Wowzers, this book was good! Codebreaking, handwritten letters, a fantastic cover, complex familial relationships, and Berlin in the 1980s… I loved the tumultuous complexity of it all!

This novel showcases Mrs. Reay’s immense talent and storytelling skills. I hope she continues to write Cold War fiction—she’s set the bar high with this novel!

Too bad the incredible climax actually couldn’t have happened. The geography was altered “for fictional purposes.” Ergh! I would have loved to see the author’s creativity in maneuvering the characters to the accurate location. Since it was farther away, it would have kept the tension ratcheted even tauter than it already was.

Content: one expletive, replacement expletives, alcohol

The Berlin Letters

By Katherine Reay

There are so many works of historical fiction that deal with World War II. Writers have explored the different countries engaged in the war and affected by the war. They have researched and examined the lives of the individuals caught up in the horrors of war from those at the top to the common citizen and from the despots and their minions to the heroes for freedom. The Berlin Letters creates a story that showcases the strange time in Germany after World War II when the West and the Soviet Union cavalierly divided the country into two power blocks and the city of Berlin into two entities. Suddenly, people who were associated with East Berlin could not cross the street into West Berlin to shop or visit with family without fear of arrest and torture.

As word spread that East Berlin was soon to be shut down, there was a mass exodus. Those remaining were subject to surveillance by the Stasi, a group that seemed to be everywhere and were admired by the KGB. They perfected “decomposition,” continuous torture and pressure from all directions that resulted in arrestees admitting to crimes they didn’t even commit.

Perhaps the worst part of living in East Berlin at that time was the presence of snitches. They could be anyone, from your friend to your neighbor or work colleague. Some monitored other citizens for money, but most to protect themselves and their families.

The Berlin Letters is a complicated web of ordinary citizens, spies, revolutionary young people who protested through their punk music and clothes, propaganda writers, and the underground. It begins with Monica passing her daughter Luisa across barbed wire to her parents, who later move to the United States. Monica’s husband Haris is a successful propaganda writer for the state newspaper and believes what he writes—at first. We meet Luisa again as an adult. She works in deciphering codes left over from World War II, a skill her grandfather taught her. Never one to pass up a puzzle, she discovers that her father and her grandfather communicated over the years even though she had been told that her parents had been killed in an automobile accident. The letters include secrets so she is obligated to involve her CIA bosses. Luisa gives up all of her and her grandmother’s savings and risks her own life to travel to East Berlin to rescue someone who is about to be transferred to one of the worst prisons in East Germany. Whom can Luisa trust? Is her CIA training from years ago enough to see her through? Will her impulsive actions cause her to lose her job and clearance?

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Historical Fiction

Notes: Clean historical fiction with a touch of romance

Publication:  March 5, 2024—Harper Muse

Memorable Lines:

Walther’s “I fought tooth and nail to stay, until the day I needed to leave” has become my rallying cry. I don’t want to leave. So I fight.

I’m surprised there are none of the neon signs or billboards so prevalent in West Berlin. Then I realize it’s a planned economy. There is no need for advertising.

Now I see when you grow up with little more than the necessities, you take care of them, and you don’t put your happiness into more.

The Berlin Letters is an interesting, layered novel that essentially stretches across the period of time between the erection and dismantling of the Berlin Wall and across the world, between the Eastern Bloc and the United States, during the height of the Cold War. It involves relationships between family members and friends, or people who were believed to be friends and trusted or those who turned out to be trustworthy who didn’t seem so in the beginning.

It’s a fascinating story based on many factual historical events, some of which have only recently come to light in the public’s eyes, and some of which may still be hidden. It’s narrated from two different points of views and at two different points in time, until both timelines eventually intersect. It contains several twists that took me by surprise, which I enjoyed. I don’t like being able to anticipate what obviously is going to happen next. I like the ingenuity of an author capable of creating surprises, and this book contains several.

Of course, I wasn’t surprised all of the time, but the book kept me fully engaged and taught me several things of which I wasn’t previously aware, even though I lived through most of the happenings in the story. I definitely would read more books by author Katherine Reay. Thank you to Ms. Reay, NetGalley, and Harper Muse for providing me an advanced reader’s copy prior to publication. My opinions are voluntary.

It's not often that I find a hist fic based during the Cold War! WWII novels abound, but rarely much written for this time period after! I really enjoyed it!

This story is told in dual timelines from Luisa Voekler and her father Haris. Luisa was raised by her maternal grandparents, largely in the US. Her mother gave her over to them right after the Berlin Wall went up, when Luisa was very young. Luisa's Oma and Opa took her to the US shortly after. Because of this, Luisa never got to know her parents.

Now an adult, Luisa is a code breaker for the CIA. Her Opa raised her to interpret and read codes in all kinds of methods. She thought it was simply a game, a way for them to bond, until she realized there was more to it than that. After her Opa's passing, she finds some letters addressed to him, written by her father Haris in the 1970s. They are coded and held vital information that helped the United States to monitor the goings on in West Germany, as Luisa's Opa was an informant.

Soon, Luisa discovers that her father has been arrested and thus begins the great adventure of this novel. I found this book to be propulsive and wildly entertaining. It covered a period of history I knew very little about and I'm now incredibly eager to learn more. I'd highly recommend to any of my friends that enjoy historical fiction! I'll definitely be reading more Katherine Reay now! Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the eARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this book. Quite different from her others but a good example of well done historical fiction!

I didn't realize that the Berlin Wall went up overnight and that some families were separated from each other depending on which side they were on when it went up. This book tells the story of a family torn apart because of this. Monica's parents have moved to West Berlin because of their beliefs, her husband Haris is a party member and lead journalist for the local newspaper and believes the party line. In 1961 when the wire goes up Monica gives their daughter, Luisa, to her father but can't get through the wire herself. In 1989, Luisa works for the CIA as a code breaker and recognizes a symbol on a letter that leads her to believe that her grandfather may have been a spy. The story is full of historical facts and action and the question of what would you do if a loved one was in danger.

Oh my goodness! This book! Filled with the horror of the Cold War and the warmth of finding lost family, this book was beautifully written! I loved all the history and especially the way the characters grew throughout! What a story! You will love it!

Thanks to NetGalley! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fascinating and emotional piece of historical fiction, The Berlin Letters brings to life the construction of the Berlin wall. Reay shows the reader what it may have been like for families divided by the wall. I loved this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Muse for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Berlin Letters is the first book that I’ve read by Katherine Reay, and it won’t be the last. I’ve been on a historical fiction kick lately, and this is pushing all the right buttons.

I’ve read descriptions of the story as “meticulously researched” and detailed. That’s an understatement. My knowledge of the end of the Cold War in Berlin is limited. As a child born in the 80’s, I have memories of tv news reports of the wall coming down, and people celebrating but that’s about it.

“We all have secrets.” — It rings true in most families. But for Luisa, a code breaker for the CIA, finding a pile of coded letters between her grandfather and her father spanning over twenty-four years, secrets don’t just belong to her family, they may belong to history and enfolding current events.

This book sucked me in and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction.

The Berlin Letters is the story of a family torn apart with the building of The Berlin Wall, and their history ending with the tearing down of the same wall. After the death of her grandfather, Luisa Voekler finds a cache of letters from what appears to be her father. She had always been told that he had died after the end of WW2, but now she knows he is alive held in an East German Stasi prison. Not only that, but her job as a codebreaker in the CIA also has her recognizing that the letters she has been working with, were written by the same person as the letters her grandfather has, her father. She is sent to meet with her boss in the CIA, Andrew Cademan, where she finds out that her father was a spy for the US government. She wants to meet him and get him out, so flies to West Berlin. What will she do when she gets there? How will she get to her father and free him?

The Berlin Letters is a dual timeline story, sharing Luisa's story in 1989 and her father's story from his decision to remain in East Berlin, his disillusionment, and his present predicament. There were so many secrets in the Voekler family, and Luisa's life came crashing down as she read the letters and found out the truth. So many families were torn apart when the Berlin Wall was built and it continued until the wall came down on November 9, 1989. This story contains adversity, espionage, suspense, political intrigue, family drama and more. The historical facts of what happened during this time were things I had a vague knowledge of, so learned about the times as well. The Berlin Letters is a well-written story, with strong characters that pulled me in from start to finish.

Luisa Voekler is a CIA code breaker in 1980s Washington, D.C. Even since she was a young girl, she’s excelled at solving puzzles and deciphering messages. Her grandfather made sure to cultivate those skills. Having been raised by her grandparents who emigrated from Berlin when she was a child, she doesn’t know much about her parents. She was told they died in a car accident. And her grandparents have always been tight-lipped about their life before America. Despite her remarkable performance and exceptional intelligence, she’s stuck deciphering messages from WWII. But while helping a coworker with her assignments, she notices a symbol on one of them – one that she’s seen before on her grandfather’s mail. Unfortunately her grandfather has passed and cannot reveal what connection – if any – exists between the letters at the CIA and the one she saw years ago. And when she begins to investigate, she realizes there’s more to her family’s history than she was ever clued in on. The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay is a dual-timeline, dual POV historical fiction novel in which Luisa gets closer to finding the truth and the danger that held her family prisoner for decades.

Reay creates a thrilling fictional tale that reminds readers about our nation’s history and heartbreaking experiences of those across the ocean during the Cold War. Both POVs from Luisa and Haris illustrate the psyche and context of living under authoritarian, militaristic rule and the lengths that those in power will go to contain ideals that threaten that power. While Luisa is an admirable character, Haris’s growth impressed me the most. Reay pits loyalty against family, challenging the reader to consider the lengths we ourselves might go to in order to ensure the safety of our loved ones. Action-packed, engaging, and impactful, The Berlin Letters is a must for anyone’s TBR pile.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for the digital arc.
I was almost 10 years old when the Berlin Wall started to go up. I remember watching the breaking news on a black and white tv bunny ears and sketchy reception. I didn't comprehend the magnitude but the urgency of the reporters, the bleakness of the guards and barbed wire, made me realize this was a traumatizing event. The families of Berlin were being torn in two. And so begins “Berlin Letters”. It is August 1961, and Monika Voekler makes a split decision to throw her baby daughter, Luisa, over the barbed wire into the arms of her father, who had sensed the impending crisis, and moved west. Luisa is brought up by her grandparents, who move to the the US, and believed her parents died in a car accident. Fast forward to 1989 and Luisa, who has been taught to solve puzzles sin childhood, is hired as a decoder at the CIA. Dual timelines and narration present a Cold War spy thriller that should not be missed!
#TheBerlinLetters #NetGalley

3.5⭐

This is definitely a historical fiction story. She did an exceptional job of researching this story. While I enjoyed the story, I felt like there were times when the story dragged, causing me to stop listening. However, I did enjoy the multiple voices narrating the story. I have enjoyed reading other books by this author, but this one was just a miss for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read an advanced copy of the book. This is my honest review.

Katherine Reay delivers a historical fiction triumph! Set in the Cold War, Luisa Voekler uncovers coded intelligence secrets in her grandfather’s old letters, leading her on a quest to East Germany. With a dip into punk culture, the CIA, and deep family secrets, The Berlin Letters promises an exciting and fascinating read.

I really loved how Reay brought historical fiction up to the near history, really bringing alive a time that I'm not old enough to remember, but that shaped the world I was growing up in. She weaves compelling character development into the historical framework in each book she pens, and this one is no exception! I hope to see more books like this from her.

This book will take you on a historical journey as well as an emotional one. The story takes place during the time of the Berlin Wall, but it is the dual timeline that allows for a story to unfold from the time the wall went up to the time the wall comes down.
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The book is beautifully written, well researched history throughout, a little bit of mystery and it just keeps you wanting more! This is not my normal time period for an historical fiction read but I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the reading and decoding of the letters. Little bit of my own background, I originally graduated from school with my degree in history and my favorite classes were the decoding of old documents. The feeling of understanding and completing is such a rush that I could feel the same energy off the pages from Luisa.
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I would recommend this to readers who love historical fiction. Honestly, no matter what genre you like if your looking for a good book … Pick.This.One! There is a little something for everyone in this book.
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Side Note: I think this book would make a great book club selection as there is so much depth to the story and would create great conversations!

This was okay. I found it really unbelievable for a historical fiction. I found myself not loving the characters and it felt really unrealistic and I had a hard time with that.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

After binging four seasons of the brilliant German TV series "The Weissensee Saga" (on MHZ Choice) I was craving a thriller covering Berlin during that period between the building of the Wall and its collapse. "The Berlin Letters fits that bill perfectly.

Luisa Voelker grew up with her grandparents in the Washington DC area, believing that her parents were killed in an automobile accident. Her grandfather played elaborate cryptic puzzle games with her ,which come in handy in her job as a CIA cryptologist. Luisa finds some old letters from her grandfather to someone she is shocked to realize is her father. She recognizes the code the letters use and is able to confirm that her father was recently alive. Using her contacts and wits, she plans to break him out of prison.

The most interesting character in the book is not Luisa, but her father, a man who was dedicated to the East's new order to the point that he was the Party newspaper's top reporter. Because his in-laws defected, he is gradually demoted until he is left writing one-sentence filler news. Watching his political and social feeling evolve mirrors the feelings of so many East Germans at the time.

There's a little romance, a little family drama, and characters who appear briefly and then are never heard of again, but overall there is plenty in the Berlin Letters to keep readers glued to the page. Such a fascinating period of history, and Katherine Reay maked the most of it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the digital review copy in exchange of an honest review.

Such an incredible piece of historical fiction.

The Cold War - a piece in history that I will admit that I do not know a lot about. I feel like some parts left me wanting for just a bit more in the development of the story, but overall the dual timelines were highly appreciated and enjoyed. The ending felt admittedly rushed and fell flat in a big way for me, but I still really loved this book and the rich history that I learned from it.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Harper Muse for this eArc in exchange for my own opinions.

The Berlin Letters is an intriguing look at the decades of the Cold War. I was fascinated by the unfolding of Luisa's story as she began to uncover the secrets of her past through a collection of hidden, encoded letters written by her father in Berlin to her grandfather in America. I love learning more about history through novels; this is one of the best novels I've read about the Cold War era. I appreciated how it covered the realities of life behind the Iron Curtain without being too graphic or intense. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian fiction with an interest in 20th century history.

Very well done! Historical fiction, although abundant these days in nature can be very tough to master and this book was done well! Grabs your attention and won't let go.