Winter Work

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Winter Work is filled with all sorts of tradecraft that one would expect from a spy novel, but it is the human element that truly sets it apart. information about Stasi and the East German intelligence operations run by Markus Wolf (an historical individual). He also crafts an elegant, genuinely suspenseful spy novel with all kinds of tradecraft (if we didn't know the date, we might assume it was the 1940s or 1950s) and real human feeling.

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

Emil Grimm, the central character in Dan Fesperman’s novel “Winter Work,” feels like his world is coming apart. 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. A neighbor, Markus “Mischa” Wolf—his former boss, “the Stasi’s most renowned spymaster”—becomes involved, adding an element of danger. 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.

It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder. That means she is in favor of dumping Emil for a more powerful but deadly KGB agent—the person responsible for the brutal murder of Emil’s friend who first offered the CIA the names of East German spies in the West (including a mole at CIA HQ).

WINTER WORK | Kirkus Reviews WINTER WORK | Kirkus Reviews

Most explore the behind-the-scenes war between the West and the Eastern Bloc before November 9, 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down. She also meets with Clark Bauman, a retired CIA agent, “seeking knowledge above her clearance and her pay grade” (p. One of the novel's main characters is Emil Grimm, a Stasi agent who is concerned about his future in the post-wall world. An entire generation has grown up since then; Germany celebrated the 30th anniversary of Reunification in 2020.

Fesperman reveals suspense-filled spy novel drawing richly from real life characters and events and utilising authentic spy tradecraft, a favourite feature among spy fans. Now Emil must finish the job alone and on uncertain ground where old alliances seem to be shifting by the day. Emil observed the confrontation from a distance and decided on an approach to Claire that would trigger his plan. On foreign soil, “officially and legally” they cannot gather evidence, question witnesses, or make arrests.

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

S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Harry Vance slips out of his lover’s bed for a mysterious nighttime meeting. 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. More reminiscent of John Le Carré than Robert Ludlum or Ian Fleming, “Winter Work” is a good, solid novel suitable for Cold War espionage enthusiasts willing to be patient. East Germans are moving pretty freely, and East German spies – Stasi – are worried about their future. If you're looking for at intelligent, cerebral, atmospheric, authentic, gripping spy novel, look elsewhere.There's a strange connection between an American agent, Claire Saylor (who featured in an earlier Fesperman novel) and Grimm – and the denouement is clever, surprising, and shocking. Now Emil is forced to pick up the pieces of their plan and follow through alone while under the newfound scrutiny of his colleagues. Emil Grimm, a Stasi colonel, has decamped to his dacha in the woods outside of Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall.