Fans of this excellent WWII espionage series set in WWII Germany will enjoy this prequel detailing the life of English/American journalist John Russell in the years of Hitler's power climb into ultimate, deadly authority. Through six previous books, readers have followed the tense, precarious life of Russell as he navigated the war in Germany through the agony of the rise and fall of Hitler, surviving by his quick wit and shifting allegiances. In this story, his life before the war is told with a poignancy that hits readers who know the later stories. However, new readers may want to start with this one first, and then go on to the rest, in order. Each builds upon the previous, in authentic, devastating, action-packed detail.
In this prequel, Downing places Russell in mid-1930's German life with Hitler and his thugs slowly strangling the country. Russell is on the staff of a decent newspaper but with the general acknowledgement that newspapers are all coming to a bad end, as free speech gives way to hard line propaganda. Downey excels at describing ordinary German life - the good and the bad - during this time, and, in the later books, during the horrific war and its scrambling, deadly aftermath. This series is one of the very best on WWII Germany. A must-read for all fans of David Downey's John Russell series. A must-have series for all library fiction collections.

Wedding Station by David Downing

I enjoyed the writing and storytelling in this book. It’s the second of the John Russel station series that I have read. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed to see this story based on a discredited idea that there were large numbers of homosexuals in the Nazi party; specifically in the SA. This downplays the persecution of perpetrated by in Nazi Germany. About 100,000 were arrested, 50,000 convicted and some 5,000 to 15,000 interned in Nazi concentration camps, where they were forced to wear pink triangle badges. Some underwent castration or other Nazi human experimentation aimed at "curing" homosexuality. Perpetuating this myth is harmful because it equates homosexuallity with the evil that is Nazism. It strips gays of their "victim" status to decrease public support for LGBT rights. It can drive a wedge between LGBT and Jewish voters, both traditionally progressive groups and legitimize the idea that Christians are oppressed in the United States. It’s a shame that Downing chose to either not research enough (and this is as easy to find as Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_fascism) or to use it anyway.

Thanks to Netgalley and Soho Crime for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Crime and politics in Nazi Germany!

1933 Berlin on the eve of Hitler’s rise to power. Englishman John Russell is a crime reporter with the Morgenspiegel, a daily newspaper. He’s also a disenchanted communist and is separated from his German wife.
The opening event to catch attention is the burning down of the Reichstag parliament building, ostensibly by the Communists, in all probability started by SA (Sturmführer / Brown shirts) arsonists, sets the scene.
So much is happening, the rise of the Brown Shirts, death of those who stand against Hitler, including communist sympathizers, persecution of Jews, violence against others like male prostitutes, and all who walked on the wild side, who didn’t adhere to the ideals of the right.
Russell as a registered Resident Foreign National is determined to remain in Berlin for his son Paul’s sake. How to manage that and still stay true to reporting without running a foul of the Nazis is a trial.
As he investigates crimes that seem to meld or at least run parallel, Russell finds himself holding material that would see him killed. He is driven to associate with Communist Party members. He’s dragged off to be questioned by the SA and later the Prussian Political Police. Russell is right in the thick of things and it’s not healthy!
Downing’s given us a look at ordinary and extraordinary people during this time of German History. I found it compelling. To my mind he’s up there with Philip Kerr.
Wedding Station is the prelude to the previous Station stories involving John Russell. Until now I’d never read any but now, I’m itching to start. Wedding is a run down poorer part of Berlin.
This look at the rise of Nazism from a somewhat cynical newspaper hack looking to maintain his position and continue to be part of his son’s life is very personal. He needs to stay in Germany as a foreign correspondent. But how to marry that with the horrors he is already starting to witness?
A compelling read!

A Soho Press ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

David Downing has created a marvelous oeuvre of six espionage thrillers featuring Anglo-American journalist John Russell in the backdrop of Nazi Germany. They are collectively known as “The Station Series” with each novel being named after a train station, mostly in Berlin. The series concluded in 2013 leaving an extensive fan base hungering for more. Thankfully he has written an intriguing standalone preamble to the series artfully exploring the origins and motivation of our intrepid hero John Russell. John is working on the crime desk of the Morgenspiegel, hoping to avoid any confrontation on the political front. He has recently separated from his German wife, Ilse and is worried that a divorce would result in his compulsory expulsion from Germany, and more important an inability to have a relationship with his beloved five-year old son, Paul.
This tale is not so much about the Nazis, who are continually mentioned on a tangential basis, but rather the focus is on the German populace living and surviving in Berlin, as seen through the eyes of John Russell. In 1933, Adolf Hitler has won only 43% of the vote and required a coalition with the Nationalist allies to gain control. There were many who feared his reign, not only his opposition of the socialists and communists, but many everyday German. Most feared repercussions with any dissent. Knowing the likelihood of being arrested, interrogated, tortured with the real possibility of disappearance (euphemism for death).
Russell’s crime reporting leads to the inevitable need to investigate and shed light and make sense of the crimes. He was well aware of the need to avoid confrontation with the Nazi minions in any of these crimes …. If they were, the story was dropped. Several of these investigations are explored in detail and have major implications to John’s survival. A “rent boy” (male prostitute ) in his late teens was brutally killed and mutilated at the Moustache Lounge, one of many homosexual clubs in Berlin. They remained open most likely due to the known proclivities of Nazi leader, Ernst Rohm. Russell’s investigation resulted in contact and interview with the victims friends. Eventually he received in the post, a detailed personal journal of the victim. A reading of the journal implicated multiple prominent SA leaders, including friends of Rohm, and not only in their “rent boy” patronage, but probably their killings. What could he possibly do with this information?
One morning Russell rushed to the scene of the hit and run killing of Konrad Mommsen , a well respected 38 year-old genealogist. With just a little digging, John soon realized this “murder” had far reaching implications. Checking one’s own racial purity had become a growth industry. Needless to say, millions of Germans (including Nazi leaders) had some Jewish blood
(Hitler would probably find half his party had this dreadful virus). Perhaps he was extinguished to avoid uncovering someone’s ancestry.
The next most important event that bludgeoned John Russell is his call to investigate the disappearance of the famous clairvoyant, Harri Haum. His client list included multiple celebrities, business and military leaders, film stars and even Nazi politicians. But, rarely mentioned is his Jewish ancestry.
David Downing proves to be a masterful storyteller, as he once again weaves together a complex set of events in a compelling fast paced narrative. A mood of foreboding is rank throughout the travails of Russell, with a sense of living on borrowed time. The main protagonist, John Russell’s character and motivation is progressively layered in this propulsive read. Along the way, we explore the streets of Berlin,and eat at the famous cafes, bakeries, coffee shops, bars, and restaurants of Berlin. We revel in the local culinary delights of the day. However, Russell offers his mental picture of Nazi Berlin as a painting by Hieronymus Bosch. “A grid of peaceful tree-lined streets, and in the lacunae between them, people screaming their heads off, shackled to wheels of fire.” Let us not forget to mention a little inconspicuous entry into the daily paper … the Nazis were opening a concentration camp outside the Bavarian village of Dachau …. In an attempt to control dissidents.
Thanks to NetGalley and Soho Crime Press for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Publication Date: March 2, 2021