The Berlin Letters

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 a natural 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 have lived, for twenty-eight years, behind the bleak shadow of the Iron Curtain’s most iconic symbol.

 

 

Reviews

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

“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 Summer Wives

“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

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