Berlin Duet

A moving and dramatic story of wartime lovers and spies.

"Berlin Duet" opens in Vichy France in 1942. A couple rendezvous outside a quiet village. The man tells the woman they need to relocate her and her family to Spain before the Nazis arrive. But before they conclude their business, a car arrives and they witness a kidnapping and murder. Her children have been taken and her mother killed.

Fast forward to 1989 Berlin, and the same man, Harry, now old and clearly confused, is rescued by his daughter when he tries to visit a hotel, long demolished. She takes him back to his apartment, where he retrieves an old suitcase, and asks his daughter to sit with him, while he reveals to her, an old story.

And so the reader is drawn into a story, the life of a young girl, Anna Cantrell. Born to an English father and an American mother, she grows up surrounded by the magic of early twentieth-century Hollywood. Her father is a cameraman, and she soon learns to view the world through a lens. We learn how her mother and father came together, how they grew apart, and how Anna ended up in Vienna, Later, as she develops her love of photography, she witnesses the growth of Nazism, and is eventually drawn into the shadowy world of espionage. As we reach the events of the opening chapter, then move beyond, Anna searches for her children, while recording the lives of WW2 Berlin and its people.

Fans of SW Perry will be familiar with his historical series of "Jackdaw" mysteries, so this wartime spy thriller might come as a surprise. And it is a surprise - a good one. The story takes place against the bleak background of the years leading up to WW2, and the war itself, with vivid depictions of people making choices, and places devastated by events. The growth of Nazism and the persecution of Jews and other minorities are observed by the way those involved are changed. There's a cast of memorable characters, brave, cowardly, avaricious and opportunistic, and those simply caught up in events over which they have no control. Anna Cantrell shines, as she undergoes any number of highs and lows, but always moving forward in her life, emerging as a three-dimensional person - so much so, I had to check if she really existed. Not a lot of time is spent on the actual war years, except where they affect the characters. But Austria and Germany are vividly portrayed, as they weather the storms of the war.

This was a rewarding read, full of characters the reader will love, hate, despise and weep for in turn. The final chapters may not come as a huge revelation, but that's not important. The journey to get there is the true pleasure. In telling his story, Harry slowly reveals to his daughter, photographs and letters marking key events in his life. There's a few annoying time-jumps, and a few loose ends not resolved, but overall, Anna's story is worthy of a 1940's Noir film.

Recommended for fans of Chris Lloyd, Alex Gerlis and Rory Clements.

This is such a brilliant story, I’ma huge fan of all SW Perrys books but as this was set in a totally different timeframe I was concerned it might not be as thrilling as his previous novels.

There was no need at all to be worried, it was even better in my opinion. I loved the characters I was supposed to love and understood the way the less enchanting types behaved the way they did. There’s quite a plot twist at the end which totally adds to the magic of the story. More please!!

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

This was a great story based in Berlin in the later stages og the second world War.Lots of action and the two spies were very realistic. Lots of tragedy and clearly shows the devastation that occured in Berlin itself. Unfortunately it is the innocent that suffer the most. Fascinating story.

This a beautifully written novel about two people from totally different background, set over a few periods of history.
From 1938 to the Cold War and the falling of the Berlin Wall.
Berlin Duet is a compelling novel of love and obligation throughout some of history’s most darkest periods and some of its lighter ones.
An incredible story of resilience and determination, and the dedication of a mother’s will to do everything she can to protect and save her children.
This book is just sumptuous in its writing.
A novel that is intelligent, beautiful and has two characters that the reader can’t help but fall in love with.
I have to say I was utterly charmed by this novel. It’s truly exceptional.

This is a engrossing story about love, integrity and courage with characters that are beautifully written. Anna is a strong, complex, beautiful, brave woman who bears witness to the rise and fall of the third Reich through her photojournalism. Anna belongs nowhere and so can see with a clarity and perspicacity. Born in Hollywood, she has learned her silent film maker, English father's knack for bravado and sharp wits and has her American mother's chutzpah and refusal to be controlled. Harry is an amazing man and an English spy. He charms everyone and makes Anna feel safe. Ivo Wolff is Anna's handsome, Nazi husband, who asks her to pretend not to be Jewish and is father of her 2 children. Moving between 1989 Berlin and 1920s and 30s Hollywood, then Vienna and Berlin, author SW Perry's gripping and absorbing story evokes place and politics, music, sexuality, hatred and divided loyalty in a moving, sensitive way. I enjoyed the layers to this book, relishing the way Perry describes his characters as both brilliant and flawed and very human.