Praise for The Unfortunate Englishman : "[ 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 "[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 "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 Praise for Then We Take Berlin : A Publishers Weekly "Big Book" of Fall 2013 "John Lawton's stylish spy thriller, Then We Take Berlin , is a splendid introduction to John Wilfrid (Wilderness) Holderness, born a Cockney guttersnipe, trained in various criminal enterprises by his grandfather and transformed into a British intelligence operative during World War II.[An] enthralling story of Wilderness's adventures in espionage and Lawton's harrowing descriptions of life in the battered nations of Europe in 1945, when the war was over but never seemed to end."-- New York Times Book Review "Lawton's gift for atmosphere, memorable characters and intelligent plotting has been compared to John le Carré, but his dry humor also invokes the late Ross Thomas. Never mind the comparisons--Lawton can stand up on his own, and Then We Take Berlin is a gem."-- The Seattle Times "A dangerous assignment in East Berlin is fraught with complex memories from postwar Europe. A wonderfully complex and nuanced thriller.
"-- Kirkus Reviews "Lawton captures both the immediate postwar and midcentury landscapes perfectly, stirring elements of Graham Greene, John le Carré, and the great Ross Thomas'' too-little-known McCorkle and Padillo novels into a superbly well-built Cold War cocktail--bracing, deliriously delicious, but carrying the slightly bitter aftertaste of dreams gone bad."-- Booklist (starred review) "This intelligent first in a new series from Lawton ( A Lily of the Field and six other Inspector Troy thrillers) opens on the eve of President Kennedy's 1963 Berlin visit, but the real meat lies in the compelling backstory of John Wilford Holderness, an East London Cockney who joins the RAF in 1946. A wonderfully written and generally wise book that will thrill readers with an interest in WWII and the early Cold War era."-- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Absolute dynamite in a trench coat . Don't miss this one!"-- I Love A Mystery Newsletter "A thriller that is sure to have any fan of John Le Carré's Smiley novels gripped."-- Crime Fiction Lover "[ Then We Take Berlin ] is a stand-alone novel outside [Lawton's] wonderful ''Troy' series, set in Berlin in 1963 . it is extremely good."-- Deadly Pleasures "A very captivating read.
"-- Fantasy Book Critic.