Brandenburg avoids the clichés that many Cold War era spy novels fall into. The complex story centers around Dr. Rudi Rosenharte as he attempts to save his brother from the East German Stasi who have imprisoned him as a means to control Rosenharte. Rosenharte is forced to manipulate the Stasi, CIA, MI6, KGB and play them all against each other during the last days of Communism in East Germany during September of 1989.
Brilliant fiction on the one hand, Brandenburg still keeps close to the actual events surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the Author's Note, Porter explains the lengths he went through to accurately present the newscasts, public figures, and atmosphere of East Germany during the time period in which the novel is set.
This is Henry Porter's fourth novel, but my first of his to read. From this one novel I would place Porter as closely on par with the likes of John le Carré. I recommend this as a top read.
Andrew
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