
The Berlin Letters
A Cold War Novel
Katherine Reay(Author)
Harper Muse (Publisher)
Published on 28. March 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-4002-4306-8 (ISBN)
Description
"Fans of codebreakers, spies, and Cold War dramas will be entrapped by Reay's tale of courage, love, and honor set against the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall." - Booklist Starred Review
Bestselling author Katherine Reay returns with an unforgettable tale of the Cold War and a CIA code breaker who risks everything to free her father from an East German prison.
From the time she was a young girl, Luisa Voekler has loved solving puzzles and cracking codes. Brilliant and logical, she's expected to quickly climb the career ladder at the CIA. But while her coworkers have moved on to thrilling Cold War assignments--especially in the exhilarating era of the late 1980s--Luisa's work remains stuck in the past decoding messages from World War II.
Journalist Haris Voekler grew up a proud East Berliner. But as his eyes open to the realities of postwar East Germany, he realizes that the Soviet promises of a better future are not coming to fruition. After the Berlin Wall goes up, Haris finds himself separated from his young daughter and all alone after his wife dies. There's only one way to reach his family--by sending coded letters to his father-in-law who lives on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
When Luisa Voekler discovers a secret cache of letters written by the father she has long presumed dead, she learns the truth about her grandfather's work, her father's identity, and why she has never progressed in her career. With little more than a rudimentary plan and hope, she journeys to Berlin and risks everything to free her father and get him out of East Berlin alive.
As Luisa and Haris take turns telling their stories, events speed toward one of the twentieth century's most dramatic moments--the fall of the Berlin Wall and that night's promise of freedom, truth, and reconciliation for those who lived, for twenty-eight years, behind the bleak shadow of the Iron Curtain's most iconic symbol.
A Cold War novel that takes readers to the heart of Berlin to witness both the early and final days of the Berlin Wall
Stand-alone novel
Book length: approximately 107,000 words
Includes discussion questions for book clubs
Bestselling author Katherine Reay returns with an unforgettable tale of the Cold War and a CIA code breaker who risks everything to free her father from an East German prison.
From the time she was a young girl, Luisa Voekler has loved solving puzzles and cracking codes. Brilliant and logical, she's expected to quickly climb the career ladder at the CIA. But while her coworkers have moved on to thrilling Cold War assignments--especially in the exhilarating era of the late 1980s--Luisa's work remains stuck in the past decoding messages from World War II.
Journalist Haris Voekler grew up a proud East Berliner. But as his eyes open to the realities of postwar East Germany, he realizes that the Soviet promises of a better future are not coming to fruition. After the Berlin Wall goes up, Haris finds himself separated from his young daughter and all alone after his wife dies. There's only one way to reach his family--by sending coded letters to his father-in-law who lives on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
When Luisa Voekler discovers a secret cache of letters written by the father she has long presumed dead, she learns the truth about her grandfather's work, her father's identity, and why she has never progressed in her career. With little more than a rudimentary plan and hope, she journeys to Berlin and risks everything to free her father and get him out of East Berlin alive.
As Luisa and Haris take turns telling their stories, events speed toward one of the twentieth century's most dramatic moments--the fall of the Berlin Wall and that night's promise of freedom, truth, and reconciliation for those who lived, for twenty-eight years, behind the bleak shadow of the Iron Curtain's most iconic symbol.
A Cold War novel that takes readers to the heart of Berlin to witness both the early and final days of the Berlin Wall
Stand-alone novel
Book length: approximately 107,000 words
Includes discussion questions for book clubs
Reviews / Votes
'Both a gripping tale of espionage and a moving portrait of a family ripped apart, THE BERLIN LETTERS offers readers a fascinating glimpse at a fraught period of all-too-recent history and the people caught in the crosshairs of geopolitics who chose, each in their own way, to fight back.' * Jennifer Thorne and Lee Kelly, co-authors of THE ANTIQUITY AFFAIR * 'Both deeply moving and edge-of-your-seat suspenseful, THE BERLIN LETTERS is an eloquent reminder of the brutal totalitarianism of Soviet Communism and the unsung heroes who fought to tear down the Iron Curtain and free Eastern Europe.' * Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of THE SUMEMR WIVES * 'Fans of codebreaker and espionage-centered historical fiction, like Kate Quinn's THE ROSE CODE or Ariel Lawhon's CODE NAME HELENE, will find much to appreciate here.' * Library Journal * 'Fans of codebreakers, spies, and Cold War dramas will be entrapped by Reay's tale of courage, love, and honor set against the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall.' * Starred Booklist Review * 'It's a beautiful story with a perfect ending: the fall of the wall. But it also should serve as a cautionary tale.' * Bookreporter.com * 'Surrounding the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall, Reay's action-packed novel is told in dual-narrative form between a daughter with a rebellious streak and her father's buried secrets. A story of hope and resilience, THE BERLIN LETTERS is a thrilling story full of intrigue, espionage, code-breaking, and at its core, loyalty and humanity. You won't be able to put it down!' * Eliza Knight, USA TODAY and international bestselling author of STARRING ADELE ASTAIRE * 'THE BERLIN LETTERS is a thrilling read that has it all: secret codes, espionage, and a fascinating glimpse into the world behind the Berlin Wall. Katherine Reay always delivers well-researched historical fiction with a perfect blend of heartwarming characters and fast-paced action. Fans of historical spy novels are going to love this enthralling read!' * Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of THE KEEPER OF HIDDEN BOOKS *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
HarperCollins Focus
Dimensions
Height: 209 mm
Width: 139 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
304 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4002-4306-8 (9781400243068)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
03/2024
Harper Muse
€8.99
Available for download
Person
Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author who has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books. She publishes both fiction and nonfiction, holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Bozeman, MT, with her husband and three children. You can meet her online at katherinereay.com; Facebook: @KatherineReayBooks; X: @katherine_reay; Instagram: @katherinereay