Joseph Kanon

Anytime that you're looking for a thoughtful WWII-era character-driven thriller, you just can't go wrong with Joseph Kanon, who's right up there with Alan Furst in my book, with everyone else (alive, at least) pretty much wishing that they could write as well as these two. And this outing is no exception. The plot is decent, the narrative is outstanding, and the reader is left with a proper mix of resolved issues and matters left to interpretation. And not everyone gets a happy ending, which show more is only appropriate for the subject matter. The characters are three-dimensional and come with wonderful levels of moral ambiguity. The challenges that they face are not trivial and the questions that they have to ask -- of themselves and others -- don't lend themselves to easy black-and-white answers. And as for the setting, Kanon doesn't just set his story in Istanbul; he also pretty much transports the reader to that city and that time period. The guy can write a book. show less

Set in Berlin at the time of the Potsdam Conference, just after the Allied victory in Europe, Jake Geismar, an American journalist, is searching for his German girlfriend, Lena, along with a story for his magazine. While there, a murder is committed, and Jake gets involved. At first, the murder and the search for Lena do not seem connected, but with the help of German detective, the relationship becomes clear. He also wants to find out what happened to Lena’s husband, Emil, a scientist show more working with Wernher von Braun. Jake uncovers the corruption of the black market and a covert struggle between the Americans and the Soviets to lure German scientists for assistance in arms development in advance of the Cold War.

The author combines elements of mystery, romance, and history into a compelling story with well-developed characters. It explores ethical questions of whether involvement with the Nazis will result in punishment or exoneration. Should scientists get a free pass because they continue to be useful? The main plot and sub-plots are woven together expertly. The novel conveys a strong sense of place. I could picture the bombed-out rubble of Berlin. As in many mysteries, some of the key pieces of information are delivered through plot devices.

I had not previously joined the audiobook trend, but when I found myself facing a long drive, I decided to try it. I came across this one at my local library. The audiobook reader, Stanley Tucci, does an excellent job of modulating his voice and creating realistic differentiated accents to render the various German, American, and Russian characters of both sexes. It kept us entertained while driving for over seven hours. Recommended to fans of historical fiction or mysteries, especially of the period surrounding WWII. Contains language, sex, and violence. show less

This novel begins in 1938 and a Jewish man boarding a boat harbored in Trieste. After his father's arrest and death in Sachenhausen, he went into hiding, but unlike many others, he has an uncle living in Shanghai, one of the last places to still allow Jewish people entry. In Shanghai, his uncle runs a few clubs and plans to open a new one, activities that have him working with the various criminal gangs in Shanghai. Shanghai is a powder keg. It's still Chinese, but the Japanese secret police show more are showing their power and the city is filling with refugees, both from Europe and the Soviet Union, but also from other parts of China. Daniel has to learn quickly and play an increasingly dangerous game of playing the different factions against each other.

Kanon has written several novels about the aftermath of the Second World War set in Berlin and I've enjoyed those books enormously. He knows how to keep a thriller moving, while also creating complex and frequently conflicted characters and a real sense of place. He does the same thing here, writing a story that was a huge amount of fun to read, with plenty of tension and an intriguing snapshot of Shanghai at a pivotal moment in its history. show less

Like Scott Turow works, it takes a while to accommodate yourself to Joseph Kanon's literary rhythm, but once you do, this is one of the better Berlin novels. It's 1949, and the airlift is on. Relations between the Allies and Russians--and their East German proxies---are dismal and combative. People disappear. The East Germans are beginning to develop their notorious internal security apparatus, but at this stage they must always defer to Moscow. The hero comes home--after having fled the show more Nazis--partially to avoid appearing before HUAC and the McCarthyism running rampant in his adopted nation. At least on one level he believes that East Berlin may be a place for him--as it is for Brecht and other left-wing German artists. But then, as he is reunited with friends and lovers, he is confronted with the amorality of espionage on both sides, and discovers that trust is a very iffy thing, even for the German woman he has always loved: she is at least an ambitious opportunist in forming a sexual liaison with the Russian chief of security. But she responds to the ex-pat as well, and promises heaven together if they can just avoid the world around them. So this is a novel that works on multiple levels--a romance, an espionage saga, a description of post-war Berlin and the ideas that are as palpable in the ruined city as are holes where houses used to be. Kanon attempts to juggle all of this--as well as his hero's ambivalence over being in a place so recently Nazi--and keeps all the balls in the air and the reader on the edge of his/her seat. A very satisfying, very intelligent read. show less