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The Berlin Letters: A Cold War Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Katherine Reay (Author), Saskia Maarleveld (Narrator), Ann Marie Gideon (Narrator),
4.5 out of 5 stars 851 ratings

"Fans of codebreakers, spies, and Cold War dramas will be entrapped by Reay's tale of courage, love, and honor set against the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall." - Booklist Starred Review

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 expected 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 lived, for twenty-eight years, behind the bleak shadow of the Iron Curtain's most iconic symbol.

  • A Cold War novel that takes readers to the heart of Berlin to witness both the early and final days of the Berlin Wall
  • Stand-alone novel
  • Book length: approximately 107,000 words
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  1. Listening Length
    11 hours and 48 minutes
  2. Author
    Katherine Reay
  3. Narrator
    Saskia Maarleveld, see all
  4. Audible release date
    March 5, 2024
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Harper Muse
  7. ASIN
    B0CB1S9JGR
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 48 minutes
Author Katherine Reay
Narrator Saskia Maarleveld, Ann Marie Gideon, P. J. Ochlan
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date March 05, 2024
Publisher Harper Muse
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0CB1S9JGR
Best Sellers Rank #20,465 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#30 in 20th Century Historical Romance (Audible Books & Originals)
#112 in 20th Century Historical Romance (Books)
#240 in Espionage Thrillers (Books)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
851 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this historical fiction novel engaging, with one review noting its fascinating historical perspective. The book receives positive feedback for its readability, with customers praising how the author wove the story together. Customers appreciate the character development and the pacing, with one review highlighting how it combines Cold War realities effectively.

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15 customers mention "Intrigue"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book intriguing and thrilling, appreciating its fascinating historical perspective.

"...Reay has done some serious research on Berlin spanning decades, from the forties through the eighties, and also highlights the tremendous changes..." Read more

"...Katherine Reay not only brings exciting tales of espionage to her readers, but she also reveals history and hope in a way that bears repeating." Read more

"Very interesting with a view of post war survivors that lived in Berlin when the famous wall was built!" Read more

"...Katherine Reay creates a compelling novel rooted in well-researched historical truths in The Berlin Letters that draws the reader into the mysteries..." Read more

13 customers mention "Readability"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a terrific and compelling read, praising how the author weaves a great story.

"...But 'nuf said. Kathrrine Reay is just one helluva good writer. I LOVED this book! My very highest recommendation. -..." Read more

"...Katherine Reay has crafted an excellent novel, combining the realities of the Cold War with the captivating fictional narrative of her characters...." Read more

"...It is a compelling book full of intrigue and mystery. As someone who likes historical fiction, I've read only a few set in eras I've lived through...." Read more

"...Good clean read with amazing characters. Thanks for a great read!" Read more

6 customers mention "Character development"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book.

"...Her characters are complex, likable, and well drawn. The villains are not always what they seem to be, and a few in particular took me by surprise...." Read more

"Finished in 2 days. Had me on the edge of my seat. Character development was great and the use of codes was fascinating." Read more

"...The characters are like people I know. If you're interested in a true historical event with an excellent story this is it...." Read more

"I loved the character development in the story. Not the minor characters but the main ones...." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one customer noting how well it captures the Cold War era.

"...Katherine Reay has crafted an excellent novel, combining the realities of the Cold War with the captivating fictional narrative of her characters...." Read more

"...I recommend it to people who like historical fiction, Cold War novels, and well-written story." Read more

"This is one of my favorite books of 2024. It's very well written about the Cold War and Berlin Wall from the time the Wall went up until it fell...." Read more

Enrapturing
5 out of 5 stars
Enrapturing
This book immediately caught my eye. The cover is spot on, the author is one of my favorites, and the topic is not one I am familiar with. I was so excited to get my hands on a copy, I am so glad that I did. I knew nothing about the Berlin Wall. What lead up to it, who put it up, and the big questions...why? I am going to age myself and say that I remember President Regan saying, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." After The Berlin Letter, I am a little bit clearer on the topic, as usual I am still craving more knowledge. This book is phenomenal. You can feel the history oozing out of the pages and through the cover. I fell in love with the characters and the way in which Katherine Reay develops them, made me tear through the pages. I love a book that circles around a family and their complex histories. This one blew me away. Luisa Voekler has led an astonishing life already. Born in Berlin, German during a volatile time. Luisa and her mother, Monika visit her grandparents. Easily making their way between east and west Berlin. This all changes in a blink of an eye. Overnight a wall is erected and no one can pass. Keeping families, friends, businesses, everything separate. Monika has a gut feeling to throw young Luisa over the wall and into her father's waiting arms. He catches her and makes his way away from the police and from Monika's watchful eye. Did she make the right decision? The book is told in a dual timeline when the wall is erected and until a few days before it comes down. Luisa is now a CIA Code Breaker. Thanks to her grandfather's entertaining codes that he sets up for Luisa on special occasions. He always kept her on her toes, thinking, learning, and looking for differences in the most minuscule ways. When one of her coworkers brings her a stack of letters to help her break the code. Luisa has a feeling that she has seen that infinity symbol before. Could these letters somehow be connected to her grandfather? As Luisa digs deeper into her grandfather's past. She is met with a realization that her life and what she was told was not what happened. She is left with more questions, than answers. She decides the only way to move forward, is to go back to where it all started...Berlin. I was completely absorbed and enraptured by this story from the beginning. Code breaking, spies, the Berlin Wall, all of it. I have not read much about this time and I am now determined to find more books centering around this moment in history.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Timothy J. Bazzett
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely terrific read!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Calling all old spooks and spies who targeted the Soviet Union and KGB, GDR (East Germany) and the Stasi from the sixties through the eighties. And the always highly volatile Berlin itself, of course. You're gonna LOVE this book! In her latest novel, THE BERLIN LETTERS, prolific author Katherine Reay has captured perfectly those troubled, turbulent and frightening times, putting the infamous Berlin Wall and all it represented at center stage. In 1989 Luisa Voekler, 31, is the heroine, a low-level CIA cryptographer raised by her German maternal grandparents, who emigrated with her to Washington shortly after the Wall went up, leaving Luisa's parents behind in East Berlin. Working on decoding the Venona 2 project papers from WWII, she becomes aware of another project in her office that a coworker is calling "the Berlin Letters," and, in cracking their code, she finds a connection to her grandfather, and perhaps also to the parents she never knew.

    Reay has done some serious research on Berlin spanning decades, from the forties through the eighties, and also highlights the tremendous changes that were taking place throughout Eastern Europe in the eighties. Lech Walesa and his Solidarnost movement in Poland is referred to often, as are other historical figures from both the East and the West, as is the Ostpunk music youth groups who play a major role as Luisa impulsively gambles everything in a hastiky planned trip to Berlin to try to get her father out of a Stasi prison before he is permanently 'disappeared.'

    Because the other protagonist here is Luisa's father, Haris Voekler, whose story jumps back and forth from past to present. But the plot begins to move at a breathless, breakneck pace on the day the Wall comes down and Luisa and Haris are caught in the crush of thousands of East Germans as they surge toward the suddenly opened checkpoints and gates, with Stasi, VoPo and 'snitches' in close pursuit.

    But 'nuf said. Kathrrine Reay is just one helluva good writer. I LOVED this book! My very highest recommendation.

    - Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Laura Hartness
    4.0 out of 5 stars Hope Amidst Cold War Oppression
    Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is not author Katherine Reay's first venture into the dispirited world of a Cold War-era Communist country. In her 2023 novel A Shadow in Moscow, Reay offers an alternating timeline which captures a story of secret agents, family dynamics, and struggles within the human condition. In her latest work, Reay travels to Germany in The Berlin Letters. Once again readers are brought into the world of espionage and intergenerational relationships, but the atmosphere is quite different this time. The threat and oppression of the East German government during the Cold War seems to hover over the entire narrative, bringing a seriousness to the novel that gives one pause.

    Although I was born in 1971 and grew up during much of this era, I was fairly unaware of the majority of the political events that were going on in Eastern Europe at that time. Reading The Berlin Letters was an eye-opening experience. While it is a novel which was captivating and a source of entertainment, it was so much more than that. It seems to truly inhabit that world in such a way that the reader can genuinely feel the captivity of the people in that time period. They may have had their families and jobs, but their freedoms were quite limited. Often they were not given the option to even choose their careers. Some were strongly compelled to spy on their own friends and neighbors. Beauty and joy were extracted from their lives bit by bit. Their lives were literally and figuratively overcast and gray.

    Despite the serious tone of the novel, I thoroughly enjoyed The Berlin Letters. Katherine Reay's historical research was impeccable, but she also crafted a fictional tale which bonded to the facts of the past seamlessly. Her characters are complex, likable, and well drawn. The villains are not always what they seem to be, and a few in particular took me by surprise. The alternating timeline was creative-- Chapter One opens in 1961, focusing on the lives of Luisa's parents, her father Haris in particular. The contrasting chapters are mostly set in 1989 with Luisa as an adult. As the novel moves forward, the experiences of Haris begin to get narratively closer to Luisa's in 1989. It was quite exciting to see those converging plotlines develop. The epic conclusion is historic, cinematic, and thrilling.

    From a content standpoint, The Berlin Letters stands in an interesting position. There is remarkably no salty language, and any romantic content is quite sparse. Given the subject matter, this novel could have been much more graphic. That said, many difficult issues are addressed. This story is not for young children. The trials and tribulations of the people of this era are sometimes hard to take in. Some characters in the story are from the 80s punk scene and lead decadent lives. This is not a negative criticism of the book. Keay writes accurately and paints a realistic picture of what was going on at the time, and honestly portrays issues with which Luisa and her family were wrestling. I felt that this content lent an air of realism to the work. It did not water down or sugar-coat the situation, but its presentation was done in a non-gratuitous fashion.

    The conclusion of The Berlin Letters rides the wave of hope and optimism which crashed into Germany during that historic moment in 1989. It doesn't come to that occasion easily. Many sacrifices and risks are taken for the sake of freedom and family love. The journey is fraught with tension, uncertainty, and no guarantee of success. Katherine Reay has crafted an excellent novel, combining the realities of the Cold War with the captivating fictional narrative of her characters. Her epilogue leads me to hope for more from Luisa, Haris, and their associates. The wall may have come down in 1989, but as the decades have passed, the possibilities for more epic tales endure. Katherine Reay not only brings exciting tales of espionage to her readers, but she also reveals history and hope in a way that bears repeating.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Andrea hall
    5.0 out of 5 stars Berlin Wall Aftermath for those living there.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Very interesting with a view of post war survivors that lived in Berlin when the famous wall was built!
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  • Karen M.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Page turner!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Finished in 2 days. Had me on the edge of my seat. Character development was great and the use of codes was fascinating.
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  • Pamela Liljeberg
    4.0 out of 5 stars Cold War Mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay explores the Cold War period as experienced by Luisa, a CIA codebreaker and granddaughter of German immigrants. The book takes us back to the early 1960’s to meet Luisa’s parents in Berlin while revealing Luisa’s search for them in 1989. Reay manages the dual timeline as Luisa discovers more about her parents and the secrets that surrounded their lives, informing the reader along the way about the history, hardships, and political tension of a post war world.

    Luisa’s parents became trapped in Soviet controlled East Berlin as the wall went up to divide the Allied controlled West sector from the East. Life under the Soviet government was harsh with the constant fear of being spied on and reported to the government by friends and neighbors leaving no one to trust. Luisa discovers her father is still alive and risks her life to travel to West Germany and cross into East Berlin to rescue him. Interestingly, the search for her father results in help from unlikely allies, including the steampunk kids protesting the harsh regime in East Berlin.

    Katherine Reay creates a compelling novel rooted in well-researched historical truths in The Berlin Letters that draws the reader into the mysteries of the past and how World War II continues to impact individual lives, politics, and culture. Love and determination overcome secrets of the past as Luisa is reunited with her father. In telling Luisa’s story, Reay sheds light on the shadows of the Cold War period.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Jennifer Ratzlaff
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Thrilling Read
    Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    An amazing book. I couldn’t put it down. The characters grip the reader and you are swept back into that turbulent time. What challenges each one faced. A real glimpse into history. Thank you Katherine for bringing them all to life so beautifully. I look forward to reading more of your books.
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  • elizabeth
    2.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction
    Reviewed in Germany on June 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    It‘s more of a fast beach read, an easy vehicle to get the history. Written more in the style of a Danielle Steel novel.
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  • MR S BOULTON
    2.0 out of 5 stars Okay story but poor research
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The story is okay, a bit rushed at the end but I’ve read lots about Berlin and that period in history so the historical and geographical inaccuracies really grated. The Topography of Terror was in West Berlin, not East, so it’s very unlikely an East German reporter who’s already under suspicion would be allowed to go there. Friedrichstraße Station never had any lower level train tracks, it’s an elevated railway there and not likely a prisoner train to the south would leave from there anyway. First chapter mentions a letter coming from the DDR in 1945 but it wasn’t created until 1949, I could go in but you get the picture
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