Joseph Kanon continues to write excellent cold war fiction; this is another fine example. ( )

Hell of a good story. Highly recommend. ( )

This book is an espionage action/thriller about a Cold War American spy who was working for Russia and was convicted in England, thereby sparing him the death penalty. It is written by reknowned spy author Joseph Kanon. Martin Keller, a former physicist turned spy is serving his sentence in an English prison when he learns that he is part of a prisoner exchange with East Germany; someone has arranged for his "freedom". His ex-wife (now a resident of East Germany)? Her husband? And for what reason.....He has many questions. But it means seeing his ex-wife who he is still very fond of, and especially of meeting his young son for the first time. (Sabine was pregnant when he was sent to prison).

The action starts immediately with a shooting at the exchange location and the mystery starts there and continues to grow deeper. The web of deceit and intrigue is about to enmesh him once again, when he makes a fateful decision, for himself and for his family (his terminally ill ex-wife and their young son, Peter). He decides they will leave the poisonous, Stalinisque atmosphere and dangers of East Germany and head "home" to America; where he can break free from the malevolence and seek better doctors for Sabine, and Peter can grow up in a free country. It's brazen plot, but can he pull it off? The risks are very high....in fact, their lives, and the lives of those around them are part of the risk involved.

The story and plotline I found interesting and intriguing and the descriptions of the locale and the characters brings them to life vividly. That being said, as a matter of personal preference, I don't care for Mr. Kanon's writing style. He uses multiple phrases, patched together with commas to form a paragraph; thereby advancing the story line fairly quickly by putting together ideas and snippets of conversation without the use of full and complete sentences. As an English language lover, that bothers me. As a result of this writing style, all of the characters sound the same; which detracts from the character development and is pretty unrealistic. It gave me pause as to how to review the book, but ultimately the storyline and entertainment was good enough to give it a decent rating. ( )

I like Joseph Kanon's spy thrillers because he does Berlin in the aftermath of WWII very well. A scientist who was caught slipping nuclear secrets to the Soviets is released from a British prison in an exchange with East Germany. He wants to go to East Germany, specifically Berlin, because that is where his ex-wife and son are. And the reunion goes well, but East Germany isn't a place that will allow him to live peacefully and get to know his son and there are undercurrents that quickly sweep away his plans. And so a desperate plan to return to the west is born.

There's a lot going on, which is what one wants from a spy thriller. Kanon does a good job of making a man who helped the Soviets get a nuclear bomb sympathetic. And Berlin, as well as East Germany, under communism, is vividly described. This is a fun thriller with good writing. Kanon makes even the bad guys complex and paces this novel well. ( )

Every time I finish reading a Joseph Kanon book, I'm afraid he might retire and not write another. I feel that way now after reading his THE BERLIN EXCHANGE. Please, do it again, Joe!

From 1962 to 1989, West Germany traded (exchanged) goods or money for political prisoners in East Germany. That is the background of THE BERLIN EXCHANGE.

Martin, an American who was a KGB spy and has been in an English prison for the last 10 years, is swapped for three political prisoners in East Germany. He was not forced but has chosen to go there because his ex-wife, Sabine, and son live there, even though he has heard nothing from her during the entire 10 years and even though she has divorced him and married an East German. This is the trouble I had with Martin: he cares too much for that long-gone wife. I expected nothing good from her and was always suspicious of what she said and did.

Martin wants out of the spy business now, but that seems to be why the East Germans want him there. Then again, it’s hard to tell who wants him there and why. Martin doesn’t know if anyone in East Germany can be trusted.

After Sabine's East German husband commits a crime and it looks like Martin may be implicated, he knows he needs to get out of that country. All his spy training comes in handy as he plans his escape into West Germany with his son and ex-wife.

This is a great historical thriller with that Kanon style. He tells much of the story through dialogue, and he spares no words. ( )