Union Station by David Downing is a Cold War thriller, following ex-spy John Russell as he's drawn back into danger. Set in 1950s Berlin, the political tension and espionage elements are intriguing, though the pacing slows at times. I think this is because I have not read a John Russell spy story previous to this, so to those that are familiar, it is probably better.

The audiobook narration by Simon Vance was excellent, adding intensity to the story. While part of a series, it stands well on its own, though reading the previous books would definitely deepen the experience. Overall, a solid historical thriller with a fascinating setting.

Audio book review - the narrator was awesome and made the story well worth listening to. The character and depth of Simon Vance's voice made a difficult story very enlightening and opened ones eyes. The narration was clear, concise and the diction of foreign names was perfect.
The story itself demonstrates that the horror of war is never forgotten and makes it difficult to live through the aftermath but the story intertwines the past and politics so smoothly.

This novel is interesting because of the period it covers, especially considering current events. (Although I really liked getting to see what he said about Berlin) The main character goes back to Berlin during the 50s and we get to follow his attempts to find out about some odd events he has noticed in Los Angeles, where he lives. Russell is a journalist but also a spy and he is able to see behind the facade when dealing with people and events. His wife Effi is with him and I was frightened for both of them as they encountered people with bad intentions who were never upfront about what was happening. The narrator is great because of how he kept everything on an even keel, even when everything was very tense. The best part of the story was how Russell was able to recognize what he had in life, even while facing the sadness and horror of the Cold War. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook.

While I enjoyed the narrator and really tried, I couldn't get into the plot of this story. I'm not sure what wasn't clicking for me but following the characters was very difficult and I just didn't enjoy it.

It's exciting to come across an entirely new author/series, and this is that for me - haven't read any of David Downing's works, and Union Station is #8 in an ongoing series - the John Russell & Effi Koenen mysteries. Apparently, they all seem to be tied to stations.

In the 60's my grandfather pawned all he could, every weekend, in order to dress fancy and catch a bus from Pomona to Los Angeles, where he would often hang out at the Union Station. As he was my part-time babysitter date nights for my super young parents, it was me and him, watching "rassling" on a behemoth TV with a tiny screen so close his knees touched the screen. I heard so many stories about the Union Station - that was the sole reason I hoped for this book to read. I wanted to compare stories. . .

The characters were interesting - the setting is post WWII, dealing with consequential outcomes of political positions from the past reconciled with reality after. Transitions are always awkward, but in some cases deadly in John Russell's world - dark forces trying to determine allegiances, whose on which side and when. . .all the while trying to keep a normal life moving forward (?how many times did my Dad yell out the car window on road trips, "I just wanna have a NORMAL family!!!!"). Ah well.

This book was engaging, and pulled me in. I clearly missed the background that would have come from reading earlier books, but I'll remedy that. This one was good on it's own - better toward the middle, and a great wrap-up. Another mystery series to board!

*A sincere thank you to David Downing, RB Media, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #UnionStation #NetGalley

I read books 1-6 to prepare for this ARC and I am so glad that I did, this is not a series you can just drop into and understand the nuances and relationships. I hate to say that I enjoyed the series given the seriousness and nature the books are based on, but I did enjoy the relationships and friendships that were created and maintained. I also really like learning things through fiction, so being able to learn more about WWII and the aftermath was a good thing. I had no idea how awful Russia and its soldiers were to the Germans when they got to Germany. It explains so much about that time and then tensions.

This was a very well-written and heart-wrenching series and I am glad that I read it. I will definitely be looking for more books by David Downing.

#UnionStation
#NetGalley

Union Station continues the story of John Russell as he and his family settle into life in McCarthy Era Hollywood. The ongoing HUAC hearings, the crisis in DDR politics, and the seediness and racism of Los Angeles politics are all interesting storylines. I found the Los Angeles setting more compelling than the (historically fascinating) German story. Long descriptions of German politics dragged parts of the book down. Even the tunnel rescue of an East German dissenter was a surprisingly slow moving part of the story. Things picked up when Russell returned to the states, and I enjoyed the last third of the book more than the beginning.

I listened to the audio of the book read by the talented Simon Vance. I sometimes wished I was reading the ebook though so I could skip past some of the background political material, especially the rant at the very end.

Union Station is seventh in series, but plenty of detail is provided to fill in the back-story for new readers like me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Union Station” is the 7th book in a historical thriller series whose main characters are John & Effie. I didn’t realize this when I began the audiobook. Simon Vance does a great job voicing the characters but I think there were too many characters for me to keep track of without any context or background. I do believe the book can stand alone but as a written piece, not spoken. That said, John and Effie are interesting characters and I will absolutely go back to the beginning of the series.

This is the eighth in the John Russell "Station" series and I have now read - or in this case - listened to them all. Simon Vance is the narrator and a wonderful job he does too, bringing a myriad of characters perfectly to life. He is a pleasure to listen to and greatly enhanced my enjoyment.

This is a book for those who have followed the series from the beginning and if so you will be well rewarded for your efforts however new listeners/readers will certainly find it hard to grasp who is precisely who as the back story is not really explained.

I enjoyed it very much, others might be better advised to start at the beginning.

Union Station is the 7th Russel & Koenen historical thriller by David Downing. Released 6th Feb 2024 by Soho Crime, it's 408 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is such a meticulously researched and realistically written novel. Post war 1953 Los Angeles in the grip of McCarthy-era blacklisting and communists in the woodwork, sees protagonist pair John and Effi investigating a WW2 conspiracy which has landed them in danger (again).

The author is adept and precise, the story woven around a framework of real history so skillfully that it's not always clear where fact shades into fiction.

A clear codicil, this is the 7th book in the series and emphatically does not work well as a standalone. It's brilliantly well written, but there is no spoon-feeding on the author's part and it won't be an easy or immersive read without an introduction.

The unabridged audiobook version has a run time of 11 hours 44 minutes and is expertly narrated by Simon Vance. He has a beautifully modulated light baritone voice and does a superlative job of delineating the characters, with an array of accents, ages, and both sexes. His voice is distractingly fine, and some readers may need to re-listen to the first half hour before he fades into the background (I did). Sound and production quality are top notch throughout the read.

This would be a great candidate for a long binge / buddy read, for public library acquisition, or a good long-term project for a mystery book club discussion.

Four stars for the story, five for the narration. Very good, complex, and well crafted. For fans of Forsythe, John Lawton, and Robert Littell, this will likely be a fast favorite.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I recognize that I came into this series late, as this is the 7th book. However, after having high hopes from the description, I am disappointed to say this fell flat. There were so many characters I couldn't keep up with who is who, and it was achingly slooooooow. Maybe if I start at the beginning of the series the experience would be different? With so many great books out there, I'm not sure that I will spend my time trying.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audiobook of Union Station by David Downing. It was narrated by Simon Vance who always does a great job in his narration, bringing the books to life. Union Station by David Downing is the 7th in the series and should be read in order to best understand the characters. That being said it was a good espionage book set in the 1950s during the Cold War and McCarthyism. John Russell has taken up residence in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter. Then he notices that he is being followed, not sure which side is tailing him, but he needs to find out. Thanks to RB Media

Copied from Goodreads:
I had already been approved for an audio ARC when I discovered that “Union Station” was the seventh in a series that I had not read. Thus, my review should be taken in that context.

“Union Station” is well written and admirably narrated by Simon Vance. However, it does not work as a standalone novel. The characters and settings are well described but not explained if you have not previously read the series. (Spy games and the Cold War are understandably not particularly transparent.) I will update my review if I am able to go back and read the first books.

“Union Station” is available in the US on February 6, 2024. Many thanks to Soho Crime, RB Digital Media, and NetGalley for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I will listen to absolutely anything in which Simon Vance is the narrator, which led me to Union Station. Mr. Vance did an excellent job with this story. I truly felt while listening, that I was in sunny LA or post war Germany. The detail and nuances of the McCarthy era were spot on. A true espionage thriller, but a little different than the usual. The writing was superb!

This is the latest in David Downing's fascinating and engaging historical thriller set in the riveting, turbulent and intriguing revealing history of the US and a divided Berlin in 1953. I listened to this on audio, approximately 11 hours and 45 minutes long, and ably narrated by Simon Vance, who slowly draws and immerses the listener in the characters and the historical period with ease. Union Station is in Los Angeles, the city John Russell and his actress partner, Effie, with their adopted daughter, Rosa, now reside. Effie is making a good living in a popular American sit-com series, and the progressive Rosa is thriving at school, showing talent as a artist, but John is finding the bland journalism that includes interviewing forgettable cultural movie stars less than thrilling. A scenario that is set to change.

John is still worried about the implications of his past as a American intelligence and Soviet double agent which came to an end, his past in espionage still has him concerned at the possibility of Beria, Stalin's powerful and ruthless Chief of Police, stll being able to get to him, a fear heightened by a stalker. Stalin's death brings the prospect of Beria increasing his influence. The McCarthyite era is in full swing with HUAC interviews intent on encouraging Hollywood stars to leak fellow actors names, a task made considerably easier with industry efforts made to second guess HUAC, and which draws in Effie and others she works with. John finds himself researching a book exploring the links between American firms collaborating with Nazi Germany during the war, this is to bring dangers that follow him on his trip with Effie to a film festival in a Berlin that drops him into the background machinations of post-Stalin Berlin. A visit that brings the opportunity to investigate further the explosive subject matter for his book.

Downing paints a detailed picture of the complexities of LA and the US, the prevalent culture, the planned inbuilt racism and parallels with Nazism, the ongoing institutional violence carried out by the police, and the efforts to continue to enforce segregation, setting the foundation stones of current contemporary politics, the inequalities, lies, conflict, and political divisions in the nation. He simultaneously captures the behind scenes twists and turns in Russian power moves and East Germany with its current troubles. If you have some familiarity with Russian history, you may, like myself, be aware of what lies in wait for Beria. John is limited in the level of justice he is able to achieve, and what can be done has him moving into surprising territory. Readers and listeners interested in this enthralling period of history are likely to particularly enjoy this remarkable and informative addition to a brilliant series. Many thanks to RB Media for ALC,

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance audiobook of this novel. The audiobook was well done if a bit dry. The writer has a tendency for a lot of exposition so some of it did feel like a classroom but I was still riveted for most of it. I found the story to be very well done. It weaves between 1953 Los Angeles and Berlin. While America is creating a middle class mythology, Berlin is trying to find itself in a post-Nazi world while split in two. The MC is a journalist covering local politics in LA, and his wife is a German actress now working in Hollywood. Both are buffeted by larger political forces: McCarthyism, race relations, the division of Berlin, etc. The author clearly has an exhaustive understanding of history and both locales and creates an engaging thriller within that understanding. The MC (and presumably the author) is an even-handed observer of world events and politics, and some of the heroes are communists and some of the villians are Americans, and vice versa. The MC understands political systems, but does not really believe in them. The MC does what good he can where he can, which he admits is little. This novel is mostly to be enjoyed for the history and in depth study of contrasting political systems.

I don't think my review is very fair, as this is my first book to read of David Downing's and this is book #7 in a series (which I didn't know prior to reading it- my fault for not checking good reads closely enough... maybe Net Galley should have included that in the title?) I think I may have enjoyed this more were I already invested in the story and the characters. That being said, I was totally lost with this book. I didn't realize I was coming in on the middle of the story and there were quite a few characters and I often thought to myself "now who is this??". I typically like historical fiction/thriller books, but this one wasn't it for me. It was extremely verbose and my mind often wandering while listening to this audiobook because I honestly just lost interest (and was very lost). I didn't love the narrator either.
Thanks Net Galley for the ARC. I might just have to go back to read the other 6 books and try this one again and edit my review.