“Don’t die in the waiting room of the future.”

Another phenomenal historical fiction from Katherine Reay! I was in high school when the Berlin Wall seemed to come down overnight. The Berlin Letters swept me back in time to 1989 when punk rock was at its height and the Iron Curtain was finally coming down. This powerful story of a father and daughter separated by a wall of information and a literal wall kept me on the edge of my seat.

Luisa grew up loving cracking the codes her grandfather created for her. Now a code breaker for the CIA, she uncovers a link to her own past while decoding letters from the WWII era.

After once being a proud Soviet East Berliner, journalist Haris Voekler is now disillusioned by the unkept promises of the GDR. After losing his daughter and wife, he begins writing coded letters to his father-in-law who lives on the other side of the wall. He shares what’s happening as neighbor spies on neighbor and the underground youth punk movement begins working for freedom.

After her grandfather’s death Luisa discovers hidden letters from her father. Learning he’s alive and in prison, she attempts a daring rescue to free him from East Berlin.

This book was such a touching, suspenseful snapshot of what was going on in Germany 1989. The intensity is palpable especially when Luisa is in East Berlin trying to rescue her father. When the borders are suddenly opened, I loved the feeling of both euphoria and fear as the people wonder if it’s real and lasting or if East Germany’s iron fist will close them again. When Luisa & Haris meet for the first time, it’s such an emotional yet intense moment after being separated for 20 plus years.

The twists and turns, complex relationships, powerful historical details woven throughout, suspense and even a hint of romance kept me eagerly turning the pages. Definitely recommend this amazing book to historical fiction lovers. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author and publisher through TLC Booktours. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided. ( )

Luisa is a codebreaker for the CIA. She comes across a symbol on a letter and she knows she has seen it before. She begins to go through her grandfather’s office and discovers a past she didn’t know she had!

Luisa is a character which broke my heart in places. But, don’t let her situation get to you. She pulls out all her talents and gumption to save the father she never knew! And I loved her for it!

I love how the author entangles the past with Luisa’s present. The way it unfolds about her father and the way her grandfather molded her to be a codebreaker really had me all up in this drama. My emotions were all over the place.

Give me a book with family lies and secrets, written well, and set in the Cold War, and I am hooked! I have not read a Cold War book in ages. I remember when the wall came down. I stayed up late one night and watched. The author captures all of this and it is not something you will soon forget.

Y’all know I love a tag team of narrators. And this book has some of the best! Saskia Maarleveld, Ann Marie Gideon, P. J. Ochlan are great on the accents and all the drama!

This is my first five star read for March! Y’all do not miss this one! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )

In the prologue, readers are introduced to Monica Voekler, who lived in East Berlin, Germany, on August 13, 1961. Her spouse, Lucia Voekler, is a reporter. He knows that things are becoming heated politically, so he sets out to get the inside scoop. It never occurred to him that things might get so terrible that barbed wire walls would need to be constructed overnight.
Monika Voekler felt there was trouble brewing. In an instant, she made a decision to pull her daughter Lucia from her stroller and hurl her across the barbed wire into her father's arms. Then she set out to scale the barbed wire. She didn't anticipate what would happen next. It was an event that changed her family forever.
Next, the readers learn about CIA code-switcher Lucia Voekler, who was raised by her grandparents. Carrie, Lucia's friend, and co-worker has requested assistance in deciphering what she calls the "Berlin letters." Carrie wants to clear off her desk before she goes on maternity leave. While helping her friend, Lucia spots a symbol that she recognizes. She remembers seeing them in letters she received from her grandfather.
This is an emotionally charged story that touched my heart. I appreciated the rich detail, and depth that made me feel as though I was there with the characters. I also like how this narrative was told in two distinct times by two separate narrators. It made for a comprehensive experience.
I was astonished by a few of the twists and turns. I wasn't prepared for this dramatic, thrilling conclusion that brought tears to my eyes as I kept turning the pages, hoping for Lucia and her family's best outcome.
If you love stories of war, complete with cryptanalysts, code breakers, translators of the Berlin letters who work together to stop enemy communication. You will cherish this captivating novel that covers the Berlin Wall before and after it was built. It's a gripping page turner that had my heart racing during the story's climactic moments and resolution. I had no idea how this would end.
The author’s website features videos from her trip to Berlin, I found them fascinating. This is a fantastic book to choose for a book club. If you haven’t read a novel by this author, I highly recommend you start with this one. In my opinion it’s her best.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book by the publisher and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Nora St Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network Blog www.https://psalm516.blogspot.com ( )

Dark days of the past haunt and beckon.

Improbable? Possibly not. When the wall dividing Berlin went up, the world gasped. When the wall came down the world was ecstatic.
Luisa Voekler is a baby when the wall interrupts lives. Her mother, Monica, throws Luisa across the razor wire to her grandparents. Monica attempts to follow, climbing through the wire. At the last minute she is noticed by the guards.
Luisa’s father Harris is a successful journalist in East Berlin, a true believer, a product of the benevolent state. It’s only years later he becomes a subversive.
Her grandparents take Luisa and flee to the states. It seems there is something about her grandfather that made him an asset to those there. He’s an expert cryptographer. Luisa’s grandfather taught her from a child to decipher riddles and codes. She even had to solve codes to find her birthday presents.
When older, Luisa trains with the CIA as an agent but she’s suddenly moved from that program working on budgets and now as an analyst.
She stumbles upon letters that have envelopes with a symbol she recognizes. Hints left by her grandfather when they played at solving encryptions.
Luisa realizes her father is alive, detained by the Stasi, about to be transported to a prison far away. She goes to go to Berlin to bribe guards and obtain his release. Dangerous as it is, she’s compelled to do what she can. Anything could go wrong.
I found the ending, although heart stopping, just a tad to pat.
An exciting Cold War thriller, set in places I recognize.

A Harper Muse ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher. ( )

A riveting spy novel set during the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
There is much to glean from the pages of this fascinating book. The events took place during my teen and adult years, so I remember some of it but the story shed light on the circumstances behind what happened.
It is told through the eyes of Codebreaker, Luisa Voekler and her father Haris who is caught in East Germany. You can feel the tension when Haris tries to be careful as he navigates life behind the Iron Curtain. Who can he trust? What does he do when his political views change?
Luisa has assumed her father died many years ago but is shocked to discover letters written by him to her recently deceased grandfather. She has many things to sort out and relationships to question. Her journey takes her to East Berlin and unlikely allies.
The research was well done. It was interesting to find the origins of the Punk lifestyle was a protest movement against lies and oppression in East Germany.
An absorbing, intriguing, page turner. I loved learning more about the times and culture of the Cold War.
* A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Harper Muse via NetGalley. All opinions are mine alone.* ( )