"The Berlin Letters" by Katherine Reay is a compelling work of historical fiction that follows the story of Luisa Voekler, a CIA codebreaker with a unique background. Raised by her German grandparents in the US, Luisa finds herself yearning for more excitement in her life despite enjoying her work. When she uncovers a connection between the letters she is decoding and those her grandfather received before his death, Luisa embarks on a journey to unravel the secrets of her family's past and discover her true identity.

Set in Washington DC and Berlin, Germany, the novel delves into themes of self-discovery, family loyalty, truth-seeking, and the fight for freedom. The narrative is engaging and the characters are well-developed, drawing readers into Luisa's quest for answers.

Overall, "The Berlin Letters" is a captivating read that explores complex themes with depth and insight. I highly recommend this book for its impactful storytelling and memorable characters.

I've never read a book about the Berlin wall, and since I've enjoyed Reay's books in the past, I was excited to check this one out.

I enjoy dual timeline novels, and this was no exception. Themes of secrets, love, loss, and forgiveness are key. Reay clearly did her research, and she crafted a story that's heartbreaking, but it's one that may also leave the reader with a greater appreciation for the freedoms they have today. The story covers 1961 (Cold War, when the Berlin Wall was erected) to 1989 (the fall of the wall). I do recall learning about this in school, but this is the first novel I've read, and it was enlightening. I appreciated the fact that the author didn't feel the need to add a forced romance angle to the story.


Possible trigger warnings: war, abandonment, violence, death, and grief

I am not even sure where to begin with this book! It is phenomenal and had me hooked from the very first sentence. There is mystery, intrigue and a fast paced story with characters I loved so much, especially Luisa. @katherinereay writing really transports you from the page to being right in the thick of it with the characters and I loved that!

I said that this year I was going to read more historical fiction. I really struggled with history classes in high school and college and really found them so boring. That has really changed in the last few years and I want to learn more about what has happened in the world and this book was the perfect way to gain more of that knowledge. It is clearly very well researched and one I really recommend you read!

4.5 stars!

This book was phenomenal! I devoured every word! I am a history buff anyway, but I can't say that I have read much about this part of history, the Cold War, especially from the perspective of an East German. I loved how the author used a dual timeline at times to tell the story since the main characters were a father and daughter but then other times, the timeline was concurrent. I felt the story flowed very well and I could always tell what was happening. I never felt confused! Luisa was 3 years old when her mother realized the Berlin Wall was going up and she needed to get her daughter out of there to be able to grow up in freedom. She took a risk and sacrificed everything. I felt her anguish! Luisa's father was a reporter for the "state" newspaper in East Germany and he never thought it would get as bad as it did, so he and his wife stayed. However, he missed his daughter every day - he didn't, however, know what his wife had planned regarding their daughter! Luisa is raised by the grandparents and thinks her parents died but years later, when she finds out her father is still alive, she determines to get him out of prison, no matter the cost. The history of East Germany, the Berlin Wall, the CIA during that time and world history in general, was so fascinating to me! I grew up during all of this and don't remember most of what the author wrote about! I appreciate the fantastic research she did and the amazing characters, even though they are fictional. I loved everything about this story and was fascinated from page one.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Muse for access to this arc.

I remember growing up in a world with an East Germany and a West Germany, an East Berlin and a West Berlin – divided by a wall I thought would never come down in my lifetime. Then I remember, in 1989, watching over some weeks as the Iron Curtain disintegrated which was then followed quickly by thousands of joyous West Berliners as they danced on the remains of the wall and welcomed East Berliners over. All of which made me want to read this book once I’d read the blurb.

This is a book that I read very quickly. It’s propulsive and takes readers from the unbelievable morning after the wall went up with no warning through to when it became irrelevant. Told in first person chapters by Louisa (covering a brief week in time in 1989) and her father Haris (from 1961 through 1989), we get a glimpse into how people living in East Berlin survived the restrictions and snitches which might lead to a message to appear before the Stasi. Who could you trust and what did you dare say?

I will be honest and say that I enjoyed reading the sections by Haris about life in East Berlin more. The gray, hazy world and the threats that everyone lived under felt more immediate and visceral. Louisa initially impressed me with her code breaking skills both at work and with the letters she finds. But once she decides to save her father, as another reviewer says, I can see why she would have been pulled from operative CIA training – even if ostensibly her lack of skills were not the reason that was done. Louisa heads into danger with a laughable plan and then proceeds to muck even that up. Had she tried to pull off what she did a day earlier – let’s just say things would not have gone well for her. I inhaled this whole section, but I was shaking my head at it, too. The HEA also seems a little sugar coated and rushed.

One thing I noted was how so many of the East Berlin characters stated that they didn’t want to leave their city. Instead they wanted it to be free and were fearless in trying to achieve that. After finishing the book I watched a few youtube videos that took me back to those heady days and am still thrilled that what I never thought I’d see, I saw. B-

The Berlin Letters
by Katherine Reay

A riveting, tension filled spy adventure set in the final days of the Berlin Wall.

CIA cryptographic Lisa Voekler finds a secret stash of encoded letters that link her family across the Iron Curtain and she becomes convinced that her father who she was brought up to believe was dead, is still alive in a Stasi prison. In a bid to free him she travels to Berlin, naively underprepared, and must use her wits and her few contacts to navigate the deeply paranoid and dangerous world that was East Berlin in 1989.

This story is structured in alternate timelines between Luisa and her father whose letters bring to life the early days of the social experiment, the fallout from WW2, the incremental changes that turned an idealistic future into an totalitarian dystopia. It feels well researched and authentic which is something I appreciate in my cold war reading.

I like Reay's writing style. Her characters are three dimensional and nuanced and she creates a compelling urgency that favourably compares to Ben MacIntyre's " The Spy and The Traitor" which is my gold standard for spy thrillers.

My one gripe is with the cheesy epilogue. I wish the book ended without it. The romance was less shoehorned in, and more rammed in with crowbar. Apart from that, a thrilling tale, sure to get the heart pounding.

Publication Date: 5th March 2024

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperMuse

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and Katherine Reay for the opportunity to read, The Berlin Letters. This book was a fantastic historical fiction story about Berlin during the Cold War. I never learned much about the Berlin Wall when I was in school and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about that time in history. Reay did an amazing job keeping the story fast paced and full of adventure.

The story went back and forth between a young German woman named Luisa who was born in Berlin, but escaped with her grandparents to America when she was a young child and her father who stayed in Berlin and struggled to find his way back to his only daughter.

For many years Luisa thought her father was dead, but then one day she found letters proving he was still alive and living in East Germany, the most dangerous side of the Berlin Wall. Luisa had to use all of her resources to try and find him. When she finally knew he was in East Germany, she realized he was in serious trouble and needed to go there immediately to try and rescue him. She took all of her money and boarded a plane to Germany just as Berlin was becoming extremely dangerous.

This story was incredibly captivating and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. It was full of secrets, spies, and extremely dangerous situations. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves reading historical fiction. It's a story that will stay with me forever.

Dark days of the past haunt and beckon.

Improbable? Possibly not. When the wall dividing Berlin went up, the world gasped. When the wall came down the world was ecstatic.
Luisa Voekler is a baby when the wall interrupts their lives. Her mother, Monica, throws Luisa across the razor wire to her grandparents. Monica attempts to follow, climbing through the wire. At the last minute she is noticed by the guards.
Luisa’s father Harris is a successful journalist in East Berlin, a true believer, a product of the benevolent state. It’s only years later he becomes a subversive.
Her grandparents take Luisa and flee to the states. It seems there is something about her grandfather that made him an asset to those there. He’s an expert cryptographer. Luisa’s grandfather taught her from a child to decipher riddles and codes. She even had to solve codes to find her birthday presents.
When older, Luisa trains with the CIA as an agent but she’s suddenly moved from that program working on budgets and now as an analyst.
She stumbles upon letters that have envelopes with a symbol she recognizes. Hints left by her grandfather when they played at solving encryptions.
Luisa realizes her father is alive, detained by the Stasi, about to be transported to a prison far away. She goes to go to Berlin to bribe guards and obtain his release. Dangerous as it is, she’s compelled to do what she can. Anything could go wrong.
I found the ending, although heart stopping, just a tad to pat.
An exciting Cold War thriller, set in places I recognize.

A Harper Muse ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Wow.

I've read several of Katherine Reay's post-WWII novels and this is her best yet.

"The Berlin Letters" is a remarkably researched and executed story of a father (Haris) and daughter (Luisa) in separate worlds, fighting for what is right on either side of an oppressive wall.

I read a lot of WWII fiction, so loved experiencing "the next phase" in history, even with all its dark, horrific details. I was so sad for Luisa's mum being suddenly separated from her family, and understood her reaction and response to her husband, Haris. She was justified to have responded as she did, and though things didn't turn out well for her, I'm so glad Haris was redeemed through decades of letters. I felt like I travelled Luisa's journey of discovery beside her, mourning her losses and anxious to know what happened next.

Luisa was so believable and lovable. Such strength and brokenness in one small package. I felt so many emotions as she journeyed this story, but my favourite "extra" bit was her hinting at her past infatuation with Daniel. Such a great set up for things to come.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the eARC of this absorbing historical fiction documenting the first days of the Berlin Wall and more. I'm a new Katherine Reay fan. The story is told with thoughtfulness and tenderness and weaves in an engaging mystery. The characters are multifaceted with believable motivations. I like Katherine Reay's writing style, and I appreciate what I learned about this part of history.

This was a really fascinating look at the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall. I enjoyed the back-and-forth in time and perspective, as it really brough the eras and events to life for me. Reay did a fantastic job setting the stage for the paranoia and hysteria of East Berlin, and I was drawn into her worlds from the opening pages. The characters and pacing were spot-on - well developed and consistently engaging. I searched a slew of her references on Google, further deepening my interest in the story and history. This was a fabulous read and I'm definitely recommending my library pick up a copy!

I loved that part of the books was set in November 1989! It was so much fun reading about VCRs, renting movies from Blockbuster videos and having payphones plus a very long telephone cord.
I found the scenes set in East Berlin jarring because of how controlled and fearful society was. I thought Haris was naive and very gullible to willingly be the mouthpiece for the party.
As the clock ticked down toward Nov.9 I read with great anticipation! I had chills when I read Reay’s Interpretation of events and I found that part of the book to be exciting. I well remember watching the Wall come down and realizing I was witnessing an unforgettable historic event.
I was glad for the ending. The only part that really bothered me was what Luisa did to get to Europe, I think she was wrong to take what didn’t belong to her.
It’s a memorable read!

I love historical fiction. Admittedly, I haven't read a ton about the Cold War - not intentionally, but it just hasn't happened. The Berlin Letters, by Katherine Reay has now really raised the bar on this genre.

This was just fabulous.

We meet Haris, Monica, and Luisa Voekler on an extraordinary day in 1961 that starts lunlike any other. They live in East Berlin, where Haris is a journalist and often serves as a propaganda mouthpiece. Monica takes their young daughter Luisa for lunch with her parents and sister who recently moved to West Berlin. When she gets to the border, though, she is unable to pass through - barbed wire has been put up, the beginning of the Berlin Wall. Scared and hopeless, Monica does what she thinks is best and hands her daughter over the wire to her parents. This decision will forever change the lives of the Voeklers and their family.

We fastforward to 1989 and little Luisa is now fully grown and living in Washington, DC with her Grandmother. Her Grandfather recently passed away. Luisa works the CIA as a codebreaker. While her work is focused on WW2, her colleague brings her a letter from the cold war that has her stumped. Luisa notices an infinity symbol on the letter that takes her breathaway - shes seen it before from her Grandfather.

What follows is a gripping tale of a young woman questioning everything she's ever known as her professional work becomes deeply interwoven with her personal life. I couldn't put it down and became so invested in Luisa and her journey. I just loved it.

Big thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for an advanced copy to read and review. The Berlin Letters is out this Tuesday, March 5!!

Will post this review on retail sites, goodreads and my bookstagram @scottonreads

In The Berlin Letters , published by Harper Muse on 3/5/2024., journalist Harris Voekler and his daughter (Louisa) each tell their stories. When the Berlin Wall went up it forever changed their family. The letters were written by Harris and his father in law, from opposite sides of the wall that separated them. And when Luisa, now a CIA cryptographer, finds her grandfather's stash of correspondence and news stories, she begins to realize they are written in code. And in them she recognizes a symbol from her childhood, having been raised by her grandparents due to the separation. Now it is 1989, near the end of the Cold War, and the letters raise a question. Is it possible that her father is still alive in an East German prison? As the storylines alternate between Luisa and her father, you will experience first hand the trials of this family. They struggle with hard decisions and fight to survive during the early days of the wall and during its continued separation of families. The story of the family becomes a marathon of secrets and lies. Luisa continues to unlock the coded clues and mysterious revelations in the writings, but is literally blocked by that iceberg of a wall separating her from the truth that she needs. Luisa's adventure is assisted by brave journalists and the timely resource of a plan she pieces together with a friend in time of need.. Behind the scenes her father's struggles are real, so Luisa must get past the shivering realities of the Cold War - even if her bosses at the CIA will have nothing to do with helping her. Katherine Reay once again masterfully awakens you to experience history in the moment, as it unfolds. If you love history, mystery, codes, or heroines, this book will be sure to draw you in and Reay, with her masterful storytelling, will become a favorite author!

“It’s humanity at our most basic level. You go along until they come for you. Then you find out what you’re made of.”

Monica Voekler EAST BERLIN, GERMANY Sunday, August 13, 1961:
We are immediately dropped into Berlin the day the East/West border is closed; the barbed wire was unfurled and the guns came out and a relatively peaceful existence was changed in an instant

Luisa Voekler ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA Friday, November 3, 1989
A young CIA cryptographer recognizes a mysterious symbol from her childhood, sending her on a dangerous ride to get answers and save loved ones.

The timelines alternate and eventually converge to reveal a story of family, forgiveness and survival. This fictional account of a volatile period in history has actual events baked into each and every chapter and left me with an even deeper curiosity about untold stories from the Cold War and beyond.

I completely devoured this new novel by Ms. Reay, perhaps her finest, and especially found the punk connection of the late nineties compelling. This book would pair perfectly with the podcast “Wind of Change.” In a series of episodes, Patrick Radden Keefe details a conspiracy theory about a heavy metal band, the soundtrack of a revolution and the possible connection to the CIA!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this one . I loved the details of the Vold War era and what it was like to live then along with the CIA aspects and the code breaking aspects were fascinating.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

An entertaining historical novel with dual storylines set during the Cold War. In 1989, a young CIA analyst discovers a secret cache of letters that leads her to the truth of what happened to her family in 1960s Berlin. Very compelling story - I found the descriptions of code breaking fascinating. At times, the character did make some very silly choices that definitely detracted from the story. All in all, an enjoyable read. I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this one!

Keeping secrets is a family tradition

At 31, Luisa Voekler works in an off-campus division of the CIA using her codebreaking skills on files that are decades old, rather than as the covert operative she had hoped to be. She lives with the newly-widowed grandmother (Oma) who raised her, which hasn’t done much for her social or. romantic life. When a colleague comes to her for assistance. In deciphering documents from what she calls her “Berlin Letters” file, Luisa sees a small mark….an infinity symbol….that seems all too familiar. Years earlier, she had seen just such a symbol on a letter that her. Grandfather (Opa) was reading. What could her grandfather, the most honest man she’s ever known, have to do with the letters of a spy from East Germany? Soon all that she has been told about her parents, her childhood, and more come into question. Her parents, she had been told, had died in a car accident back in East Germany, and her grandparents brought their other daughter, her Aunt Alice, and Luisa to the US for a better future. But her father, a journalist, is actually still alive and may be imprisoned behind the Iron Curtain. Calling on her skills as a crypto analyst as well as skills she was taught years ago but never used in clandestine operations, Luisa must discover what is the truth about her family and find a way if she can to save the father she hasn’t seen since she was a young child.
As she did in a previous novel, A. Shadow in Moscow, author Katherine Reay delves into the world of. Cold War espionage from an interesting perspective. What leads an ordinary person to enter the world of spies, especially to spy against their own country? And what effects does this have on that person and on those around them? Luisa, who as a girl was dubbed “a girl of infinite possibilities” by her Opa, was raised by people who had not only escaped from East Germany just before the Wall would have prevented such an act, but also had lived through the actions the Soviet military took in the final months of WWII as they marched into Germany, which in turn has impacted her own development. Told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Luisa in 1989, when freedom is percolating in Eastern Europe, and that of her father Haris starting in 1961 and continuing to the present, The Berlin Letters is both an engrossing tale of espionage and one of family, both of which are impacted by secrets, courageous acts, and betrayals. I found the book hard to put down once I picked it up, and enjoyed the lore of codebreaking as well as a glimpse into what went on in East Germany both when the Wall went up and in the time leading up to its coming down. Readers of Ms Reay’s earlier works will enjoy this novel, as will fans of authors like Paul Vidich, Joseph Kanon and Alma Katsu. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for allowing me access to an early copy of The Berlin Letters….I look forward with great anticipation to the next book by Katherine Reay.

The Berlin Letters was one of those books that only a few chapters in I just knew it was going to be good to the end and it did not disappoint. I think this is Katherine Reay’s best novel yet. I enjoy historical fiction and love that this one was set against a memorable event in my lifetime although that does start to make me feel old if I think about it. This is a great family story told with bookends of the beginning and end of the Berlin wall. Other real-life events are woven in and it makes me want to go read more about that time period. Thanks to Harper Muse for an early copy to read through NetGalley, I am leaving this review voluntarily as my honest opinion because I love books and authors. This book will release on March 5, 2024.

This was a thrilling read that simply wouldn’t let me put it down! Riveting on so many layers - intense family dynamics, unique moment in history, thrilling CIA details . Luisa is such a likeable character. Almost an orphan, almost a success. I love the closeness she shared with her Opa/grandfather, balanced against the pain when she realized he hadn’t been totally honest with her. And yet, had she been candid with her family about her career? The way Opa prepared Luisa for both her job and the ultimate revelations about her family was incredible. I finished this book amazed at the courage and cleverness of these three generations . Reay writes with such precision that every emotion, every scene, comes alive. I was grateful to receive an early copy of this book from NetGalley, and was not required to post a review.