Midnight in Berlin James MacManus 9780715651643

Berlin, 1938. Newly-appointed military attache Noel Macrae and his extrovert wife Primrose arrive at the British Embassy. Prime Minister Chamberlain is intent on placating Nazi Germany, but Macrae is less so. Convinced Hitler can be stopped by other means than appeasement, he soon discovers he is not the only dissenting voice in the Embassy and finds that some senior officers in the German military are prepared to turn against the Fuhrer. Gathering vital intelligence, Macrae is drawn to Kitty Schmidt's Salon (a Nazi bordello) and its enigmatic Jewish hostess Sara Sternschein-a favourite of sadistic Gestapo boss Reinhard Heydrich. Sara is a treasure-trove of knowledge about the Nazi hierarchy in a city of lies, spies and secrets.

Does she hold the key to thwarting Hitler or is Macrae just being manipulated by her whilst his wife romantically pursues his most important German military contact, Florian Koenig?

In James MacManus' absorbing new novel the author evokes a time and place when the personal and political stakes could not be higher and where the urge for peaceful compromise conflicts with higher ideals and a vicious regime bent on war. As loyalties are stretched to the limit and Europe slides towards another war, could just one act of great courage and sacrifice change everything?

James MacManus is the managing director of The Times Literary Supplement. After studying at St Andrews University he began his career in journalism at the Daily Express in Manchester. Joining the Guardian in 1972, he later became Paris, and then Africa and Middle East Correspondent. His acclaimed debut work, Ocean Devil (2008), about the life of a young English adventurer in China was made into a film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Children of the Silk Road. James' first novel, On the Broken Shore, was published in 2010. This was followed by Black Venus (2013) the story of the French poet Charles Baudelaire and his mistress Jeanne Duval, and his first World War II novel Sleep in Peace Tonight. He has three children and lived in Dulwich, London.

'As pacey as any modern thriller but with a touch of the Edwardian adventure yarn. Midnight in Berlin is a vivid portrait of an entire city in turmoil, seething with intrigue and danger' The Times

'Based on real events, Midnight in Berlin is a gripping, atmospheric thriller, which brilliantly captures the oppressive, malevolent mood of the Nazi capital on the eve of World War Two. Fans of Philip Kerr and David Downing will love it' Roger Moorhouse, author of Berlin at War

'A master-class in how to write a period novel. The research must have been enormous, but it remains completely hidden. The book reads as if written by someone who was there at that time and who is giving personally lived through history a light fictional dusting. This book is written with consummate skill: period setting, historical characters and fictional characters are perfectly rendered. The history is vividly presented and flawlessly accurate. The plot is utterly riveting' Edward Wilson, author of A Very British Ending

'James MacManus's background as a foreign correspondent shines through in this vivid portrayal of Nazi Berlin's feverish atmosphere on the eve of war. A clever weaving of fact and fiction in the darkening world of the late 1930s' David Young, author of Stasi Child

'A fascinating novel. An intriguing and highly recommended book' Country Life

'MacManus clearly did tremendous research to set the novel's scene and his storytelling gifts are as strong as his historical insights' Connecticut Post

'Here is a well-informed, smoothly crafted, fast-paced novel based closely on events in Berlin during the crucial months of 1938-39, and the European politics leading inevitably to war... If you like good historical fiction, and have a penchant for international politics and an interest in the rise of Hitler and life in the diplomatic world of Germany on the brink of war, this is a recommended read emotions and all' Portland Book Review

'This book lived with me long after I d finished it as the courage and determination of those caught up in the pre-war whirlwind had dragged me into the reality and horror of the Third Reich' Diney Costeloe, author of The Throwaway Children