englishman. Having shot someone in the chaos of 1963 Berlin, Wilderness finds himself locked up with little chance of escape. But an official pardon through his father-in-law, Burne-Jones, a senior agent at MI6, means he...Paperback$2300Elsewhere:$2499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Moscow Exile
Charlotte is a British expatriate who has recently settled in Washington, D.C. with her second husband, but enviable dinner parties aren't the only thing she is planning. Meanwhile, Charlie Leigh-Hunt has been posted to Washington as a replacement for Guy Burgess, last seen disappearing around the corner and into the Soviet Union. Charlie is surprised to cross paths with Charlotte,...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Then We Take Berlin
John Holderness, known to the women in his life as 'Wilderness', comes of age during World War II in Stepney, East London, breaking into 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...PaperbackSold Out -
Hammer to Fall
It's London, the swinging sixties, and by rights MI6 spy Joe Wilderness should be having as good a time as James Bond. But alas, in the wake of an embarrassing disaster for MI6, Wilderness has been posted to remote northern Finland in a cultural exchange program to promote Britain abroad. Bored by his work, with nothing to spy on, Wilderness...PaperbackSold Out
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Reviews of Then We Take Berlin praise John Lawton's convincing depiction and his skillful blend of crude vernacular with black humour. The novel is regarded as a stylish and engaging spy thriller that offers more depth than its individual elements might suggest. It's noted for its remarkable authority and enjoyable narrative, positioning Lawton alongside renowned authors in the genre.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781611855654
Publisher: Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 07 August 2014
Country: United States
Imprint: Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 26.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 298g
Pages: 432
About the Author
John Lawton is the director of over forty television programs, author of a dozen screenplays, several children's books, seven Inspector Troy novels and two standalones. Lawton's work has earned him comparisons to John le Carre and Alan Furst. Lawton lives in a remote hilltop village in Derbyshire.
Also by John Lawton
View all-
The Unfortunate Englishman
A thrilling portrait of 1960s Berlin and Khrushchev's Moscow, centring around the exchange of two spies— a Russian working for the KGB, and an unfortunate Englishman. Having shot someone in the chaos of 1963 Berlin, Wilderness finds himself locked up with little chance of escape. But an official pardon through his father-in-law, Burne-Jones, a senior agent at MI6, means he...Paperback$2300Elsewhere:$2499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Moscow Exile
Charlotte is a British expatriate who has recently settled in Washington, D.C. with her second husband, but enviable dinner parties aren't the only thing she is planning. Meanwhile, Charlie Leigh-Hunt has been posted to Washington as a replacement for Guy Burgess, last seen disappearing around the corner and into the Soviet Union. Charlie is surprised to cross paths with Charlotte,...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Smoke and Embers
1950. Chief Inspector Troy learns that his sergeant has been conducting an affair with the known mistress of infamous London racketeer Otto Ohnherz. Troy is immediately intrigued by the mysterious origins of Ohnherz's second-in-command, Jay Fabian, who is a major contributor to all three British political parties and claims to have survived the concentration camps, yet lacks any identification beyond...Hardback$4500Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Moscow Exile
From "quite possibly the best historical novelist we have" (Philadelphia Inquirer), the fourth Joe Wilderness spy thriller, moving from Red Scare-era Washington, D.C. to a KGB prison near Moscow's Kremlin. In Moscow Exile, John Lawton departs from his usual stomping grounds of England and Germany to jump across the Atlantic to Washington, D.C., in the fragile postwar period where the...Paperback$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Pre-orderSmoke and Embers
1950. Chief Inspector Troy learns that his sergeant has been conducting an affair with the known mistress of infamous London racketeer Otto Ohnherz. Troy is immediately intrigued by the mysterious origins of Ohnherz's second-in-command, Jay Fabian, who is a major contributor to all three British political parties and claims to have survived the concentration camps, yet lacks any identification beyond...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableOut 4 Aug 2026Pre-order -
Hammer to Fall
It's London, the swinging sixties, and by rights MI6 spy Joe Wilderness should be having as good a time as James Bond. But alas, in the wake of an embarrassing disaster for MI6, Wilderness has been posted to remote northern Finland in a cultural exchange program to promote Britain abroad. Bored by his work, with nothing to spy on, Wilderness...PaperbackSold Out -
A Little White Death
A Little White Death is set in an England on the verge of explosion, while Inspector Troy is engaged in a personal battle against ill-health. During his medical leave, Scotland Yard files charges against an acquaintance of his—a hedonistic doctor with a penchant for voyeurism and young women. These women are entangled in affairs with a senior official at the...PaperbackSold Out
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