The Girl in Berlin
SUMMER 1951
Two suspected spies, Burgess and Maclean, have disappeared, and the nation is obsessed with their whereabouts. Speculation is at fever pitch when Colin Harris, a member of the Communist Party who has been in Germany for several years, turns up to see his old friends Dinah and Alan Wentworth. He has news: he has fallen in love with a girl in East Berlin, and is coming home – with her – for good. Meanwhile, Jack McGovern, who sometimes feels like the only decent man in Special Branch, has a rendezvous with a real spy. Miles Kingdom thinks there’s a mole at MI5, and he wants McGovern’s help.A novel about secrets, betrayal and unearthing the truth, The Girl in Berlin is a reminder that when nothing is as it seems, no-one can be trusted – even those you think you know best.
You can read about the story behind The Girl in Berlin here on Upcoming4.
REVIEWS
‘Elizabeth Wilson, whose War Damage and The Twilight Hour combined glittering, dark-hued prose with levels of penetrating psychological insight almost the equal of her great predecessors in the field. Wilson’s upwards trajectory is continued with The Girl in Berlin, a sinewy thriller that takes us back to the summer of 1951 and the national obsession with the defection of Burgess and Maclean.’
Barry Foreshaw, The Independent‘Class differences are once again at play in “The Girl from Berlin,” the third novel set in the 1950s from spy writer Elizabeth Wilson. There is Communist paranoia everywhere, along with defections, and then murder. As one would expect in a tale of espionage, characters are not what they seem. Paranoia will haunt you as you try to make sense of who you can and cannot trust, not only on an international level, but also personal. Be careful of Wilson’s misdirection; she’ll lead you away. This is the third novel from Wilson set in the same 1950s timeframe involving duplicitous characters playing various major and minor roles as the series unfolds.’
Killer Nashville