Winter Work

Product Information

Lots of walking in wintery woods, drinking coffee and beers in cafe's, driving shitty cars, endless boring dialogues. 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. 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.” 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. 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.

Winter Work by Dan Fesperman: 9780593466957 - Penguin Random House Winter Work by Dan Fesperman: 9780593466957 - Penguin Random

Later Note: This is what happens to old people - the memory is not reliable. Of course I have read and enjoyed several books from this author! Just forgot like I forget many things. Oh well. 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..” 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.

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.

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

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. Scott Shane's outstanding work Flee North tells the little-known tale of an unlikely partnership ... 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. 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.

Reader Reviews

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. 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. 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.