The Matchmaker: A Spy in Berlin
- Downloads：2675
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-13 21:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Paul Vidich
- ISBN：B0984294VD
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Susan Fainstein，
，
Disappointing I bought it after the glowing Times review。 The plot is preposterous and the writing weak。 I finally just skipped to the end after reading more than half。
Bill
，
There are some interesting scenes involving life in East Berlin when the wall came down， but otherwise， a very pedestrian spy novel。
Sarah
，
This was amazing。 I could barely put it down。 For those who have direct ties to Germany during that time period， it is factually correct。
Richard O Ward
，
I enjoyed the plot and Anne， the central character。 Mostly， I enjoyed the historical fiction aspect， the opening of the Berlin Wall and the connections to the Gary Powers exchange。 I call it historical fiction， but at my age， 80， it's more like current events。 But it was current events that were finished before I figured out that something was going on， so it was interesting to look at it again。I would recommend "The Matchmaker" to anyone who sort of slept through the end of the cold war。I would I enjoyed the plot and Anne， the central character。 Mostly， I enjoyed the historical fiction aspect， the opening of the Berlin Wall and the connections to the Gary Powers exchange。 I call it historical fiction， but at my age， 80， it's more like current events。 But it was current events that were finished before I figured out that something was going on， so it was interesting to look at it again。I would recommend "The Matchmaker" to anyone who sort of slept through the end of the cold war。I would also recommend that whoever proof read the Kindle version， read a little closer。 There were way to many typos。 。。。more
Matthew Barmack
，
A very solid spy book。 The plot follows a woman's manipulation by both her husband， whom she doesn't know is a Stasi agent， as well as the BND and CIA agents who are after her husband and his Stasi master just as the Berlin Wall is falling。 Taking off one star because the plot is pretty convoluted and strains credulity， but the characters are pretty fully realized and the story is definitely engaging。 A very solid spy book。 The plot follows a woman's manipulation by both her husband， whom she doesn't know is a Stasi agent， as well as the BND and CIA agents who are after her husband and his Stasi master just as the Berlin Wall is falling。 Taking off one star because the plot is pretty convoluted and strains credulity， but the characters are pretty fully realized and the story is definitely engaging。 。。。more
Matt
，
Another winner from Paul Vidich…Another great spy novel from Paul Vidich， who is now becoming my favorite spy novelist。 Fast paced， intelligent， and with heart。 I loved the setting in Berlin in 1989… he takes you there， a special time and place in history， and weaves memorable characters with an intriguing plot。 Can’t wait for his next novel。
Jim C
，
Add Anne Simpson to the list of compelling historical fictional spy characters like Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther and Alan Furst’s many flawed characters of their spy noirs。 Vidich uses the Marcus Wolf storyline to develop a fictional character who is interesting and compelling。 I’ve been looking to read a spy novel to complement the characters of the above two author。 I mention those authors as high compliment to Vidich。 The book is a page turner - compact story- with lots of room to further ‘en Add Anne Simpson to the list of compelling historical fictional spy characters like Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther and Alan Furst’s many flawed characters of their spy noirs。 Vidich uses the Marcus Wolf storyline to develop a fictional character who is interesting and compelling。 I’ve been looking to read a spy novel to complement the characters of the above two author。 I mention those authors as high compliment to Vidich。 The book is a page turner - compact story- with lots of room to further ‘end of Cold War’ spy craft。 I’m looking for further books by Vidich with possible interaction between Simpson & Cooper。 。。。more
Darius Ostrowski
，
An intelligent espionage novel of a divorced American caught up in the cruel world of espionage at the tail end of the cold war。1989。 Anne Simpson is living in West Berlin， working as a translator at the Joint Allied Refugee Operations Center， and happily married to Stefan Koehler， a German piano tuner who travels around Europe working for various orchestras。 When Anne gets a knock on the door and is told by the US embassy representative that they believe her husband has drowned in a nearby cana An intelligent espionage novel of a divorced American caught up in the cruel world of espionage at the tail end of the cold war。1989。 Anne Simpson is living in West Berlin， working as a translator at the Joint Allied Refugee Operations Center， and happily married to Stefan Koehler， a German piano tuner who travels around Europe working for various orchestras。 When Anne gets a knock on the door and is told by the US embassy representative that they believe her husband has drowned in a nearby canal， Anne cannot figure out why he was still in Berlin。Things go from bad to worse as Anne's entire life begins to unravel。 It turns out her husband was an East German spy， a "Romeo" sent to the west by the Matchmaker， a German spymaster running multiple Romeos， preying on vulnerable women。 For a variety of reasons， some of them quite questionable， the CIA needs to capture the Matchmaker before the Soviets can get to him - and Anne is the only one who has seen a picture of him。But is her husband really dead？ And why are the Americans so interested in the Matchmaker？ And what else has Stefan been hiding？ As the dramatic collapse of East Germany swirls around her， can Anne save herself and those around her as she gets to the truth？Smart， thrilling， great integration of global events and how they effect the individuals living through them。 。。。more
jeff popple
，
Paul Vidich has steadily built up his reputation over recent years as a leading writer of intelligent espionage fiction。 From his impressive debut， The Honorable Man （2016）， to last year’s highly acclaimed The Mercenary （2021）， he has grown in ability and has clearly shown that he is capable of mixing it with the current big names of the genre。With his latest book， The Matchmaker （Pegasus， 1 February 2022）， Vidich goes back to 1989 and the chaotic days surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall， an Paul Vidich has steadily built up his reputation over recent years as a leading writer of intelligent espionage fiction。 From his impressive debut， The Honorable Man （2016）， to last year’s highly acclaimed The Mercenary （2021）， he has grown in ability and has clearly shown that he is capable of mixing it with the current big names of the genre。With his latest book， The Matchmaker （Pegasus， 1 February 2022）， Vidich goes back to 1989 and the chaotic days surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall， and introduces us to an intriguing female character who leads the narration for most of the book。As protests across East Germany threaten the Iron Curtain， Anne Simpson， an American who works as a translator at the Joint Operations Refugee Committee， thinks she is in a normal marriage with a charming German piano tuner。 But then her husband disappears， and the CIA and Western German intelligence arrive at her door。 Suddenly it seems that nothing about her marriage is normal。Anne had apparently been targeted by the Matchmaker， a high level East German counterintelligence officer who runs a network of Stasi agents。 These agents are his “Romeos”， who marry vulnerable women in West Berlin to provide them with cover as they report back to the Matchmaker。 Anne’s husband was one of them and now he has disappeared， presumably dead。 The CIA are desperate to find the Matchmaker because of his close ties to the KGB。 They also believe he can establish the truth about a high-ranking Soviet defector。 They need Anne because she’s the only person who has seen his face – from a photograph that her husband mistakenly left out in his office – and she is the CIA’s best chance to identify him before the Matchmaker escapes to Moscow。 Time is running out as the Berlin Wall falls and chaos engulfs East Germany。The Matchmaker is an intelligent， atmospheric， richly written and quietly gripping spy novel。 Vidich steadily builds up his plot and adds layers of complexity and deception as the story progresses。 The main characters， especially Anne， are well crafted and believable， and it is easy to become caught up in their plights。 The Matchmaker is largely a character driven story， rather than an action thriller， but there are still moments of great suspense and tension， including a marvellous set-piece during the initial breaching of the Wall by panicking East Berliners， and the dark conclusion。It is also the small details which make The Matchmaker so enjoyable。 The carefully nuanced minor characters， the subtle references to earlier novels by Vidich， the intriguing reason behind the CIA’s real interest in the Matchmaker and believable descriptions of Berlin on the edge of change。 Vidich also deals sensitively with real moral issues around spying and there is a depth to his themes。 In all， it is a very impressive achievement。Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the book。See my full review at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs。com/s。。。 。。。more
Thayer Bigelow
，
May be one of Paul’s best。 Wonderful plot， characters， setting。 And there was a stasi officer like the Matchmaker。
Cirby
，
Interesting plot line， an American divorcee is ensnared by an East German 'honeytrap"。 Unwittingly she marries an East German spy who uses her and her job as cover to spy in Eastern Europe。 She is enmeshed with the CIA，the BND and the Stasi who want to use her as bait to catch the 'the Matchmaker"， the head of the GDR Stasi。 Our heroine rises to the challenge。 The novel takes place in a more recent period of Berlin history， just as the wall comes down。 This event plays a part in the story's reso Interesting plot line， an American divorcee is ensnared by an East German 'honeytrap"。 Unwittingly she marries an East German spy who uses her and her job as cover to spy in Eastern Europe。 She is enmeshed with the CIA，the BND and the Stasi who want to use her as bait to catch the 'the Matchmaker"， the head of the GDR Stasi。 Our heroine rises to the challenge。 The novel takes place in a more recent period of Berlin history， just as the wall comes down。 This event plays a part in the story's resolution。A note: editors did not do a careful editing job。 There are duplicate words， e。g。 replicated 'the' and 'an' in the text。 They do not confuse the reader to the plot's meaning， but it does seem too sloppy。 。。。more
Richard
，
A thoroughly enjoyable and dramatic spy thriller。 Capturing all the nuances of a divided Berlin but propelling the action to the period just as the wall began to come down。Atmospheric and intense。 In keeping and a nod to all the glorious espionage novels of the past。 Tense border crossings， missing bodies and the sense of being watched or followed。In addition， wonderfully creative in providing a fresh look at the honey trap。 Two great female characters lead the way amid grey men in suits and pol A thoroughly enjoyable and dramatic spy thriller。 Capturing all the nuances of a divided Berlin but propelling the action to the period just as the wall began to come down。Atmospheric and intense。 In keeping and a nod to all the glorious espionage novels of the past。 Tense border crossings， missing bodies and the sense of being watched or followed。In addition， wonderfully creative in providing a fresh look at the honey trap。 Two great female characters lead the way amid grey men in suits and police uniforms。Based on the exploits of a spymaster who was able to use romantic liaisons to better infiltrate his spies。 This is an original and far reaching story about agents and betrayal but also shows that official expediency to pragmatically skip over past sins for a greater good。 Re-unification and state secrets。Some moments of classic spy noir and an underestimation of the control held over those you cajole， blackmail and control。 Where an amateur approach to getting things done counter to the thinking of how a spy would operate in such circumstances。Interesting in the light of award for damages awarded to women mislead by undercover police officers here in the U。K。 recently。 Does the end justify the means？A new author to me but whose writing carried the story along with a growing tension and an expanding understanding of the central character。 Anne Simpson changes during the book and becomes someone we care about and value as a human being。 Her sense of betrayal and response to government justification for inaction and the misinformation given to her is the reader’s journey。 She is intelligent， generous and resourceful。 。。。more
Paul Vidich
，
As the author， I am biased。 The book follows the upending of one woman’s life as she learns of her disappeared husband’s secret life and motivations， launching into a mission to expose a network of East German spies at the end of the Cold War。 Kirkus Review: " Intrigue， murder， and vengeance make for a darkly enjoyable read。" As the author， I am biased。 The book follows the upending of one woman’s life as she learns of her disappeared husband’s secret life and motivations， launching into a mission to expose a network of East German spies at the end of the Cold War。 Kirkus Review: " Intrigue， murder， and vengeance make for a darkly enjoyable read。" 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
，
Anne is shocked when US Consular Officer James Cooper turns up at her door to tell her that her husband Stefan might be dead in a canal in Berlin where they live。 She's even more shocked when her discussions with Cooper， the BND， and others reveal that Stefan was not a simple piano tuner but rather an East German spy。 Or is she？ There's a better book here。 Anne was spotted （but by who） and targets by the East Germans as a 30 something childless divorced woman with some access to classified mater Anne is shocked when US Consular Officer James Cooper turns up at her door to tell her that her husband Stefan might be dead in a canal in Berlin where they live。 She's even more shocked when her discussions with Cooper， the BND， and others reveal that Stefan was not a simple piano tuner but rather an East German spy。 Or is she？ There's a better book here。 Anne was spotted （but by who） and targets by the East Germans as a 30 something childless divorced woman with some access to classified material who would be vulnerable to a man who swept into her life。 And that man was Stefan who romances and marries her after they meet during her vacation in the Netherlands。 Back in Germany， he travels all the time- all the time-staying in far nicer hotels than a piano tuner could afford。 Turns out she does have a hint of an issue but there's even more- Stefan was married and has a family across the wall。 Anne's journey to the truth is interesting but in the end （and the ending） far fetched。 I was disappointed when this went a bit sideways， albeit briefly， into Nosenko and the Kennedy assassination since there is more than enough material in the basic outline to write a really good novel of the East German spy network in West Germany。 Vidich， in the afterword， indicates this was inspired by Markus Wolf who indeed was a formidable force。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 Others likely will enjoy this more than I did。 。。。more
John McKenna
，
The Matchmaker: A Spy in Berlin， （Pegasus Crime， $25。99， 352 pages， ISBN 978-1-643313-865-7）， by Paul Vidich， opens in 1989 and life， as she knew it， is about to change forever for an American woman named Anne Simpson。 She’s living in West Berlin， speaks several languages， works as a translator at the Joint Allied Refugee Operations Center， and is happily married to a German named Stefan Koehler; a professional piano tuner who travels around Europe。 As the novel begins， Anne is expecting her hus The Matchmaker: A Spy in Berlin， （Pegasus Crime， $25。99， 352 pages， ISBN 978-1-643313-865-7）， by Paul Vidich， opens in 1989 and life， as she knew it， is about to change forever for an American woman named Anne Simpson。 She’s living in West Berlin， speaks several languages， works as a translator at the Joint Allied Refugee Operations Center， and is happily married to a German named Stefan Koehler; a professional piano tuner who travels around Europe。 As the novel begins， Anne is expecting her husband to return from Austria—where she thinks he’s been working—when a U。S。 Embassy Official named James Cooper knocks on her apartment door and informs her that Stefan is missing and presumed dead 。 。 。 his wallet found alongside Landwehr Canal。 The investigators believe he drowned， but his body has not been found。 That’s when a German intelligence officer informs her that they believe Stefan is a spy for the East Germans， working with a notorious spymaster known as “The Matchmaker”， to steal secret information about NATO forces and equipment as well as how they’re deployed。 At first， when Anne digs into her husband’s background， trying to exonerate him， she believes he’s innocent。 But as more information about the man she’s been married to for only two years becomes known， she’s forced to accept the fact that Stefan has been leading a double life。Set against the background of the end of the Cold War when the Berlin Wall fell and the end of the Soviet Union and East Germany， Anne’s world crumples， piece by piece as she learns the sordid details of her husband’s secret life as well as his treachery。 This one’s for hard-core espionage lovers who’ll enjoy the re-telling of a well-used plot。 。。。more
Maya Grimley
，
Check out this review and more on my blog， Maya’s Reviews。Listen to this review and more on my podcast， Maya's Reviews。---Thank you to Pegasus Crime for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review。// Book Content Warning: death， murder， mentions of suicide， mentions of drowning， violence， sexual content // - Please educate yourself on the content warnings for this book before reading， as I may have missed some here。--- // Quick Statistics //Overall: 4/5 StarsChara Check out this review and more on my blog， Maya’s Reviews。Listen to this review and more on my podcast， Maya's Reviews。---Thank you to Pegasus Crime for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review。// Book Content Warning: death， murder， mentions of suicide， mentions of drowning， violence， sexual content // - Please educate yourself on the content warnings for this book before reading， as I may have missed some here。--- // Quick Statistics //Overall: 4/5 StarsCharacters: 3/5 StarsWriting: 5/5 StarsSetting: 5/5 StarsPlot: 4/5 StarsMemorability: 3/5 Stars--- // Quick Review //Because I had never read a novel by Paul Vidich before， I started reading this novel with no idea of what to expect。 I was pleasantly surprised by the brilliant mystery within The Matchmaker: A Spy in Berlin‘s pages that ended with an epic demonstration of a woman’s determination。--- // Other Information //Publisher: Pegasus CrimePage Count: 352 pagesRelease Date: February 1， 2022Series: NoneGenre: Fiction， Adult， Historical fiction， Spy， Suspense， Mystery--- // Characters //Anne Simpson is a woman living in West Berlin during 1989。 She’s been married for two years to Stefan Koehler， a piano tuner who goes on frequent business trips。 It’s not until Stefan doesn’t come back from a trip and she meets James Cooper that Anne realizes the life she has known for two years may be entirely false。 Anne’s life is thrown upside down because of her discovery of Stefan’s supposed death and apparent betrayal。I found Anne to be a strong and stubborn woman who has had a terrible past few years filled with heartbreak and grief。 And although I could see this in her， I didn’t feel a true connection to her （or any other characters， for that matter） until the very end of the novel。 The characters weren’t as important to me as the events that occurred， and I felt that they weren’t as relatable as I’d hoped they would be。 I always look for a connection with characters while I am reading， especially an emotional one， but for some reason this novel didn’t quite hit the mark in that department。Although I didn’t connect to the characters， that doesn’t mean they lacked depth。 Most， if not all， of the main characters were fleshed out and had a backstory that impacted others or the plot。 I loved the hidden layers of some characters， especially those of Stefan， who I spent the entire novel trying to figure out。--- // Writing and Setting //Vidich’s writing is compelling and descriptive， transporting one to an important time in history in which Vidich clearly did their research。 Though I am anything but a history expert， I felt that the author did a fantastic job of conveying the importance and stress of Berlin in 1989。Although I hesitate to read historical fiction， the setting of The Matchmaker was my favorite part of the novel。 The suspense in the air was clear and made me anxious for Anne as she attempted to navigate this new world of deceit she had been thrown into。--- // Plot //The best way to describe the pace of this novel is as a rollercoaster。 The beginning and end of the novel felt as if they dragged on， and it took me a little while to get into the book。However， the action and suspense eventually became more frequent and intriguing towards the middle， and I found myself fascinated by its captivating mystery。The end of The Matchmaker left me in awe， as it was a twist I would have never expected。--- // Overall Review //I was delighted by the suspense of reading The Matchmaker， a thrilling spy novel set in Berlin during 1989。 I will definitely be reading more of Vidich’s works。--- FOLLOW ME: Twitter || Tumblr || BookBub || BookSiren || Anchor || YouTube || Spotify || Google Podcasts || Apple Podcasts 。。。more
Matt
，