Potsdam Station

This is the fourth in a very strong series, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Set in the final days of Berlin and covering the Russian offensive and the ultimate taking of control of Berlin, it tells the story from several perspectives. John Russell, Effi and Russell‘s son Paul, give us the fall of Berlin fr......more

Exceptional and riveting. The last days of the Reich and the slowly collapsing city of Berlin are a tense, gritty crucible. The Russians are closing in, ringing the once mighty city with fire and rape. John Russell, Berliner, American journalist, unwilling spy, has escaped, but his fiance, film star......more

Well, Mr. Downing has left the door open to a sequel to this wonderful series, and I hope he walks through it. This fourth book in the John Russell saga is set in the last, bloody days of Berlin's fate in WWII, with the Russians closing in from the East, successive waves of bombing from the Russians......more

It may seem churlish to resist such energy devoted to research but David Downing's recreation of 1930s and 40s Berlin ultimately palls. No vintage map seems to have been left unconsulted so that every journey takes place street by street. No doubt, transported back five or six decades, we would reco......more

I enjoyed the first three books in this series, but my first instinct was not to bother with this one. That was probably correct. For hardcore Downing fans, this book has much of what made the first three offerings so attractive: good historical detail, sympathetic characters, some suspense. Unfort......more