Agent in Berlin: 1 (The Wolf Pack Spies)
MI6 feels compelled to monitor Hitler’s bellicose intentions by infiltrating the capital of 1930s Germany. Barnaby Allen is recruited through the old school network to establish the operation and find suitable operatives there capable of passing information to the British. Three anti-Nazi Germans, a high-ranking Japanese embassy official, and an American sportswriter come aboard, a character for every major player in the approaching conflict, Italy aside. We follow thrills, scares, and fears as the spies steal secrets, evading both capture and Gestapo torture—or not. A strong homosexual theme runs throughout, as does a dog-eared Berlin street map.
Discouragingly, this book begins with two pages listing the 27 main characters; try not to flip back as they appear. For me, despite good period detail, it became rather disjointed, lacking convincing jeopardy until the final quarter. Some tick-box characters and anonymous sub-agents are just too pat. It is annoying to have German military ranks’ British equivalents explained every time they occur, and I don’t think an American sailor would say “we bloody well knew.” Lazy prose is distracting, e.g., “a colleague of Edward’s… picked him up and drove him to meet Edward’s colleagues” or “the next few days were a daze” as were the several typo and grammatical errors present, such as “in a moment or too”, “Rudi work up”, “that Japanese cha.” and “in the Berlin.”
Consequently, any comparisons to Le Carré, as per one front-cover quote, are way off the mark, this tale lacking his perspicacity and depth. Worth a read, though; engaging, not gripping.
