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John Russell & Effi Koenen #1
Zoo Station
By 1939, Anglo-American journalist John Russell has spent fifteen years in Berlin, where his German-born son lives. He writes human-interest pieces for British and American papers, avoiding the investigative journalism that could get him deported. But as war approaches, he faces the prospect of having to leave his son and his longtime girlfriend.
Then, an acquaintance from his communist days approaches him to do some work for the Soviets. Russell is reluctant but ultimately unable to resist. He becomes involved in other dangerous activities, helping a Jewish family and an idealistic American reporter. When the British and the Nazis notice his involvement with the Soviets, Russell is dragged into the world of warring intelligence services.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2007
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About the author
David Downing
125 books490 followersDavid Downing is the author of a political thriller, two alternative histories and a number of books on military and political history and other subjects as diverse as Neil Young and Russian Football.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 672 reviews
December 8, 2011
i don't really know what to think of this book. I like the subject matter, and the main characters are interesting. However, everything is a bit too .... obvious. If you don't know anything about Nazi Germany, you'd probably enjoy it. If you do, though, it will irritate you, as it is to a large degree like reading an O Level history text.
There is no subtlety to it at all. For example, at the start, the main character encounters children geting on a kindertransport at the station in Berlin, and there's an SS guard arguing with and slapping a Jewish woman whilst children scream. If you'd no idea this sort of thing happened, you'd find this to be illuninating. If, on the other hand, you have some knowledge of this period of history, it is all screamingly obvious, a very hackneyed image of the period and place. Like a poor ITV period drama, with no subtlety. A Downtown Abbey for 1930s Germany.
The plot is also pretty much non existent, it is all very linear stuff, so there's not much to grip here. Another annoyance is that the main character, john Russell, is also uncannily prescient about events to come (the book is set in 1939), and throughout the book there are comments hinting at the way he thinks things will pan out, designed to make you think "crikey, that's exactly what did happen!".
I had been planning to read one of this series of books for a while, being a big fan of Pillip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series (which at least have a tongue in cheek, almost slapstick element to them), and may read another one of the "Station" series to give the author another chance, but it really was a disappointing start.
There is no subtlety to it at all. For example, at the start, the main character encounters children geting on a kindertransport at the station in Berlin, and there's an SS guard arguing with and slapping a Jewish woman whilst children scream. If you'd no idea this sort of thing happened, you'd find this to be illuninating. If, on the other hand, you have some knowledge of this period of history, it is all screamingly obvious, a very hackneyed image of the period and place. Like a poor ITV period drama, with no subtlety. A Downtown Abbey for 1930s Germany.
The plot is also pretty much non existent, it is all very linear stuff, so there's not much to grip here. Another annoyance is that the main character, john Russell, is also uncannily prescient about events to come (the book is set in 1939), and throughout the book there are comments hinting at the way he thinks things will pan out, designed to make you think "crikey, that's exactly what did happen!".
I had been planning to read one of this series of books for a while, being a big fan of Pillip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series (which at least have a tongue in cheek, almost slapstick element to them), and may read another one of the "Station" series to give the author another chance, but it really was a disappointing start.
November 14, 2012
This is just the start of his work. There are now 6 Downing Berlin books in this series, that hold titles which are named after those real train stations in the city of Berlin, Germany. Zoo Station is the earliest/first book and introduces John Russell, a foreign correspondent with a German son and German girlfriend. He is English but ends up taking an American citizenship from his birth mother. These books are not fast paced and hold considerable detail to old Berlin, Nazi law's increasing power in the late 1930's and many personal stories of Russell's and Effi's associates during the years 1937-46. The complex loyalities and secret lives in so many Germans' everyday existence! Possibly he does get that part better than Furst. I'm now up to just beginning the 5th book and they are all reads with tension, but NOT high action, more pulled suspense over lengths of time, NOT fast paced. Lots of mundane life and monotony- which is actually closer to spying or undercover work than action and gimmicks are. And the research shows in depths of description for the Berliners' common occurances/ the reality of their eating/sheltering in these times is remarkable- beyond the stories of the characters and plot.
December 30, 2018
Opening in pre-World War 2 Berlin, the book sees journalist, John Russell, witness firsthand increasing anti-Jewish sentiment and signs of the persecution and brutality to come. There is a particularly powerful scene at the beginning of the book which illustrates this. At the same time, in a chilling juxtaposition, the German people continue going about their daily activities: enjoying coffee and cake in pavement cafes, shopping, visiting the theatre or enjoying the latest Marx Brothers film at the cinema. I enjoyed the believable detail about the streets, squares and public spaces of Berlin. The Zoo Station of the title acts variously as clandestine meeting point, location for train spotting, a point of arrival and departure, and the scene of a suspicious death.
Russell becomes embroiled in the fate of a Jewish family and with a fellow journalist who is on the scent of a story about Nazi plans for an atrocity greater than anything witnessed so far (which is saying something). Russell soon discovers that asking questions can be a dangerous business and faces a conflict between his journalistic instincts and integrity, and concern for his own safety and those close to him.
Russell’s early optimism that his work for the Soviets ‘would make him safer and richer’ turns out to be misplaced as he finds himself drawn in deeper than he intended. Suddenly, his life ‘seemed to be breaking up in slow motion’. However, tired of being used and exhibiting a rebellious streak, he decides to find out if he’s still brave enough or quick-witted enough to turn the tables on those who are trying to manipulate him. As he reflects, ‘A life concerned only with survival was a thin life.’ Has he, though, been seduced by his own cleverness? In the breathless final chapter, with Europe on the brink of war, the author ratchets up the tension as the reader nervously witnesses Russell run his greatest risk yet.
I really liked the touching relationship between John Russell and his German-born son, Peter, as they bond through activities such as attending football matches to cheer on their team or visiting the zoo. Nevertheless, the malign influence of Nazism is never far away, even between father and son. Effi, Russell’s girlfriend, plays a supportive if minor role in the book. However, her fame as an actress does prove a fortunate and timely distraction at one point in the story.
Zoo Station is a taut, compelling espionage story with an authentic sense of the period and setting. I’ll definitely be looking out for further books in the series. In a first for me, I listened to the audiobook version which is ten hours long. There are twelve chapters of between 45 minutes and an hour listening time. Simon Prebble makes an excellent narrator with his clear diction, measured pace, rich vocal tones and ability to create distinctive voices for the various characters (including the female ones).
Russell becomes embroiled in the fate of a Jewish family and with a fellow journalist who is on the scent of a story about Nazi plans for an atrocity greater than anything witnessed so far (which is saying something). Russell soon discovers that asking questions can be a dangerous business and faces a conflict between his journalistic instincts and integrity, and concern for his own safety and those close to him.
Russell’s early optimism that his work for the Soviets ‘would make him safer and richer’ turns out to be misplaced as he finds himself drawn in deeper than he intended. Suddenly, his life ‘seemed to be breaking up in slow motion’. However, tired of being used and exhibiting a rebellious streak, he decides to find out if he’s still brave enough or quick-witted enough to turn the tables on those who are trying to manipulate him. As he reflects, ‘A life concerned only with survival was a thin life.’ Has he, though, been seduced by his own cleverness? In the breathless final chapter, with Europe on the brink of war, the author ratchets up the tension as the reader nervously witnesses Russell run his greatest risk yet.
I really liked the touching relationship between John Russell and his German-born son, Peter, as they bond through activities such as attending football matches to cheer on their team or visiting the zoo. Nevertheless, the malign influence of Nazism is never far away, even between father and son. Effi, Russell’s girlfriend, plays a supportive if minor role in the book. However, her fame as an actress does prove a fortunate and timely distraction at one point in the story.
Zoo Station is a taut, compelling espionage story with an authentic sense of the period and setting. I’ll definitely be looking out for further books in the series. In a first for me, I listened to the audiobook version which is ten hours long. There are twelve chapters of between 45 minutes and an hour listening time. Simon Prebble makes an excellent narrator with his clear diction, measured pace, rich vocal tones and ability to create distinctive voices for the various characters (including the female ones).
February 7, 2015
I was very pleasantly surprised by this mystery/ thriller. I rarely give 5 - star ratings to mystery/ thrillers, but this was an such an engrossing story. It's my first book by David Downing, the first in his John Russell series. Russell is a British reporter living in Berlin just before WWII as the Nazis are consolidating power in the country and beginning to make waves in the world. He's a bit of a cynic, reporting on small items, making ends meet, living with his girl friend, German actress, Effi and spending time with his German son, Paul on weekends. While in Danzig gathering information for a news article, he meets a Russian spy who offers to pay him well to write a series of stories on Germany, a comparison between Communism and Socialism (and maybe also provide the Soviets with information useful to them). Russell is also given a job teaching a Jewish family English, a family who are trying to gain exit visas from Germany (as are countless other Jews at that time). Russell finds himself becoming more and more involved in issues, trying to help the Jewish family, trying to avoid the Gestapo, and so on. It's a very well-written story and the development of Russell's character is carefully and well-crafted. I liked many of the characters; I think I've got a bit of a crush on Effi. The story builds tension excellently, the story keeps you deeply engrossed. All in all, I'm glad I discovered this and look forward to continuing to see how Russell manages to survive in Nazi Germany as war becomes more and more of a given and also to see what other situations he will find himself in. Excellent!!
August 9, 2022
Thriller on Training Wheels
This novel fits into the fiction category I call Casablanca Lite - the emphasis on Lite. The protagonist in this type of story finds himself surrounded by the evils of Nazi Germany and at first reluctantly and then finally whole-heartedly picks up his sword and fights the good fight.
In Zoo Station, our hero John Russell, is a British journalist - not a cynical and jaded café proprietor - based in pre-WWII Germany who wields a pen and a press pass rather than the above mentioned sword. He has a German girlfriend - a beautiful actress of course - and a son in the Fatherland - and hence he just can't leave Germany - even as things begin to turn Nazi ugly.
In 1939 Russell is hired on the sly by the Soviets to snoop around and write "articles" about Nazi armament plans which Russell also shares with British intelligence. There are train trips, nights in hotels, elegant dinners and some pillow talk - and before the reader can say "letters of transit", our hero is a full-fledged "undercover agent".
The plot here is minimal, the historical context is superficial and the characters are one dimensional and wooden. If World War II espionage novels are your cup of tea, you'll be much better served by reading Alan Furst, Philip Kerr and several of the Inspector Troy books by John Lawton.
Pass on this one.
This novel fits into the fiction category I call Casablanca Lite - the emphasis on Lite. The protagonist in this type of story finds himself surrounded by the evils of Nazi Germany and at first reluctantly and then finally whole-heartedly picks up his sword and fights the good fight.
In Zoo Station, our hero John Russell, is a British journalist - not a cynical and jaded café proprietor - based in pre-WWII Germany who wields a pen and a press pass rather than the above mentioned sword. He has a German girlfriend - a beautiful actress of course - and a son in the Fatherland - and hence he just can't leave Germany - even as things begin to turn Nazi ugly.
In 1939 Russell is hired on the sly by the Soviets to snoop around and write "articles" about Nazi armament plans which Russell also shares with British intelligence. There are train trips, nights in hotels, elegant dinners and some pillow talk - and before the reader can say "letters of transit", our hero is a full-fledged "undercover agent".
The plot here is minimal, the historical context is superficial and the characters are one dimensional and wooden. If World War II espionage novels are your cup of tea, you'll be much better served by reading Alan Furst, Philip Kerr and several of the Inspector Troy books by John Lawton.
Pass on this one.
August 10, 2023
Catching up still and bringing it all to Goodreads.
Without reading the back side, and just looking at the cover of the book, it appears that this is a spy novel. I mean seriously, look at the image on the cover of this book! The picture looks 1940-ish – like a grainy black-and-white photograph. As if people are stealthily walking through a train station – wearing their trench coats with hats, to hide their true identities. (Okay, I admit, my imagination has gotten the better of me!)
This tale is spiced with morally ambiguous characters – so, are you ready for this train ride?
Our protagonist is John Russell, a freelance journalist who has been living and working in Berlin for the last 15 years. He is a divorced Brit with an American mother. It is 1939 and it is clear that war is inevitable. John has no illusions about what is going on, but like many he feels powerless to do much of anything about it. His son Paul, is an active member of the Hitler Youth, and his unwillingness to make his son’s life difficult is of paramount concern to him.
Plus…
There is John’s lover, Effi, who is a young starlet who is making a comfortable living appearing in films filled with pro-Nazi propaganda. John just isn’t interested in getting in the way, even if he is morally against both.
(To this reader, both of these storylines are personally difficult to navigate.)
On a lonely New Year’s Eve, John is approached by a Soviet agent who asks him to write some pro-Nazi feature stories for a leading Soviet newspaper. It seems the leadership of the Soviet Union is interested in pursuing a pact with Hitler. The money is good and there is a reasonable amount of journalist freedom involved. He accepts the assignment.
Where are we going with this storyline, this reader asks.
Next store to him lives an American journalist named Tyler. Tyler has uncovered some secret plans to “purify the race by sterilizing the mentally handicapped and all the other so-called incurables.” Not long after this discussion between Tyler and John, Tyler dies – supposedly by suicide, and the groundbreaking story that Tyler intended to release, never sees the light.
How does this affect John? What actions does he take with a Jewish family trying to flee Germany? Will he grow a conscious to help the Soviets undermine Hitler?
Will any of his actions change the lives of his son and his lover?
How do any of these decisions affect the moral decisions any of the characters make when siding with one form of evil over another?
Lots of questions which means – this might be a really good book discussion selection.
The author does an interesting job of showcasing an economically prosperous yet politically bankrupt pre-war Germany as it hangs over the action of its characters.
John Russell is a very interesting character. He obviously yearns for meaning in his life, something beyond being passive against one thing or in favor of something else. Will he find inner peace?
This is a quiet, but evocative work.
Something like…
Cerebral espionage.
Without reading the back side, and just looking at the cover of the book, it appears that this is a spy novel. I mean seriously, look at the image on the cover of this book! The picture looks 1940-ish – like a grainy black-and-white photograph. As if people are stealthily walking through a train station – wearing their trench coats with hats, to hide their true identities. (Okay, I admit, my imagination has gotten the better of me!)
This tale is spiced with morally ambiguous characters – so, are you ready for this train ride?
Our protagonist is John Russell, a freelance journalist who has been living and working in Berlin for the last 15 years. He is a divorced Brit with an American mother. It is 1939 and it is clear that war is inevitable. John has no illusions about what is going on, but like many he feels powerless to do much of anything about it. His son Paul, is an active member of the Hitler Youth, and his unwillingness to make his son’s life difficult is of paramount concern to him.
Plus…
There is John’s lover, Effi, who is a young starlet who is making a comfortable living appearing in films filled with pro-Nazi propaganda. John just isn’t interested in getting in the way, even if he is morally against both.
(To this reader, both of these storylines are personally difficult to navigate.)
On a lonely New Year’s Eve, John is approached by a Soviet agent who asks him to write some pro-Nazi feature stories for a leading Soviet newspaper. It seems the leadership of the Soviet Union is interested in pursuing a pact with Hitler. The money is good and there is a reasonable amount of journalist freedom involved. He accepts the assignment.
Where are we going with this storyline, this reader asks.
Next store to him lives an American journalist named Tyler. Tyler has uncovered some secret plans to “purify the race by sterilizing the mentally handicapped and all the other so-called incurables.” Not long after this discussion between Tyler and John, Tyler dies – supposedly by suicide, and the groundbreaking story that Tyler intended to release, never sees the light.
How does this affect John? What actions does he take with a Jewish family trying to flee Germany? Will he grow a conscious to help the Soviets undermine Hitler?
Will any of his actions change the lives of his son and his lover?
How do any of these decisions affect the moral decisions any of the characters make when siding with one form of evil over another?
Lots of questions which means – this might be a really good book discussion selection.
The author does an interesting job of showcasing an economically prosperous yet politically bankrupt pre-war Germany as it hangs over the action of its characters.
John Russell is a very interesting character. He obviously yearns for meaning in his life, something beyond being passive against one thing or in favor of something else. Will he find inner peace?
This is a quiet, but evocative work.
Something like…
Cerebral espionage.
November 17, 2017
A spy-thriller centered around John Russel, an English free-lance journalist in Berlin 1939 with an German ex-wife & son and a German girlfriend. One day, while in Danzig, Russel is approached by a Russian who requests articles by him for the Soviet newspaper Pravda about “Nazi achievements”. Although a little suspicious, Russel accepts the task and that’s when his “career” as a involuntary spy begins.
The novel (which sat on my Kindle for so long that I totally forgot why I bought it in the first place) starts off real slow. So slow, in fact, that I wondered if I should at all continue reading after about a quarter. Luckily I didn’t stop and the story/protagonist develops quite nicely and in the end it became a real page turner (or screen swipe in my case) for me.
What I found a little off putting was the fact that several German words/phrases are incorporated into the text, probably to make it look more exotic, but to my German ears it sounded a little awkward. As far as I can tell the historical background of early 1939 in Berlin is told correctly, although I didn’t learn anything new (which I didn’t expect anyway). Apart from Russel and his girlfriend Effi there are some nicely written characters from all sides: Nazis, Jews, “ordinary” Germans, that make for an enjoyable read. There’s also a few wryly comments about the Nazis that probably only an Englishman is able to write.
Who knows? Perhaps I’ll even read the next installment.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The novel (which sat on my Kindle for so long that I totally forgot why I bought it in the first place) starts off real slow. So slow, in fact, that I wondered if I should at all continue reading after about a quarter. Luckily I didn’t stop and the story/protagonist develops quite nicely and in the end it became a real page turner (or screen swipe in my case) for me.
What I found a little off putting was the fact that several German words/phrases are incorporated into the text, probably to make it look more exotic, but to my German ears it sounded a little awkward. As far as I can tell the historical background of early 1939 in Berlin is told correctly, although I didn’t learn anything new (which I didn’t expect anyway). Apart from Russel and his girlfriend Effi there are some nicely written characters from all sides: Nazis, Jews, “ordinary” Germans, that make for an enjoyable read. There’s also a few wryly comments about the Nazis that probably only an Englishman is able to write.
Who knows? Perhaps I’ll even read the next installment.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
May 7, 2020
John Russell is an English journalist, with an American mother, living in Berlin in 1938. It is the end of the year, the Christmas season, after the Nazi SS pogroms against Jewish communities on November 9-10. Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, saw the destruction of synagogues, Jewish businesses, and Jewish-owned buildings. By late December, there are daily changes in German law, which severely restrict the movement, and lives of Jewish citizens. Russell witnesses at least one atrocity in his neighborhood, and through his friendship with a Jewish family, recognizes that the city is no longer safe for anyone who is Jewish. Berlin is described as a city that is not beautiful, full of gray buildings, and full of movement. Downing describes Berlin in great detail, including neighborhoods, streets, and transportation, and these details create a great sense of place, and add so much to the novel.
Russell has a German ex-wife, and a pre-adolescent son, living in Berlin. It is also the home of his girlfriend, an actress. His relationships with everyone he encounters, reveal his loyalty, compassion, and kindness. He is living in a city populated by a growing number of Nazis, which is Hitler’s base and residence. Russell is able to remain one step ahead of the Gestapo, and never underestimates the Nazis’ ability to detect possible wrong-doing. Simple ruses will not be enough to survive, and Russell doesn’t evade detection because he is lucky, but because he is smart.
He is sure that war is imminent and yet he stays, undoubtedly because of his son and girlfriend. He is also a former Communist Party member, as was is ex-wife. This detail is important when he is approached by the Soviets, and asked to write a series of articles about life in Germany. This work provides an income, while pulling him into espionage activities. The Soviets, the Nazis, and the British are all vying for his services as a spy. This leads to a number of hair-raising episodes that kept me glued to the story.
Zoo Station is one the most intelligent espionage novel I have read in quite a while. A GR friend recommended the series to me, and I am so happy that she did. I have five of the six in the series, and they will keep me entertained during this time of quarantine. Highly recommended.
Russell has a German ex-wife, and a pre-adolescent son, living in Berlin. It is also the home of his girlfriend, an actress. His relationships with everyone he encounters, reveal his loyalty, compassion, and kindness. He is living in a city populated by a growing number of Nazis, which is Hitler’s base and residence. Russell is able to remain one step ahead of the Gestapo, and never underestimates the Nazis’ ability to detect possible wrong-doing. Simple ruses will not be enough to survive, and Russell doesn’t evade detection because he is lucky, but because he is smart.
He is sure that war is imminent and yet he stays, undoubtedly because of his son and girlfriend. He is also a former Communist Party member, as was is ex-wife. This detail is important when he is approached by the Soviets, and asked to write a series of articles about life in Germany. This work provides an income, while pulling him into espionage activities. The Soviets, the Nazis, and the British are all vying for his services as a spy. This leads to a number of hair-raising episodes that kept me glued to the story.
Zoo Station is one the most intelligent espionage novel I have read in quite a while. A GR friend recommended the series to me, and I am so happy that she did. I have five of the six in the series, and they will keep me entertained during this time of quarantine. Highly recommended.
May 7, 2020
I can’t believe it has taken until practically the eve of publication of the sixth book in his Station series for me to discover David Downing. Lovereading kindly arranged for me to receive the first in the series as a taster and, on the strength of reading the excellent Zoo Station, I anticipate many happy hours catching up with the next five.
Zoo Station is set in Berlin in the months leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War. As the book opens people are still speculating as to how far Hitler’s plans extend - will he be satisfied with the newly enlarged German territory? Dare they stay on with fingers crossed, hoping for the best? As the year 1939 progresses and war looms, the book focuses on the plight of one Jewish family and the efforts of one British journalist to help them.
I am impressed by the author’s research. He captures the tense atmosphere as the Nazi regime tightens its grip on the German population and those foreigners still living and working in Germany. His portrayal of the lives of ordinary people in these scary times rings true. Equally importantly for me, he has created an endearing hero in John Russell and an interesting personal situation for him, including a half-German son in the Hitler Youth. An excellent read, heartily recommended.
Zoo Station is set in Berlin in the months leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War. As the book opens people are still speculating as to how far Hitler’s plans extend - will he be satisfied with the newly enlarged German territory? Dare they stay on with fingers crossed, hoping for the best? As the year 1939 progresses and war looms, the book focuses on the plight of one Jewish family and the efforts of one British journalist to help them.
I am impressed by the author’s research. He captures the tense atmosphere as the Nazi regime tightens its grip on the German population and those foreigners still living and working in Germany. His portrayal of the lives of ordinary people in these scary times rings true. Equally importantly for me, he has created an endearing hero in John Russell and an interesting personal situation for him, including a half-German son in the Hitler Youth. An excellent read, heartily recommended.
January 30, 2014
I took this book out of the library to read on a return coach trip from the Midlands to Sunderland. (Kidderminster Harriers away to Sunderland in the FA Cup Saturday 25th January 2014.) I chose it because I'm a fan of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series which starts in the same pre-war Berlin setting.
Kerr does the job better. Having written about this period myself I know how easy it is to get carried away by one's research. Whereas Kerr (and I hope, I) evoke the period and the place subtly, Downing tends to use a brickie's trowel to lay on the atmosphere. He's clearly invested in a 1930s Berlin map and doesn't want to waste his money so every street the hero walks down is meticulously named. Nazi thugs behave badly on a named street corner. SS officers strut menacingly across such-and-such-platz. The plain-clothes gestapo man wears a heavy, leather coat as he travels on the UBahn noting the names of each station on his route.
Because of my interest in the period I still found much to enjoy. The characters were believable and the plot, though lightweight - was engaging. I'll try the next in the series looking for more heft to the story and a lighter touch with the research. The jury's out on whether I'll bother with the third.
Kerr does the job better. Having written about this period myself I know how easy it is to get carried away by one's research. Whereas Kerr (and I hope, I) evoke the period and the place subtly, Downing tends to use a brickie's trowel to lay on the atmosphere. He's clearly invested in a 1930s Berlin map and doesn't want to waste his money so every street the hero walks down is meticulously named. Nazi thugs behave badly on a named street corner. SS officers strut menacingly across such-and-such-platz. The plain-clothes gestapo man wears a heavy, leather coat as he travels on the UBahn noting the names of each station on his route.
Because of my interest in the period I still found much to enjoy. The characters were believable and the plot, though lightweight - was engaging. I'll try the next in the series looking for more heft to the story and a lighter touch with the research. The jury's out on whether I'll bother with the third.
June 11, 2019
Period wartime espionage thriller with an imperfect attempt at 1939 Berlin atmosphere.
I have a fetish for WWII and WWI pre-wartime thrillers. Both Goodread’s and Amazon’s algorithms constantly dog my reading heels with Downing’s Station Series. I gave it a try.
Note: Alexander Platz (1939), home of the Berlin Police Detective Headquarters . This book takes place in the early months of 1939, not the summer as shown.
This is a spy thriller about a somewhat leftist, British, past-his-prime journo anchored to Nazi Berlin by personal and family ties. It's the series’ hero's origin story and how he begins in his own small way to resist the Nazis. It’s modestly well done, if you’re not a rabid fan of the sub-genre. I thought some parts of the story to be overly theatrical. In addition, despite a serious attempt at atmosphere, there were holes in the historic detail. Finally, a lot of prose is dedicated to setting-up for the series and not this particular story.
My dead-tree copy was a bog standard 300-pages. Original copyright for the story was 2007. Parts of this book went very quickly, others I was tempted to page through.
David Downing is a British author most known for his historical thrillers. However, he has also written non-fiction, histories and rock music analysis. This is the first book in his Station Series series. Its named after mostly Berlin rail stations, but also rail stations in other European cities. The series is six (6) books. The series' hero (John Russell) has spy adventures in Berlin and Eastern Europe before and after the war. The last book in the series was written in 20013.
The plotting was well-enough done. Downing heavily leverages the Making the Choice for You trope with his hero Russell. Like many British WWII espionage thrillers written in the 00's, I saw the Robert Harris influence on the story. The cross-double cross was professionally handled. Pacing was fine until about two-thirds of the way thought—then it became a rush to the end. Scenes were a mixed bag. Naughty Bits were of the fade-to-black category. Participants didn't seem concerned with birth control. That was peculiar, considering how abortion cropped-up in the plot more than once. Violence was mostly physical with somewhat graphic descriptions. Alcohol was used, but not abused. (I wanted a glass of Goldwasser while reading this.) The more sedate scenes are much better than the action/confrontational ones. Many of Russell’s confrontational scenes with Nazis were overly theatrical. In general, I thought book's public Nazi behavior contained a considerable amount of hyperbole. For example, I doubt the Nazi party militia would assault a young, female, English, Red Cross worker on a public train platform in front of witnesses, including a journalist in pre-war 1939? German police procedure was also not as methodical as it should have been.
I happen to have read both a lot of fiction and non-fiction about the historical setting of this book (Berlin Between the Wars). It was interesting to see how the author integrated his hero into the early period of the Nazi regime. I particularly liked Downing’s German domestic scenes. He described a sampling of rather liberal German’s regarding the Hitler regime six (6) years after he became Chancellor. Normal folks (properly volk) will tolerate a lot in their political leadership, hoping things will get better. At least when they’re not a persecuted minority, like the Jews were. There was also some interesting insight into Jewish refugees and asylum seekers from Germany in 1939.
I have mixed feelings about the author's attempt at period atmosphere. Firstly, there is very little German vocabulary in the book. I suspect the author can’t speak it, or at least not as well as Russell. Most of the dialog would have been in German. Some are noted to have regional accents. (What did a Silesian accent sound like?) I was disappointed there was no significant attempt to included period vernacular in the dialog, which was very rich. When the author did use German, it was for brand name products, locations, organizations and venues. Most of the Berlin venues were just names used in the narration. For example, Kranzlers (the location is now a boutique, mini-mall), Hotel Adlon (modern incarnation not on the original location), and the Tauentzienstraße KaDeWe (interior renovated beyond recognition . I don’t think a reader would have known Kranzler’s was a café, if Russell hadn’t eaten breakfast there. Frankly, a skint journo like Russell shouldn't have been eating, drinking or shopping in any of these places, on his own nickel. I also didn’t get the right feeling for time and distance for Russell’s tramping across Berlin in winter. He must walk really fast! By my reckoning, he should have passed through or past the Tiergarten a lot more than he did. (The Tiergarten is adjacent to Zoo Station.) Finally, it was never mentioned and I could not figure out what borough Russell’s love-interest (Effie) lived in? (It might have been Charlottenburg ?). As an aside, Effie and Randell make a highly unlikely couple. Oddly, for a British author, the London scene descriptions suffered likewise. (The author lives in the UK’s South East, not London.)
This was a modestly entertaining wartime espionage thriller. However, it was by no means the best I’ve ever read. The author’s strenuous attempt at Berlin (and London) location atmosphere was an obvious facade to me. In addition, too much of this first book was devoted to setting-up for books two (2) thru six (6), rather the one in my hands. It’s possible that a novice reader of the genre wouldn’t notice this—I did. However, this was an easy read, and contained a modicum of historical Edutainment. Unfortunately, (for the author) there are better series' out there in the sub-genre to read.
I will likely not be reading the next book in the series Silesian Station.
Readers interested in better espionage fiction on the period should try Berlin Noir: March Violets / The Pale Criminal / A German Requiem by the late Philip Kerr. This is the first book in an excellent series by the author. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst is also excellent and is likewise the first book in a series. A good non-fiction book to get background on the period is Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy.
I have a fetish for WWII and WWI pre-wartime thrillers. Both Goodread’s and Amazon’s algorithms constantly dog my reading heels with Downing’s Station Series. I gave it a try.
Note: Alexander Platz (1939), home of the Berlin Police Detective Headquarters . This book takes place in the early months of 1939, not the summer as shown.
This is a spy thriller about a somewhat leftist, British, past-his-prime journo anchored to Nazi Berlin by personal and family ties. It's the series’ hero's origin story and how he begins in his own small way to resist the Nazis. It’s modestly well done, if you’re not a rabid fan of the sub-genre. I thought some parts of the story to be overly theatrical. In addition, despite a serious attempt at atmosphere, there were holes in the historic detail. Finally, a lot of prose is dedicated to setting-up for the series and not this particular story.
My dead-tree copy was a bog standard 300-pages. Original copyright for the story was 2007. Parts of this book went very quickly, others I was tempted to page through.
David Downing is a British author most known for his historical thrillers. However, he has also written non-fiction, histories and rock music analysis. This is the first book in his Station Series series. Its named after mostly Berlin rail stations, but also rail stations in other European cities. The series is six (6) books. The series' hero (John Russell) has spy adventures in Berlin and Eastern Europe before and after the war. The last book in the series was written in 20013.
The plotting was well-enough done. Downing heavily leverages the Making the Choice for You trope with his hero Russell. Like many British WWII espionage thrillers written in the 00's, I saw the Robert Harris influence on the story. The cross-double cross was professionally handled. Pacing was fine until about two-thirds of the way thought—then it became a rush to the end. Scenes were a mixed bag. Naughty Bits were of the fade-to-black category. Participants didn't seem concerned with birth control. That was peculiar, considering how abortion cropped-up in the plot more than once. Violence was mostly physical with somewhat graphic descriptions. Alcohol was used, but not abused. (I wanted a glass of Goldwasser while reading this.) The more sedate scenes are much better than the action/confrontational ones. Many of Russell’s confrontational scenes with Nazis were overly theatrical. In general, I thought book's public Nazi behavior contained a considerable amount of hyperbole. For example, I doubt the Nazi party militia would assault a young, female, English, Red Cross worker on a public train platform in front of witnesses, including a journalist in pre-war 1939? German police procedure was also not as methodical as it should have been.
I happen to have read both a lot of fiction and non-fiction about the historical setting of this book (Berlin Between the Wars). It was interesting to see how the author integrated his hero into the early period of the Nazi regime. I particularly liked Downing’s German domestic scenes. He described a sampling of rather liberal German’s regarding the Hitler regime six (6) years after he became Chancellor. Normal folks (properly volk) will tolerate a lot in their political leadership, hoping things will get better. At least when they’re not a persecuted minority, like the Jews were. There was also some interesting insight into Jewish refugees and asylum seekers from Germany in 1939.
I have mixed feelings about the author's attempt at period atmosphere. Firstly, there is very little German vocabulary in the book. I suspect the author can’t speak it, or at least not as well as Russell. Most of the dialog would have been in German. Some are noted to have regional accents. (What did a Silesian accent sound like?) I was disappointed there was no significant attempt to included period vernacular in the dialog, which was very rich. When the author did use German, it was for brand name products, locations, organizations and venues. Most of the Berlin venues were just names used in the narration. For example, Kranzlers (the location is now a boutique, mini-mall), Hotel Adlon (modern incarnation not on the original location), and the Tauentzienstraße KaDeWe (interior renovated beyond recognition . I don’t think a reader would have known Kranzler’s was a café, if Russell hadn’t eaten breakfast there. Frankly, a skint journo like Russell shouldn't have been eating, drinking or shopping in any of these places, on his own nickel. I also didn’t get the right feeling for time and distance for Russell’s tramping across Berlin in winter. He must walk really fast! By my reckoning, he should have passed through or past the Tiergarten a lot more than he did. (The Tiergarten is adjacent to Zoo Station.) Finally, it was never mentioned and I could not figure out what borough Russell’s love-interest (Effie) lived in? (It might have been Charlottenburg ?). As an aside, Effie and Randell make a highly unlikely couple. Oddly, for a British author, the London scene descriptions suffered likewise. (The author lives in the UK’s South East, not London.)
This was a modestly entertaining wartime espionage thriller. However, it was by no means the best I’ve ever read. The author’s strenuous attempt at Berlin (and London) location atmosphere was an obvious facade to me. In addition, too much of this first book was devoted to setting-up for books two (2) thru six (6), rather the one in my hands. It’s possible that a novice reader of the genre wouldn’t notice this—I did. However, this was an easy read, and contained a modicum of historical Edutainment. Unfortunately, (for the author) there are better series' out there in the sub-genre to read.
I will likely not be reading the next book in the series Silesian Station.
Readers interested in better espionage fiction on the period should try Berlin Noir: March Violets / The Pale Criminal / A German Requiem by the late Philip Kerr. This is the first book in an excellent series by the author. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst is also excellent and is likewise the first book in a series. A good non-fiction book to get background on the period is Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy.
April 13, 2018
Story about an English journalist-who-becomes-a-spy story set in the months leading up to WWII.
John Russell is an English journalist living in Germany circa 1939. He's a bystander, a witness, to the slow and wholesale destruction of an entire society - the German one - as they slide downhill into the barbarous and destructive entity that tried to take over the world, and by this I mean the Third Reich.
At first John goes about his usual daily life, watching as small things mount up - the brutal beating of a Jewish man as he tries to help his wife as they watch their children leave for England. The daily insults and restrictions posed on the Jews, and the almost light-hearted way the average German takes it all in, accepting it. John has a German ex-wife, a German-born son, a German lover, as well as a lot of German friends, and as he writes his (mostly mundane) articles and sends them home, he tries to stay out of trouble even though his conscience is bothered by what he witnesses around him...
Ordinary Germans doing ordinary things: shopping, attending the theater, listening to broadcasts spouting Nazi propaganda, and just, sadly so, accepting it all. Many Germans are in total agreement with what's going on; others who might disagree remain quiet simply to survive. It's hard to read in places, and though the full-scale removal of Jews to concentration camps hasn't yet begun, you can see it coming. (The fact that the reader has the hindsight of knowing what happens doesn't make it any less horrific.)
When John is asked, therefore, to write articles about German society, and later, to deliver some papers to help the Soviets - and asked to do a similar task for the English - he's torn between doing the right thing and survival itself. There's not a lot of 'action' in this book, but the undercurrents, the tension, the constant 'wait for it; it's got to happen' do deliver. The historical, geographical and political research is well done; the writer knows his topic.
I need to read Book #2!
John Russell is an English journalist living in Germany circa 1939. He's a bystander, a witness, to the slow and wholesale destruction of an entire society - the German one - as they slide downhill into the barbarous and destructive entity that tried to take over the world, and by this I mean the Third Reich.
At first John goes about his usual daily life, watching as small things mount up - the brutal beating of a Jewish man as he tries to help his wife as they watch their children leave for England. The daily insults and restrictions posed on the Jews, and the almost light-hearted way the average German takes it all in, accepting it. John has a German ex-wife, a German-born son, a German lover, as well as a lot of German friends, and as he writes his (mostly mundane) articles and sends them home, he tries to stay out of trouble even though his conscience is bothered by what he witnesses around him...
Ordinary Germans doing ordinary things: shopping, attending the theater, listening to broadcasts spouting Nazi propaganda, and just, sadly so, accepting it all. Many Germans are in total agreement with what's going on; others who might disagree remain quiet simply to survive. It's hard to read in places, and though the full-scale removal of Jews to concentration camps hasn't yet begun, you can see it coming. (The fact that the reader has the hindsight of knowing what happens doesn't make it any less horrific.)
When John is asked, therefore, to write articles about German society, and later, to deliver some papers to help the Soviets - and asked to do a similar task for the English - he's torn between doing the right thing and survival itself. There's not a lot of 'action' in this book, but the undercurrents, the tension, the constant 'wait for it; it's got to happen' do deliver. The historical, geographical and political research is well done; the writer knows his topic.
I need to read Book #2!
March 1, 2025
Interwar Europe is such fertile ground for mysteries, thrillers, and spy novels that it's a wonder more authors don't use it. Not that there's a shortage of authors playing in that sandbox; Philip Kerr, Alan Furst and Jacqueline Winspear come to mind without having to think hard. Add David Downing to the list with Zoo Station, the first in a series that's been going on since 2008 but one I've only recently discovered.
The setting cries out for a slightly seedy, morally compromised main character (sorry, Maisie Dobbs). For Downing, this is down-at-heels British freelance journalist John Russell. By the novel's time of 1939, Russell's been living in Berlin for years, has a German ex-wife, son, and girlfriend, and has no intention of doing anything that will prompt the Nazis to kick him out of the country. He knows who can get things done, who can answer questions, and who can keep the answers from getting out. Needless to say, he becomes interesting to an assortment of official and off-books shady characters who gradually suck him into various schemes that threaten his residency, if not his life.
Russell is entirely acceptable company throughout this adventure. He's not as tight-lipped or smooth as the typical Furst protagonist, nor as relentlessly smart-arsed as Bernie Gunther. He is, in fact, a relatively normal bloke who's no braver or more weaselly than you might expect for someone in his position. Something that sets him apart from other protagonists in this genre is that he's able to maintain normal human relationships: he gets on well enough with his ex, loves his son and gets to do dad-things with him, and genuinely enjoys his girlfriend's company even when she's vertical. This alone makes him more sympathetic and relatable.
The plot's pretty typical for this sub-genre: people with different loyalties and varying levels of trustworthiness ask Our Hero for small favors, which become big favors, which become hauling illicit documents through Nazi checkpoints in the middle of the night. At some point, Our Hero is asked to Pick A Side or Make A Stand. The amount of internal angst this causes him defines whether he's to be the pre- or post-Casablanca Rick. In this case, Russell's decision-making process is reasonable for someone such as he, and drawn-out enough to make you wonder (for a moment, at least) which side he'll come down on.
Like Furst and Kerr, much of what makes the world vivid and convincing is Downing's use of the small details -- theater programs and busfare and menus. His settings are drawn with somewhat more detail than Furst's, though by brushstrokes rather than buckets of paint. The Berlin of 1939 does seem to come alive here.
So why only four stars? The novel takes some time to get past the stage-setting and get to the story. If you read enough in this sub-genre, very little that happens here will be a surprise to you, so you'll need to invest yourself in Russell and his gang enough to not mind calling the plot points as they approach. Also, Downing does something I've complained about previously with Kerr: nearly all his characters are so cynical and dismissive of the Nazis that Our Hero is never far from like-minded anti-fascists, and thus rarely in any existential danger. Someone had to believe in them--it would be character-building for Russell to have to seriously engage with a regime true-believer, and less of a cop-out.
Still in all, Zoo Station is a Furstian exercise in interwar intrigue that avoids some of Furst's recent writing tics. The protagonist is refreshingly normal, and the plot, though hardly groundbreaking, is diverting and ultimately satisfying. Check it out if you need a new fix of looming (but not realized) disaster, moral rot, and scenes from a now-vanished world.
The setting cries out for a slightly seedy, morally compromised main character (sorry, Maisie Dobbs). For Downing, this is down-at-heels British freelance journalist John Russell. By the novel's time of 1939, Russell's been living in Berlin for years, has a German ex-wife, son, and girlfriend, and has no intention of doing anything that will prompt the Nazis to kick him out of the country. He knows who can get things done, who can answer questions, and who can keep the answers from getting out. Needless to say, he becomes interesting to an assortment of official and off-books shady characters who gradually suck him into various schemes that threaten his residency, if not his life.
Russell is entirely acceptable company throughout this adventure. He's not as tight-lipped or smooth as the typical Furst protagonist, nor as relentlessly smart-arsed as Bernie Gunther. He is, in fact, a relatively normal bloke who's no braver or more weaselly than you might expect for someone in his position. Something that sets him apart from other protagonists in this genre is that he's able to maintain normal human relationships: he gets on well enough with his ex, loves his son and gets to do dad-things with him, and genuinely enjoys his girlfriend's company even when she's vertical. This alone makes him more sympathetic and relatable.
The plot's pretty typical for this sub-genre: people with different loyalties and varying levels of trustworthiness ask Our Hero for small favors, which become big favors, which become hauling illicit documents through Nazi checkpoints in the middle of the night. At some point, Our Hero is asked to Pick A Side or Make A Stand. The amount of internal angst this causes him defines whether he's to be the pre- or post-Casablanca Rick. In this case, Russell's decision-making process is reasonable for someone such as he, and drawn-out enough to make you wonder (for a moment, at least) which side he'll come down on.
Like Furst and Kerr, much of what makes the world vivid and convincing is Downing's use of the small details -- theater programs and busfare and menus. His settings are drawn with somewhat more detail than Furst's, though by brushstrokes rather than buckets of paint. The Berlin of 1939 does seem to come alive here.
So why only four stars? The novel takes some time to get past the stage-setting and get to the story. If you read enough in this sub-genre, very little that happens here will be a surprise to you, so you'll need to invest yourself in Russell and his gang enough to not mind calling the plot points as they approach. Also, Downing does something I've complained about previously with Kerr: nearly all his characters are so cynical and dismissive of the Nazis that Our Hero is never far from like-minded anti-fascists, and thus rarely in any existential danger. Someone had to believe in them--it would be character-building for Russell to have to seriously engage with a regime true-believer, and less of a cop-out.
Still in all, Zoo Station is a Furstian exercise in interwar intrigue that avoids some of Furst's recent writing tics. The protagonist is refreshingly normal, and the plot, though hardly groundbreaking, is diverting and ultimately satisfying. Check it out if you need a new fix of looming (but not realized) disaster, moral rot, and scenes from a now-vanished world.
February 6, 2017
Imagine the recurring (older) SNL skit "The Californians" reimagined in pre-WWII Berlin and you've got 80% of this book. Sprinkle in some historical tidbits, a fairly mundane plot and surprisingly frequent descriptions of our main character either drinking coffee, considering drinking coffee or hoping that he doesn't get invited for coffee and you've got the outline for a historical-mystery series; the titular theme of which appears to be train station names.
That's not to say it's not an enjoyable read. It has a "slice-of-life" feel to it and I have to give the author some respect for avoiding some of the more standard espionage pitfalls such as overblown chase sequences, unbelievable escapes and clumsy attempts to prolong suspense. The ending felt abrupt though I likely would have been annoyed if it dragged on longer.
Not sorry I read this one, but I'm not likely to return to the series anytime soon.
That's not to say it's not an enjoyable read. It has a "slice-of-life" feel to it and I have to give the author some respect for avoiding some of the more standard espionage pitfalls such as overblown chase sequences, unbelievable escapes and clumsy attempts to prolong suspense. The ending felt abrupt though I likely would have been annoyed if it dragged on longer.
Not sorry I read this one, but I'm not likely to return to the series anytime soon.
September 3, 2021
I enjoyed the historical aspects, the atmosphere, the challenge for a British man with a German son. The spy thriller plot was the cherry on top.
March 9, 2021
Having just finished Wedding Station, the prelude to the John Russell series (published March 2021) I found that that had set me up to really get into John Russell’s life in Germany as Hitler readies for war. A great read for anyone interested in the politics and the realities of this time.
June 12, 2014
About a 3.8 rounded up to a 4.0, fuller review to follow
First off - A good yarn!
So Whats it about & whose init.....
Their's John Russell, A Brit-journo who resides in Berlin & has done for the past decade or more, his actress g/f, whose German, Also his ex-wife & Son play a central part. The story starts at the turn of 1938 in Danz..... Gdansk ;) where Russell intervenes between a British embassy official escorting Jewish children out of the country & a stormtrooper (SA brownshirt). This incident although small in the novel sets his conscience in motion & Russell takes a pro-active stance forward from this point in time.
Much of the first 2/3rds is scene setting & character building of Russell & his extended family alogn with a fellow journo (Yank), british embassy "staff", a jewish family - who form the backbone of the story, as well as overtures from the NKVD, Gestapo & finally MI6 - The Brits always seemingly late to the party....!
The final third seals it for me as a series to follow as John Russell fully immerses himself in the story by simply doing "the right thing!"
A series for anyone with an interest in pre-war politics & social economics in Germany. Russell also gets around & poland, Czechoslovakie & England feature in the story.
Can also be read as a standalone.
First off - A good yarn!
So Whats it about & whose init.....
Their's John Russell, A Brit-journo who resides in Berlin & has done for the past decade or more, his actress g/f, whose German, Also his ex-wife & Son play a central part. The story starts at the turn of 1938 in Danz..... Gdansk ;) where Russell intervenes between a British embassy official escorting Jewish children out of the country & a stormtrooper (SA brownshirt). This incident although small in the novel sets his conscience in motion & Russell takes a pro-active stance forward from this point in time.
Much of the first 2/3rds is scene setting & character building of Russell & his extended family alogn with a fellow journo (Yank), british embassy "staff", a jewish family - who form the backbone of the story, as well as overtures from the NKVD, Gestapo & finally MI6 - The Brits always seemingly late to the party....!
The final third seals it for me as a series to follow as John Russell fully immerses himself in the story by simply doing "the right thing!"
A series for anyone with an interest in pre-war politics & social economics in Germany. Russell also gets around & poland, Czechoslovakie & England feature in the story.
Can also be read as a standalone.
April 13, 2022
Given what's going on in the world, once again, perpetually swinging to the hard right politically, and having enjoyed Downing's Diary of a Dead Man on Leave set in 1938 as Hitler is gearing up the German war machine and his abominable ideologies have taken hold there, I decided to try this series by the author, and Zoo Station is the first one. Again, here, it's Germany immediately before the war, with Hitler in full control, and in Berlin, Anglo-American journalist John Russell is avoiding the investigative journalism that would get him deported - he has a 12 year old son who has joined the Hitler Youth to his dismay, a German ex-wife, and a German girlfriend - and is instead writing human interest pieces for British and American papers. It's an unconventional thriller, a portrait of the capital of a nation marching in step to Hitler and the Nazis, and Russell finds himself helping out the Jewish family of a friend, which leads to his being dragged into the murky world of warring intelligence services. An intriguing perspective, as with Diary, here Russell is a former member of the Communist Party. Though this genre isn't one I'm often drawn to, I am interested in reading on.
December 21, 2017
Billed as a spy thriller, this is confirmation that 'thriller' is the label publishers apply to books to boost sales. Nothing about the book is thrillerish, unless you count the setting, which is Berlin, early 1939. Jews are oppressed, Hitler and Goebbels are bullying Poland and Czechoslovakia, and the German war machine is marching headlong toward the next war.
It's well written story of an English journalist who gets mixed up with Soviet, British, and Nazi spies. Fortunately for him and unfortunately for the reader, the spymasters are all quite friendly and reasonable. The Brit: 'It would be dashedly sporting of you if you could get us those secret plans." The Soviet: 'We'll give you piles of money if you just share your feeling with us'. The Nazi: 'We appreciate your insights. Anything we can do for you?'
The book is readable for its human story: the Jews Russell helps, the resentment and absurdity of ordinary people to Nazi excess. But don't call it a thriller: only the last chapter is thrilling. The rest is more 'Great Gatsby' in Berlin.
It's well written story of an English journalist who gets mixed up with Soviet, British, and Nazi spies. Fortunately for him and unfortunately for the reader, the spymasters are all quite friendly and reasonable. The Brit: 'It would be dashedly sporting of you if you could get us those secret plans." The Soviet: 'We'll give you piles of money if you just share your feeling with us'. The Nazi: 'We appreciate your insights. Anything we can do for you?'
The book is readable for its human story: the Jews Russell helps, the resentment and absurdity of ordinary people to Nazi excess. But don't call it a thriller: only the last chapter is thrilling. The rest is more 'Great Gatsby' in Berlin.
August 24, 2009
Some people commented about David Downing's John Russell books as "once you are finished with Alan Furst" and I would not disagree in the sense that they have a clear similarity though also notable differences insofar they follow one main character rather than a largish cast that changes from novel to novel while keeping a sense of connection by cameos and references.
Anyway if you love Alan Furst you will love David Downing for the same minute recreation of the pre-WW2 tense and dark atmosphere, great characters, deep humanity in the face of brutality and a world gone mad, great pace as historical fiction while sedate for a thriller - which works perfectly for me as a lover of hist fiction and meh generally on thrillers...
Since I finished all Alan Furst to date, I plan to read the next two John Russell (both bought already) asap and I expect to enjoy them greatly too
Anyway if you love Alan Furst you will love David Downing for the same minute recreation of the pre-WW2 tense and dark atmosphere, great characters, deep humanity in the face of brutality and a world gone mad, great pace as historical fiction while sedate for a thriller - which works perfectly for me as a lover of hist fiction and meh generally on thrillers...
Since I finished all Alan Furst to date, I plan to read the next two John Russell (both bought already) asap and I expect to enjoy them greatly too
May 28, 2017
I enjoyed this novel, though it seemed to take me a long time to finish it ! The author undoubtedly did a great deal of research of Berlin in the pre war period and the reader can gain a feeling of how life went on and how Berliners dealt with the rapidly changing situation. I came to like Russell and his compassion showed, particularly as the story progressed. My only gripe of this book was its extensive use of Street/Road names which added very little to the story and indeed made me put the book down for several periods as I found this very frustrating and unnecessary!
August 23, 2019
Great fun and filled with pre-WWII suspense. I also admired our hero’s emerging ethics to facing down the emergence of Nazi Europe. It just wasn’t among the best of the hundreds of books of this genre I’ve enjoyed. Will keep reading the series though.
August 10, 2017
Zoo Station - former main station of West-Berlin and main station of Berlin before and during WWII, is a very special place.
Also very special is the book. The story is about John Russell, half British, half American. A journalist. Not an normal man: ex-communist, father of a boy but not longer married to his mother, and an actress as fiance´. Between the lines of Nazis, Sovjets, Jews he plays a game, better to say: many games.
He saved a Jewish family by helping them to get out of Nazi-Germany. He is sending confidential material about euthanasia of "worthless" children and adults to US, hoping to get it printed.
John Russell is a man with hopings and fears, a normal man in this way.
One could read the story, and one is in the story: The reader feels the fear of John Russell, feels the gray of an upcoming war, feels to be involved in saving Jews.
The story is good and a real page turner.
Some mistakes - not important - about Kiel and Rügen.
5 stars!!!!
I am awarding the next book to buy of this series!
Also very special is the book. The story is about John Russell, half British, half American. A journalist. Not an normal man: ex-communist, father of a boy but not longer married to his mother, and an actress as fiance´. Between the lines of Nazis, Sovjets, Jews he plays a game, better to say: many games.
He saved a Jewish family by helping them to get out of Nazi-Germany. He is sending confidential material about euthanasia of "worthless" children and adults to US, hoping to get it printed.
John Russell is a man with hopings and fears, a normal man in this way.
One could read the story, and one is in the story: The reader feels the fear of John Russell, feels the gray of an upcoming war, feels to be involved in saving Jews.
The story is good and a real page turner.
Some mistakes - not important - about Kiel and Rügen.
5 stars!!!!
I am awarding the next book to buy of this series!
September 12, 2020
Zoo Station is book one in the John Russell & Effi Koenen series by David Downing. In 1939 Anglo-American journalist John Russell who lives in Germany to be near his german born son. At the beginning of WWW2 John Russell was approach by a friend to work for Soviet and John Russell agree. However, reluctantly John Russell became involved in more dangerous activities. The readers of Zoo Station will continue to follow John Russell to find out what happens.
The Zoo Station is the first book I have read of David Downing. I had trouble engaging in this book at first, and I was going to stop reading Zoo Station. However, I did continue and enjoy reading this book.
I love David Downing portrayal of his characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout this book. Zoo Station was well written and research by David Downing. I like David Downing description of the setting of Zoo Station that allows me to imagine living in Germany during WWW2.
The readers of Zoo Station will learn about living and working in Germany during 1939. Also, the readers of Zoo Station will understand the role of a journalist in Germany and Russian during WWW2.
I recommend this book.
The Zoo Station is the first book I have read of David Downing. I had trouble engaging in this book at first, and I was going to stop reading Zoo Station. However, I did continue and enjoy reading this book.
I love David Downing portrayal of his characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout this book. Zoo Station was well written and research by David Downing. I like David Downing description of the setting of Zoo Station that allows me to imagine living in Germany during WWW2.
The readers of Zoo Station will learn about living and working in Germany during 1939. Also, the readers of Zoo Station will understand the role of a journalist in Germany and Russian during WWW2.
I recommend this book.
August 26, 2014
David Downing has written a series of novels about an English journalist in Berlin during WW II. In Zoo Station, the first of the series, John Russell, is in Danzig when he’s approached by a Soviet NKVD agent offering him a lot of money for a series of articles that portrayed Naziism in a positive light. Russell is an Englishman, a former Communist, who fought in WW I, having married (now estranged) a German woman. His son, Paul, born in Germany, is a member of the Hitler Youth.
Russell suspects the Russians might be laying the groundwork for a future non-aggression pact. Then the Nazis approve, having their own motivation. Both sides want him to report whatever he might learn about the other side’s interests. So Russell is walking a tight-rope as the Russians demand more (no surprise), but Russell uses that for his own ends.
Some reviewers have complained there is no action and that the book is just a litany of Nazi evils with too much journal-like writing. I disagree. What Downing has done is to present the horrifying atmosphere and story of a people gradually being subjugated (often quite willingly) by a group of thugs. At what point are we willing to resist and what motives lead us to participate or push back. There’s the story of the mother who discovers her retarded daughter has been pegged for euthanasia by the state as part of their ethnic-cleansing and the father who reports his Down-Syndrome children precisely because he wants the child to disappear. The recurring theme is the failure of ordinary people to resist.
What makes this series (at least this first book that I’ve read in the series) interesting, as with Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther books, is the sense of place, the paranoia and fear of living in a repressive regime, and the difficulties faced by relatively ordinary people during that time of crisis. I’m reading Traitor’s Gate by Michael Ridpath, which has similar themes.
I will be reading the other volumes.
Russell suspects the Russians might be laying the groundwork for a future non-aggression pact. Then the Nazis approve, having their own motivation. Both sides want him to report whatever he might learn about the other side’s interests. So Russell is walking a tight-rope as the Russians demand more (no surprise), but Russell uses that for his own ends.
Some reviewers have complained there is no action and that the book is just a litany of Nazi evils with too much journal-like writing. I disagree. What Downing has done is to present the horrifying atmosphere and story of a people gradually being subjugated (often quite willingly) by a group of thugs. At what point are we willing to resist and what motives lead us to participate or push back. There’s the story of the mother who discovers her retarded daughter has been pegged for euthanasia by the state as part of their ethnic-cleansing and the father who reports his Down-Syndrome children precisely because he wants the child to disappear. The recurring theme is the failure of ordinary people to resist.
What makes this series (at least this first book that I’ve read in the series) interesting, as with Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther books, is the sense of place, the paranoia and fear of living in a repressive regime, and the difficulties faced by relatively ordinary people during that time of crisis. I’m reading Traitor’s Gate by Michael Ridpath, which has similar themes.
I will be reading the other volumes.
August 11, 2012
I enjoyed Zoo Station without being bowled over by it. It’s an interesting story, competently told, with care and attention given to the historical context but lacking in high drama (despite all the potential, I was never 'on the edge of my seat'). The characterization is okay; the people populating the story are in the main ordinary folk trying to get by and the result is that they’re generally not very memorable. John Russell is a reluctant hero; he’s got no quirks or odd traits and he’s polite and sensible in dress and action. The pacing was fairly even until the end where it sped up. It would have been better I think to keep it even to the conclusion, using the plot to try and crank up the tension rather than the pace. Instead the ending feels hurried and a little ragged. The American journalist part of the story simply dropped from the plot after a while, pulled back in at the end but not very effectively and without revealing its resolution. Overall, an interesting first novel and I’ll probably pick up the next book in the series to see how Russell gets on as an English man in Germany as war breaks out.
January 8, 2021
Interesting approach to a spy-espionage series. John Russell is a 40ish English/American ( born midsea)! He's an ex-pat working in pre WWII Germany as a freelance journalist. He fought for the British in WWI , then became a communist. He is divorced with a 9 y0 son , and has a long standing relationship with a sometimes actress 'Effi'. While trying to live and work in Germany he is being manipulated by both the English and Soviets to gather information on Hitler's war plans . Then the story gets complicated...
June 8, 2020
I do not usually read fictional spy thrillers but I picked up this book intrigued by the cover design, the title and the short blurb on the back which described a protagonist caught in an unusual situation in Berlin just before World War II. I am a strong believer in “the right book, at the right time, for the right person” and once again this rang true. I not only enjoyed the novel, but am now committed to the series.
It is 1939. John Russell is a British citizen in his early forties, a freelance journalist and foreign correspondent who has lived in Germany for over a decade. A former communist, he married Ilse Grunewald in his twenties and the couple had a son Paul, now eleven years old. They have since divorced and Ilse remarried but Russell continues seeing Paul on a regular basis. He is a bright young boy who loves soccer and is an ardent member of the Hitler Youth, something that saddens Russell, but he doesn’t comment on.
Russell’s girlfriend is Effi Koenen, a beautiful independent minded German actress with a sharp tongue who is making a living acting in plays and films sanctioned by the state and filled with pro-Nazi propaganda . She doesn’t like the work, but it earns her a living. They two are a committed couple who have been together for over five years but they don’t live together and there is no talk of marriage. They prefer it that way.
Russell has no illusions about what is going on in Germany but feels powerless to do anything about it. Unlike many others he doesn’t want to leave the country because he wants to be near Paul and Effi, the two most important people in his life.
Russell balances a difficult life to live and work in Berlin. He despises much of what he sees going on around him but must stay neutral. It is the only way to stay out of trouble. His unusual personal relationships in the country make him vulnerable, putting him in a position where it is easy for others to take advantage of his situation and use it for their own benefit.
Russell supplements his income as a freelance journalist by teaching Germans English. When Doug Conway his friend at the American embassy asks him to teach two Jewish girls, he agrees. Their father Felix a medical doctor, has been barred from practicing by the Reich. After Kristalnacht his son Albert was picked up and held several days by the Nazis and when he finally returned home he had no hair and refused to talk about his experience. Felix has little money to pay Russell for teaching his daughters so offers him stamps from his valuable collection instead. Russell finds the girls excellent students and soon grows to like the family. It is not long before he is trying to help them leave the country.
Russell is approached by a man named Shchepkin, a Soviet agent who is prepared to pay him well to write pro-Nazi articles for Pravda. The Soviets are considering a non-aggression pact with Hitler and these articles would point out what the two countries have in common and lay the groundwork for an alliance. If he accepts the job he would submit articles once a month and give a verbal report to a Soviet contact on what ordinary Germans were thinking, how they were taking changes in working conditions and how they would react if war was declared. Russell has reservations about the job knowing there is little distance from writing propaganda for the Soviets to spying for them. It wouldn’t be long before they would be asking for more information and if he refused to cooperate, they would turn him over to the Germans as a spy. But the money is good and Russell feels he can handle it, so he accepts the job. However getting it done is not so simple.
As a condition of maintaining his accreditation as a journalist in Germany, the Nazi’s demand they see and approve each of his articles before they are dispatched. And of course he is expected to let the Germans know if he learns anything about the Russians that may be dangerous to the Reich. Next in line is a man named Trewlaney-Smyth representing the British, who also want to get their foot in the door and demand he fill them in on every move he makes. Russell agrees, surprised they have not been more threatening. They could make life more difficult for him by taking his passport or making it difficult for him to sell his work in England. In some ways he finds it all a little humorous as every intelligence service in Europe expresses interest in employing him, each keeping an eye on the other’s activities. But this is not a game.
Russell lives in a rented room in an apartment building where young journalist American Tyler McKinley also resides. McKinley tells Russell he is excited about a story he is writing on German insane asylums, one that he thinks will solidify his future career. He asks Russell’s help with an interview he has planned with a woman who worked for the Ministry of Health and is prepared to leak him secret documents about Hitler’s state sponsored plan to euthanize disabled children. McKinley speaks German, but not as well as Russell and he wants to get all the details right. Shortly after the interview, McKinley dies suddenly beneath the wheels of a train at Zoo station. The official cause of death is suicide, but Russell believes Hitler’s men found out about the story and were told to take care of the problem. Devastated by the death of his colleague, Russell tries to finish the work McKinley started and get the story out of the country.
Downing keeps a tight string on the tension in the narrative. He describes how the Nazis suervise every facet of German life by controlling the media and deal harshly with those who don't fit in with their plans. The SS constantly stop and check people moving about the city and customs agents carry out detailed searches. Anyone who defies the Nazis risks their life. The Jews are openly persecuted and an undercurrent of fear pervades the country as everyone wonders what Hitler will do next and how the world will respond. Meanwhile the British stay clear of getting involved, Stalin looks for allies and talk of war is everywhere -- not whether there will be one, but when it will happen.
The German economy is thriving, huge buildings celebrating the present regime are going up and swastikas and huge Nazi flags fly everywhere. Hitler often speaks to audiences corralled to listen to his long speeches, as he shouts before his captive audience and parades before the crowds, shielded every step of the way by party officials who preen and primp to get his attention. As Russell negotiates his precarious life in the city, he walks a tightrope knowing any missteps may lead to his death or that of his friends.
Downing explores the moral ambiguities Russell must contend with as he negotiates a life in a city that holds the people he loves but where there is so much going on that he hates. It hits him again when he witnesses two homosexuals thrown naked from an open window in the middle of the night. It is just another crime that will never be reported, a story begging to be told. He wouldn’t risk his son’s life to tell it and is ashamed of his silence.
He knows if war is declared he will have to leave the country but he wants to stay as long as he can to be close to Paul and Effi. They are all he has in life, the relationships that have made life worth living these past few years. He is a man of integrity but has had to make so many compromises to stay in the country that he worries about who he is becoming. He has to stay on the good side of the Nazis to keep his journalistic accreditation but he cannot just sit on the sidelines and watch the horrific things that are happening. So he does what he can and finds himself delivering a fugitive from the Gestapo to the communist underground, looking for military secrets in a dockside bar and playing a lethal game hiding a parcel from the border police. He has dug himself a very deep hole and is not sure he will get out of it.
The author has included accurate period detail in this thriller weaving Russell’s story with historical events, landmark settings and people of the time. It makes for a very thought provoking narrative with Zoo Station becoming the focal point for murder, hidden suitcases, an escape to freedom and a wedding present for a corrupt custom official. Readers cannot help but root for Russell as he courageously carries out his small but great acts of human decency.
A very good read.
It is 1939. John Russell is a British citizen in his early forties, a freelance journalist and foreign correspondent who has lived in Germany for over a decade. A former communist, he married Ilse Grunewald in his twenties and the couple had a son Paul, now eleven years old. They have since divorced and Ilse remarried but Russell continues seeing Paul on a regular basis. He is a bright young boy who loves soccer and is an ardent member of the Hitler Youth, something that saddens Russell, but he doesn’t comment on.
Russell’s girlfriend is Effi Koenen, a beautiful independent minded German actress with a sharp tongue who is making a living acting in plays and films sanctioned by the state and filled with pro-Nazi propaganda . She doesn’t like the work, but it earns her a living. They two are a committed couple who have been together for over five years but they don’t live together and there is no talk of marriage. They prefer it that way.
Russell has no illusions about what is going on in Germany but feels powerless to do anything about it. Unlike many others he doesn’t want to leave the country because he wants to be near Paul and Effi, the two most important people in his life.
Russell balances a difficult life to live and work in Berlin. He despises much of what he sees going on around him but must stay neutral. It is the only way to stay out of trouble. His unusual personal relationships in the country make him vulnerable, putting him in a position where it is easy for others to take advantage of his situation and use it for their own benefit.
Russell supplements his income as a freelance journalist by teaching Germans English. When Doug Conway his friend at the American embassy asks him to teach two Jewish girls, he agrees. Their father Felix a medical doctor, has been barred from practicing by the Reich. After Kristalnacht his son Albert was picked up and held several days by the Nazis and when he finally returned home he had no hair and refused to talk about his experience. Felix has little money to pay Russell for teaching his daughters so offers him stamps from his valuable collection instead. Russell finds the girls excellent students and soon grows to like the family. It is not long before he is trying to help them leave the country.
Russell is approached by a man named Shchepkin, a Soviet agent who is prepared to pay him well to write pro-Nazi articles for Pravda. The Soviets are considering a non-aggression pact with Hitler and these articles would point out what the two countries have in common and lay the groundwork for an alliance. If he accepts the job he would submit articles once a month and give a verbal report to a Soviet contact on what ordinary Germans were thinking, how they were taking changes in working conditions and how they would react if war was declared. Russell has reservations about the job knowing there is little distance from writing propaganda for the Soviets to spying for them. It wouldn’t be long before they would be asking for more information and if he refused to cooperate, they would turn him over to the Germans as a spy. But the money is good and Russell feels he can handle it, so he accepts the job. However getting it done is not so simple.
As a condition of maintaining his accreditation as a journalist in Germany, the Nazi’s demand they see and approve each of his articles before they are dispatched. And of course he is expected to let the Germans know if he learns anything about the Russians that may be dangerous to the Reich. Next in line is a man named Trewlaney-Smyth representing the British, who also want to get their foot in the door and demand he fill them in on every move he makes. Russell agrees, surprised they have not been more threatening. They could make life more difficult for him by taking his passport or making it difficult for him to sell his work in England. In some ways he finds it all a little humorous as every intelligence service in Europe expresses interest in employing him, each keeping an eye on the other’s activities. But this is not a game.
Russell lives in a rented room in an apartment building where young journalist American Tyler McKinley also resides. McKinley tells Russell he is excited about a story he is writing on German insane asylums, one that he thinks will solidify his future career. He asks Russell’s help with an interview he has planned with a woman who worked for the Ministry of Health and is prepared to leak him secret documents about Hitler’s state sponsored plan to euthanize disabled children. McKinley speaks German, but not as well as Russell and he wants to get all the details right. Shortly after the interview, McKinley dies suddenly beneath the wheels of a train at Zoo station. The official cause of death is suicide, but Russell believes Hitler’s men found out about the story and were told to take care of the problem. Devastated by the death of his colleague, Russell tries to finish the work McKinley started and get the story out of the country.
Downing keeps a tight string on the tension in the narrative. He describes how the Nazis suervise every facet of German life by controlling the media and deal harshly with those who don't fit in with their plans. The SS constantly stop and check people moving about the city and customs agents carry out detailed searches. Anyone who defies the Nazis risks their life. The Jews are openly persecuted and an undercurrent of fear pervades the country as everyone wonders what Hitler will do next and how the world will respond. Meanwhile the British stay clear of getting involved, Stalin looks for allies and talk of war is everywhere -- not whether there will be one, but when it will happen.
The German economy is thriving, huge buildings celebrating the present regime are going up and swastikas and huge Nazi flags fly everywhere. Hitler often speaks to audiences corralled to listen to his long speeches, as he shouts before his captive audience and parades before the crowds, shielded every step of the way by party officials who preen and primp to get his attention. As Russell negotiates his precarious life in the city, he walks a tightrope knowing any missteps may lead to his death or that of his friends.
Downing explores the moral ambiguities Russell must contend with as he negotiates a life in a city that holds the people he loves but where there is so much going on that he hates. It hits him again when he witnesses two homosexuals thrown naked from an open window in the middle of the night. It is just another crime that will never be reported, a story begging to be told. He wouldn’t risk his son’s life to tell it and is ashamed of his silence.
He knows if war is declared he will have to leave the country but he wants to stay as long as he can to be close to Paul and Effi. They are all he has in life, the relationships that have made life worth living these past few years. He is a man of integrity but has had to make so many compromises to stay in the country that he worries about who he is becoming. He has to stay on the good side of the Nazis to keep his journalistic accreditation but he cannot just sit on the sidelines and watch the horrific things that are happening. So he does what he can and finds himself delivering a fugitive from the Gestapo to the communist underground, looking for military secrets in a dockside bar and playing a lethal game hiding a parcel from the border police. He has dug himself a very deep hole and is not sure he will get out of it.
The author has included accurate period detail in this thriller weaving Russell’s story with historical events, landmark settings and people of the time. It makes for a very thought provoking narrative with Zoo Station becoming the focal point for murder, hidden suitcases, an escape to freedom and a wedding present for a corrupt custom official. Readers cannot help but root for Russell as he courageously carries out his small but great acts of human decency.
A very good read.
September 20, 2020
Six word review: suspenseful, with satisfying, not happy conclusion!
This is my first Downing/John Russell book. I enjoyed it very much.
The story takes place in 1939 Berlin. Russel is a British free lance journalist with a son, Paul, whose mother, Ilse, and Russell are divorced. He is in love with a well-known German actress, Effi, who quietly shares his disgust with the Nazi government. He stays in Berlin because of Paul and Effie, even though he, like most people, believes war is inevitable and that he will be repatriated.
He also tutors children in English and in the course of doing this, becomes connected to the Jewish Weisner family and in time tries to help them get out of Germany. He also takes a commission from the Russians to write a series on every-day Germans for Pravda that includes also sharing information helpful to the Russian Intelligence agencies. British Intelligence wants him to help them, too.
The plot revolves around Russell trying to balance his wish to have a trouble-free life with his sense that he should be doing more to let the world know what's going on in Germany.
Downing does a great job of describing pre-war Germany, which is totally controlled by the Nazi Government and constantly bombarded with Goebbel's propaganda. He pays particular attention to the treatment of the Jews and the brain-washing of young people in the Jungvolk organization.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book as it was both suspenseful and illuminating. I highly recommend it.
This is my first Downing/John Russell book. I enjoyed it very much.
The story takes place in 1939 Berlin. Russel is a British free lance journalist with a son, Paul, whose mother, Ilse, and Russell are divorced. He is in love with a well-known German actress, Effi, who quietly shares his disgust with the Nazi government. He stays in Berlin because of Paul and Effie, even though he, like most people, believes war is inevitable and that he will be repatriated.
He also tutors children in English and in the course of doing this, becomes connected to the Jewish Weisner family and in time tries to help them get out of Germany. He also takes a commission from the Russians to write a series on every-day Germans for Pravda that includes also sharing information helpful to the Russian Intelligence agencies. British Intelligence wants him to help them, too.
The plot revolves around Russell trying to balance his wish to have a trouble-free life with his sense that he should be doing more to let the world know what's going on in Germany.
Downing does a great job of describing pre-war Germany, which is totally controlled by the Nazi Government and constantly bombarded with Goebbel's propaganda. He pays particular attention to the treatment of the Jews and the brain-washing of young people in the Jungvolk organization.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book as it was both suspenseful and illuminating. I highly recommend it.
February 27, 2013
ok first of all I apologise since I read this book after seeing the whole series (well that have been released so far) in the bookshop I help at. I am not aware of its history or how well known it is.
That now out the way I can say I really enjoyed reading it. Maybe because its totally different to the books I have recently been reading or that its a really good read to coin such a shallow term. The book to me opens up the climate and experiences of pre- Second World War Germany and its its horrors and absurdities while at the same time showing that Germany and Germans themselves were generally good people. I will be the first to admit that I am lacking in history knowledge (something I am trying to correct now) and this book brought that alive to me. The story itself is engaging and enjoyable and the two mixed together led to a book I could not put down,
That now out the way I can say I really enjoyed reading it. Maybe because its totally different to the books I have recently been reading or that its a really good read to coin such a shallow term. The book to me opens up the climate and experiences of pre- Second World War Germany and its its horrors and absurdities while at the same time showing that Germany and Germans themselves were generally good people. I will be the first to admit that I am lacking in history knowledge (something I am trying to correct now) and this book brought that alive to me. The story itself is engaging and enjoyable and the two mixed together led to a book I could not put down,
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