Praise for The Unfortunate Englishman :
Named a Best Book of the Year by the Philadelphia Inquirer
“[ Then We Take Berlin and The Unfortunate Englishman ] are meticulously researched, tautly plotted, historical thrillers in the mold of World War II and Cold War fiction by novelists like Alan Furst, Phillip Kerr, Eric Ambler, David Downing and Joseph Kanon.” — Wall Street Journal
“[A] superlative Cold War espionage story . . . Lawton’s gift for memorable atmosphere and characters, intelligent plotting and wry prose put him solidly at the top of anyone’s A-list of contemporary spy novelists.” —Adam Woog, Seattle Times
“A stylish spy thriller . . . as essential as the Troy books . . . Both series benefit from the excellence of Lawton’s writing . . . All these adventures arrive gift-wrapped in writing variously rich, inventive, surprising, informed, bawdy, cynical, heartbreaking and hilarious. However much you know about postwar Berlin, Lawton will take you deeper into its people, conflicts and courage . . . Spy fiction at its best.” — Washington Post
“Quite possibly the best historical novelist we have.” — Philadelphia Inquirer (Best Books of the Year)
“[A] stylish, richly textured espionage novel . . . With The Unfortunate Englishman , Lawton shows himself to be the master of colorful, unpredictable characters . . . His crowning achievement is Joe Wilderness [who is] loaded with personal charm and animal magnetism . . . Lawton brilliantly weaves real historical events into the narrative . . . His novel is a gripping, intense, inventive, audacious, wryly humorous, and thoroughly original thriller.” — Open Letters Monthly
“Outstanding . . . Real historical events—the building of the Berlin wall, J.F.K.’s visit there—lend verisimilitude to Joe’s attempt at one last big scam. Intricate plotting, colorful characters, and a brilliant prose style put Lawton in the front rank of historical thriller writers.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Lawton gets the Cold War chill just right, leading to yet another tense exchange across a Berlin bridge, but unlike, say, the film Bridge of Spies , the principals here are not freighted with moral rectitude but, rather, exude a hard-won cynicism in conflict with dangerously human emotions. The result is a gripping, richly ambiguous spy drama featuring a band of not-quite-rogue agents that will find genre fans reaching for their old Ross Thomas paperbacks to find something comparable.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Wilderness is the perfect Cold War protagonist. With his second adventure ( Then We Take Berlin , 2013), Lawton bids fair to build a compelling rival to his seven-volume Troy series.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Even reviewers have favourites and John Lawton is one of mine. Nobody is better at using historical facts as the framework of a really good story.” — Literary Review (UK)
“The tone of unsentimental realpolitik means The Unfortunate Englishman earns the right to that le Carré-esque title . . . A complex and beautifully detailed tale, a full-blooded cold-war spy thriller given an added dimension courtesy of Wilderness’s quirky humour and his pragmatic take on morality and honour.” — Irish Times
“Berlin and Moscow again, joined by London in The Unfortunate Englishman , a cleverly misleading title, one of the many twists in John Lawton’s constantly entertaining Cold War saga . . . The spying detail is well mixed with humour.” — Times (UK)
“For those who want a bit of substance to their thriller reading . . . This is an atmospheric and convincing novel . . . The plotting is complex . . . [and] enjoyable, and few authors are as good as Lawton in framing their novels around interesting historical facts . . . Wilderness is a very engaging hero . . . The period detail is subtle and convincing and there are also some nice touches of humour and fascinating glimpses of real historical figures . . . A treat from beginning to end.” — Sydney Morning Herald
“Lawton [is] possibly one of the most under-appreciated British espionage writers . . . Nowhere as heroic as Le Carre or Deighton, Lawton confronts the absurdities and weaknesses of his highly fallible characters alongside the dangers of the Cold War. Endearing and all too human, as if Smiley was both morally flexible and at times a figure of fun!” — Love Reading
“John Lawton . . . manages to weave together all the elements of a le Carre-style Cold War thriller with the tough strands of good old-fashioned criminality. Joe Wilderness is every bit as brave, clever, devious—and anti-heroic—as the most famous black marketeer of all—Harry Lime himself.” — Crime Fiction Lover
“Lawton’s characters are so intriguing, they will undoubtedly send the reader looking for the first in the series, Then We Take Berlin. The Unfortunate Englishman is a spy novel in the best le Carré fashion . . . the chillingly realistic mind-games, intrigue, and political maneuvering of the Cold War era . . . Beautifully done and well written. Lawton deftly picks up the loose ends of the story and weaves them into a captivating narrative that keeps the reader hooked . . . An informative and entertaining read.” — Killer Nashville (Book of the Day)
“[A] stylish new espionage thriller . . . Joe is as smart, conflicted and cynical as any Raymond Chandler character . . . It’s hard to find a more fascinating time and place than Cold War Berlin, but Lawton still uses his narrative skills to transform history into gripping fiction . . . Lawton is a master at weaving the historical facts into the threads of his fictional story and bringing both to vivid life.” — Read Me Deadly
2016-01-10
Cold War complexities and personal tensions drive a British secret agent into a desperate corner. Berlin, 1963. Acting "on instinct," British agent Joe Wilderness shoots German Marte Mayerling, who's slipped up behind him. As she lingers near death, Wilderness' handler, Alec Burne-Jones, steps in to protect him, but it's a debt of gratitude with restrictive strings. As Wilderness returns to London, the story flashes back to 1945 and British spy Bernard Alleyn, who rises steadily in the postwar government but is ultimately undone by the Cold War revelation that he and his wife, Kate, are actually Russian. Back in 1960, the perspective shifts to London, where walruslike upper-echelon intelligence officer Geoffrey Masefield takes Burne-Jones' new protégé, Wilderness, under his wing. Dispatched to Russia, Masefield witnesses the erosion of British intelligence and an exacerbation of the Cold War. Against this backdrop, Wilderness advances through the intelligence ranks, closely monitored by Burne-Jones, and is offered management of the Berlin office. Masefield works in Moscow while Wilderness immerses himself in the Berlin scene, where he drifts into an affair with co-worker Nina, an indiscretion that haunts him after his return to London. The tale continues to move both backward and forward, documenting recent historical events as well as Wilderness' ethical and personal challenges, before depicting the incidents that led to the shooting of Marte Mayerling. Rueful Wilderness is the perfect Cold War protagonist. With his second adventure (Then We Take Berlin, 2013), Lawton bids fair to build a compelling rival to his seven-volume Troy series.
