If there's any period that must have been as flush with spy action as the WW2 era, it must be the fall of the Belin Wall. Dan Fesperman dives into this time head first, delivering a smart thriller that juggles Stasi spies trying to plot their next steps, a population elated to tear it all apart, Russians trying to salvage and Americans looking to benefit from the chaos.

Winter Work by Dan Fesperman: Summary and reviews - BookBrowse Winter Work by Dan Fesperman: Summary and reviews - BookBrowse

One of the novel's main characters is Emil Grimm, a Stasi agent who is concerned about his future in the post-wall world. Though he may be a member of the notorious Stasi, Grimm is a surprisingly sympathetic character who is trying to secure his place in the West. Fesperman masterfully weaves together real-life historical figures such as Markus Wolf with fictional characters like Grimm, creating a world that is both evocative and suspenseful. Winter Work is a gripping, tightly plotted old-school spy novel...Claire [Saylor] makes a welcome return from Fesperman's last book, The Cover Wife...Berlin—'spying's most storied theme park'—is vividly rendered, as is a time of convulsive change and the hopes, anxieties, and machinations of those caught up in the chaos. I don't want to give anything else away, except to say that bodies start to pile up, and both Claire and Emil must figure out how to find their way amidst paranoid and distrustful competitors. The Berlin Wall has fallen and in the ensuing power vacuum, a former Stasi officer and a CIA agent must fight for their lives. Winter Work is a gripping, tightly plotted old-school spy novel. . . . Claire [Saylor] makes a welcome return from Fesperman’s last book, The Cover Wife. . . . Berlin—’spying’s most storied theme park’—is vividly rendered, as is a time of convulsive change and the hopes, anxieties, and machinations of those caught up in the chaos.”Dan Fesperman does a fine job conveying much the same. History buffs will love it: lots of detail, not so much about life in Berlin, though that’s there, too. This is more a behind-the-scenes look at the intelligence community in 1990, the Wild West-like atmosphere of each nation trying to learn about what the dying Stasi knows. It’s actually based on a real covert operation – amazing! Emil Grimm, out for a morning walk, exulted in all of it. Being a German of a certain age, he loved getting into the woods, and as a professional keeper of secrets he was impressed by any display of full disclosure.

Winter Work by Dan Fesperman | Goodreads Winter Work by Dan Fesperman | Goodreads

Claire is new to Berlin (just transferred from Paris) and is on her own, yet expected to perform miracles. Despite the odds, she rises to the challenge. Three months into the op, she has proven her moxy—but Wall undermines her again by bringing in a new officer (male, naturellement) from HQ to take over. Claire has a secret weapon, however: an ex-CIA officer named Baucom who has lived in Berlin for decades (forced to retire early because of budget cuts—the Cold War being over—ha). Despite the bureaucracy, field operative Claire and her mentor pull off a miracle: the recovery of thousands of Stasi names, all during that brief, chaotic window of opportunity following the collapse of communism in 1989. This haul—which is historical fact—is still considered the biggest intelligence coup in CIA history.He grew up in Charlotte, NC, and, as a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a diehard Tar Heel. He is married to the journalist Liz Bowie, and they live just north of Baltimore. Their two children have moved off to adventures of their own.” But of course, things do not go according to plan. The Stasi officer doesn't show up to his meeting, but a brutal squad of Russians do, and Claire barely manages to escape. The Berlin Wall has just fallen, but following the murder of a close colleague, disillusioned Stasi veteran Emil Grimm finds that escaping his life in East Germany is as risky as ever. A] well-paced thriller. . . . Fesperman accurately depicts the corrosive effect of life under a surveillance society, debasing both the watchers and the watched. . . . Most Cold War spy novels focus on the Manichaean ideological struggle between East and West; this one successfully explores a grayer era.” A fun and efficient thriller, with a compelling main character (and some tropey supporting roles). The very final days of the Cold War in Berlin provided a great setting and the internal politics of the various spy agencies were interesting, but the main story was a mix of a bit too many twists and deus ex machina.

Winter Work,’ by Dan Fesperman - The New York Times Review: ‘Winter Work,’ by Dan Fesperman - The New York Times

This fast paced thriller showcases the immediate recalibration triggered by the fall of the Berlin Wall.If you're my age, it's hard to think about a spy novel set in 1990 as an "historical thriller," but Winter Work, an excellent book, is set just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. East Germans are moving pretty freely, and East German spies – Stasi – are worried about their future. Emil Grimm is one of those, but he comes off as a good guy (if such a thing can be said about a Stasi agent), and he wants to secure a future in the West. Winter Work vividly captures those chaotic first months after the Berlin Wall came down, with East Germany in free fall and once feared Stasi officers running for cover—into the hands of their former enemies. An entertaining thriller about a society turned upside down. As a spy novel, it has it all. Interesting layered characters, fast and often brutal action, suspense, good place descriptions and well-drawn context. Winter Work vividly captures those chaotic first months after the Berlin Wall came down, with East Germany in free fall and once feared Stasi officers running for cover—into the hands of their former enemies. An entertaining thriller about a society turned upside down.” After World War II, the United States and the USSR vied for influence over Europe, with most countries in the western half of the continent joining NATO, while eastern countries aligned with the USSR. Germany was split into two countries, with the western half becoming the democratic Federal Republic of Germany (FDR or West Germany) and the eastern section the socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany).

WINTER WORK | Kirkus Reviews WINTER WORK | Kirkus Reviews

I love spy novels, especially historic ones, but Dan Fesperman has missed hit mark so completely, I do wonder if he actually did any kind of research besides a very superficial one, and namedropping some historical figures in an pathetic attempt to give the novel some "atmosphere". The action is propulsive, and Emil’s survival is always in doubt. “He had run agents and operatives from afar . . . Yet Emil himself had never once made a brush pass, chalked a mark onto a tree, cleared a dead drop, or called for a crash meeting.” And that puts him at a great disadvantage when the KGB arrives on the scene in league with the East German secret police. This is spy fiction at its very best. No one I’m aware of has done a better job of portraying intrigue in East Germany. The story is set in Berlin, shortly after the Berlin Wall has come down. On the German side, the main character is Emil Grimm, a high-ranking officer in the East German secret police, the Stasi, who is afraid the collapse of his government will mean arrest and imprisonment. Humanizing this character is the fact that his wife, Bettina, is bedridden with ALS and may not have long to live, and he and she have agreed he will start a new life with a nearby widow, Karola. Grimm wants them all to remain safe against treacherous odds. A] superb spy thriller...The action builds to a deeply satisfying denouement. Cold War-era spy fiction doesn't get much better than this.

This is a John le Carré vibe, more in the vein of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, in that there’s a ton of exposition and interaction in the first 60% or so. Only once in that early span is there real movement, an act requiring a getaway. Mostly it’s a description of roles, of meetings held, of life circumstances and situations. Think a bit like a flowchart being explained. Perhaps not as bad as I’ve described it, since understanding how spy networks operate is a big part of this. But I concede it’s a bit slow. A gut-wrenching, startling historical thriller about communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray. And by the time things actually started to get mildly interesting (about 15% towards the end of the novel), I lost complete interest in the story. So fluent, so clever. Fesperman brilliantly recreates the atmosphere of post-Communist Europe. Winter Work confirms that he belongs alongside Joseph Kanon and David Ignatius in the front rank of American spy novelists.” On the other side is Claire, a thirtysomething American CIA operative assigned from the Paris office. She has, almost predictably, a harsh female boss who is not about to take the blame if anything goes wrong. Her job is to meet with a Stasi officer (someone other than Grimm) who has promised to deliver names of former agents in return for his safety.