Fiction

Funeral in Berlin

Funeral in Berlin

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  • Create Date：2021-04-30 10:51:26
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Len Deighton
  • ISBN：0241505380
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Summary

'The classic and gripping spy novel of Cold War Berlin' Guardian

1963 Berlin is dark and dangerous。 The anonymous hero of The IPCRESS File has been sent to help arrange the defection - in an elaborate mock coffin - of a leading Soviet scientist。 But， as he soon discovers， this deception hides an even deadlier truth。 One of the first novels written after the construction of the Berlin Wall， Funeral in Berlin revels in the murky， chilling atmosphere of a divided city。

'A ferociously cool fable' The New York Times

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Reviews

Mike ，

Good， but when I read it， it all seemed a bit dated， and it wasn't enticing enough for me to keep on reading it。 Good， but when I read it， it all seemed a bit dated， and it wasn't enticing enough for me to keep on reading it。 。。。more

Alex Pike ，

This was a generally fun book but I found it confusing and slow-going at the start。 In particular， the references to different Berlin streets were confusing without any kind of map， and there were probably too many characters named and then discarded。 I thought some of the description was incredible， and would have enjoyed it more if the wonderful twists and the end had covered more of the book than the last 50 pages。

Steven Bentley ，

First half was good with very vivid descriptions of the time but somehow in the second third I lost track of the story。。。 not sure if it was the writing or my lack of attention

Amy ，

no attempt made to help you identify with anyone or draw you into the story

Niranjan Limaye ，

Only for the super intelligent， super literary， highly refined reader with sufficient orientation to 1960s cold-war politics and intelligence situation。 This is a sequel to Deighton’s The Ipcress File。Went mostly over my head the first 80-90%。 The unglamorous， dry protagonist， with his cynical one-liners and the extremely convoluted plot makes Mr。 Fleming and his Bond appear ‘For kids’。 Admittedly， pieces fell in place in the last 10% but because I stubbornly didn’t give up before。 Most would’ve Only for the super intelligent， super literary， highly refined reader with sufficient orientation to 1960s cold-war politics and intelligence situation。 This is a sequel to Deighton’s The Ipcress File。Went mostly over my head the first 80-90%。 The unglamorous， dry protagonist， with his cynical one-liners and the extremely convoluted plot makes Mr。 Fleming and his Bond appear ‘For kids’。 Admittedly， pieces fell in place in the last 10% but because I stubbornly didn’t give up before。 Most would’ve。 。。。more

Erik ，

This one also comes from the JP Sansom collection。 My dad must have bought it way back in the mid sixties， enjoyed it， and now I'm reading it。 That gives me a warm feeling for some reason。 It is a dusty， faded old Penguin paperback with a very young Michael Caine on the cover， and I love it。It has a very elaborate plot set in East Berlin dealing with spies and double agents that I'd be lying if I said that I followed it completely， but what I did understand I enjoyed immensely。 This one also comes from the JP Sansom collection。 My dad must have bought it way back in the mid sixties， enjoyed it， and now I'm reading it。 That gives me a warm feeling for some reason。 It is a dusty， faded old Penguin paperback with a very young Michael Caine on the cover， and I love it。It has a very elaborate plot set in East Berlin dealing with spies and double agents that I'd be lying if I said that I followed it completely， but what I did understand I enjoyed immensely。 。。。more

Graeme Dunlop ，

It's interesting watching the progression of Deighton's writing from The Ipcress File to Horse Under Water and then this one。 With each book his writing style becomes more polished， the plots tighter and the writing less hard to follow。The plot of Funeral In Berlin is a good one; the name less protagonist is sent to Berlin to investigate a claim that a Russian general wishes to defect。 Of course， nothing is what it seems and when dealing with spies on both sides， it's difficult to know who and w It's interesting watching the progression of Deighton's writing from The Ipcress File to Horse Under Water and then this one。 With each book his writing style becomes more polished， the plots tighter and the writing less hard to follow。The plot of Funeral In Berlin is a good one; the name less protagonist is sent to Berlin to investigate a claim that a Russian general wishes to defect。 Of course， nothing is what it seems and when dealing with spies on both sides， it's difficult to know who and what to believe。 Add in a German contractor who mostly works for the British and a semi-professional femme fatale and you have all the ingredients for a good spy thriller。As with the earlier book you still have to keep up to follow the narrative; Deighton asks you， as the reader， to pay attention to get the most out of the story。 That works for me and I'm happy to do so。This snippet might give you an idea of what I mean:-----------'You are late， sir，' Alice said。 She was thumping the lid into a caterer's-size Nescafe tin。'Right as always， Alice，' I said。 'I don't know what we'd do without you。' I climbed towards my office。 From the dispatch department came the mournful trombone solo of 'Angels Guard Thee' as the CWS Brass Band played their part in the dispatch department's ceaseless record recital。 Jean was waiting on the stairs。 'Coming in late，' she said。'It's one of the B-flat cornets，' I explained， 'clipping the notes。'-----------Don't know about you but I find that funny。Anyway， very enjoyable。 。。。more

Paul Cornelius ，

A wide ranging spy novel， which is quite the opposite of the film version。 Whereas the 1966 film with Michael Caine locks onto Berlin as its locale for action， Deighton's book actually ranges over France， Eastern Europe， and spends as much or more time in the UK than in Berlin。 For it's not just a spy story that Deighton has written， it's a commentary on the aftermath of World War II and the quagmire into which escaped war criminals， wartime opportunists， and those who wanted to forget their pas A wide ranging spy novel， which is quite the opposite of the film version。 Whereas the 1966 film with Michael Caine locks onto Berlin as its locale for action， Deighton's book actually ranges over France， Eastern Europe， and spends as much or more time in the UK than in Berlin。 For it's not just a spy story that Deighton has written， it's a commentary on the aftermath of World War II and the quagmire into which escaped war criminals， wartime opportunists， and those who wanted to forget their past could disappear。 Thus it is no surprise to see so much of the plot take place in seedy run-down garages， hotels， rented rooms， and the like。 The glamour of the James Bond type spy doesn't exist， here。One thing missing from Deighton's earlier success is the wry witticisms that gloss the culture of the times。 Instead， this takes plot takes its commentary on chess at the beginning of each chapter and sets its protagonist and other characters against the almost predetermined moves and limits of the pieces on the game board。 。。。more

William A。 ，

Len Deighton's spy novels are a rare treat for anyone who loves the genre。 His central characters are always lovable rogues barely tolerated by their bureaucratic bosses in an MI 6 like organization。 British tongue-in-cheek humor pervades。 In 'Funeral in Berlin' the plot twists are delightful as is the subtext which is that war is a meaningless game， so if you have the bad luck to get caught up in one， make sure to play your hand as well as you can。 Your life will depend on it！'Funeral in Berlin Len Deighton's spy novels are a rare treat for anyone who loves the genre。 His central characters are always lovable rogues barely tolerated by their bureaucratic bosses in an MI 6 like organization。 British tongue-in-cheek humor pervades。 In 'Funeral in Berlin' the plot twists are delightful as is the subtext which is that war is a meaningless game， so if you have the bad luck to get caught up in one， make sure to play your hand as well as you can。 Your life will depend on it！'Funeral in Berlin' features all the cheekiness of an Ian Fleming 007 novel。 But the story， while just as wild as anything Fleming came up with， is much more believable。 。。。more

Eileen Sainsbury ，

Another re-read in Corona lock-down times - very exciting， I had forgotten how well he writes。

Andy Onyx ，

For a start I haven’t seen the film （！） and following on the from the completely different gravy of the second “Harry Palmer/Unnamed Spy” novel， Horse Under Water， we loop back to Cold War Central Europe。 It almost seems like just as in the film sequence， Funeral carries straight on from Ipcress。 But no complaints， the sub plot regarding the marrying of a particular personality， war crimes and a former identity is finely pitched， it had to be as there was as risk of being lost in convolution。 So For a start I haven’t seen the film （！） and following on the from the completely different gravy of the second “Harry Palmer/Unnamed Spy” novel， Horse Under Water， we loop back to Cold War Central Europe。 It almost seems like just as in the film sequence， Funeral carries straight on from Ipcress。 But no complaints， the sub plot regarding the marrying of a particular personality， war crimes and a former identity is finely pitched， it had to be as there was as risk of being lost in convolution。 Some interesting peripheral developments in Palmer’s life: getting fat， money worries （almost） gone and scale of respect within his unit somewhat more established within his unit family of Jean， Val， Chico and Dawlish ， who he rarely now referees to as ‘sir’ and treats more as an eccentric equal。 Also the developing relationship with his Soviet frenemy Colonel Stock in East Berlin。 Palmer’s wise cracks seem like they could very nearly be his last when directed at Stock。 Also Mr Deighton’s awareness at time of writing of the espionage threat posed by those Home Office employees with “not yet legal” activities， culminating in a literally explosive confrontation。 Funeral in Berlin is very good， very good indeed， but in third place for me in the series-so-far， way behind Horse and just short of Ipcress。 。。。more

David ，

Quite up to the early-Deighton standard， with chess theory as the controlling structural metaphor。

Jack Heath ，

Synopsis: an unnamed UK agent goes to Berlin to assist with the defection of a Soviet scientist to the west。 Straight forward？ No way。

Baba ，

Around a mock funeral， the spy main protagonist， his allies and antagonist duck and weave， as they seek to either support or prevent a defection from the Soviets。。Deighton's grammar school educated anti-hero and his MI6 seem far more real， and dare I say likeable than Ian Fleming and other writers at the time story of privately educated ladies men。 The more realistic approach to spycraft， the dialogue and the double and triple crossers make it an interesting read from the 1960s！。。7 out of 12。 Around a mock funeral， the spy main protagonist， his allies and antagonist duck and weave， as they seek to either support or prevent a defection from the Soviets。。Deighton's grammar school educated anti-hero and his MI6 seem far more real， and dare I say likeable than Ian Fleming and other writers at the time story of privately educated ladies men。 The more realistic approach to spycraft， the dialogue and the double and triple crossers make it an interesting read from the 1960s！。。7 out of 12。 。。。more

Ronny Vercauteren ，

Most entertaining post WWII spy novel set in Berlin。 James Bond with an atitude。

Thomas Snyder ，

One of my three favorite novels along with THE SILMARILLION and THE LORD OF THE RINGS。 The attention to character， plot， story， atmosphere， and style is perfection。 Have re-read it at least four other times。 One chapter has a brilliantly written， bitter but ultimately profound perspective on the Holocaust and the folly of the human race by a Jewish victim， who's being interviewed by the protagonist， and it ties in perfectly and artfully with one of the main themes in the main story， perhaps the One of my three favorite novels along with THE SILMARILLION and THE LORD OF THE RINGS。 The attention to character， plot， story， atmosphere， and style is perfection。 Have re-read it at least four other times。 One chapter has a brilliantly written， bitter but ultimately profound perspective on the Holocaust and the folly of the human race by a Jewish victim， who's being interviewed by the protagonist， and it ties in perfectly and artfully with one of the main themes in the main story， perhaps the biggest theme。 Also contains two of the funniest jokes about communism ever told。 In this novel， Deighton becomes the British descendent of Raymond Chandler's hero in THE BIG SLEEP， THE LONG GOODBYE and FAREWELL， MY LOVELY。 This is perhaps Deighton's answer to Le Carre's THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD， another great book。 I would love to make a faithful movie adaptation。 。。。more

Bent Andreassen ，

Read in Norwegian。 3 minus

Matt ，

This installment of the Secret Files has great characters。 I was especially fond of the practical joke loving KGB Colonel， Stok。 The plot was very convoluted and Deighton withheld most of the clues， so you could not solve the mystery yourself or even build anticipation for the climax。

Nick Jones ，

I read this when I was away on holiday for a few days。 I wasn’t sure if anyone read Len Deighton anymore， but he used to be very fashionable。 The blurb on the back of the 1960s Penguin edition that I read compared him to The Beatles， Jean Shrimpton and ejector seats in Aston Martins as one of the high points of British Cool。 I hadn’t previously read any of Deighton’s books， but the Harry Palmer films used to come up a lot on TV when I was a teenager in the 1970s。 There are differences between bo I read this when I was away on holiday for a few days。 I wasn’t sure if anyone read Len Deighton anymore， but he used to be very fashionable。 The blurb on the back of the 1960s Penguin edition that I read compared him to The Beatles， Jean Shrimpton and ejector seats in Aston Martins as one of the high points of British Cool。 I hadn’t previously read any of Deighton’s books， but the Harry Palmer films used to come up a lot on TV when I was a teenager in the 1970s。 There are differences between book and film， notably that the unnamed first person protagonist of Funeral in Berlin gets a name – Harry Palmer – in the films and in the book he is older （he had fought in the Second World War） and came from Northern England （Burnley to be exact） – as such he was an outsider to the Security Establishment who were an old school tie mob; in the films Michael Caine was also an outsider， but， of course， a Londoner。 The book briskly and efficiently romps along: it has a convoluted spy story and it tells it with a certain skill。 The protagonist has lots of one liners （a sort of spy Philip Marlowe）， but he is never as witty as he or Deighton think he is。 And， as we might expect from a slice of 1960s macho popular fiction， there are a lot of Playboy attitudes。 Finally your enjoyment will probably depend on how much you like the convoluted plots of the spy thriller （but there aren’t the levels of hidden narrative unravelled in a John Le Carré novel） – I thought it was quite fun in a slightly creaky way， but I imagine I will forget about it fairly quickly。 。。。more

Paologa ，

Un libro di spionaggio solido， verosimile e che riesce a creare le atmosfere dell’Europa uscita dalla seconda guerra mondiale ed entrata nella guerra fredda。 Personaggi credibili， dialoghi non banali， situazioni per lo più plausibili non facili，soprattutto gli ultimi due， da trovare in molti romanzi di spionaggio。 I sovietici non sono dei cattivi da barzelletta， i tedeschi non ne escono bene， peggio gli israeliani， bene i francesi， così e così gli statunitensi。 Ovviamente Britannia rules， ma va Un libro di spionaggio solido， verosimile e che riesce a creare le atmosfere dell’Europa uscita dalla seconda guerra mondiale ed entrata nella guerra fredda。 Personaggi credibili， dialoghi non banali， situazioni per lo più plausibili non facili，soprattutto gli ultimi due， da trovare in molti romanzi di spionaggio。 I sovietici non sono dei cattivi da barzelletta， i tedeschi non ne escono bene， peggio gli israeliani， bene i francesi， così e così gli statunitensi。 Ovviamente Britannia rules， ma va bene lo stesso。 Avevo visto dei film tratti dai romanzi di Leighton， ma non mi aspettavo che fosse un romanziere completo。 Una bella sorpresa， soprattutto considerando che ho altri tre suoi romanzi che mi aspettano！E adesso a recuperare o film degli anni ‘60 con Michael Caine。 A questo proposito， per i pochi che avessero visto il film， pur rispettando a grandi linee la trama e mantenendo i personaggi， differisce un po’ dal libro però non perde niente dell’ironia che traspare dalle pagine。 。。。more

Cindy ，

Kept me guessing; a classic spy novel。

Rachel Pollock ，

I didn’t care for this one as much as The Ipcress File。 The multiple narrative wasn’t as effective as the straight first person of TIF， and occasionally flat-out failed。 I’ll read more Deighton though， because overall he tips the scale toward the positive side in terms of an entertaining genre read。

Richard Slater ，

The master spy story writer on top form

Jack Hrkach ，

I leave for Germany， including five nights in Berlin， day after tomorrow。 As usual when I travel I read history and fiction about the places I'll be seeing。 Deighton's book， well written as usual， takes place more in London than Berlin， with brief sections in the coast of Spain next to the French border， Bordeaux and Prague。 It is complicated， more so than most spy tales I've read， and I've read quite a few。 In fact Deighton begins each chapter with a short sentence of two from a chess manual （r I leave for Germany， including five nights in Berlin， day after tomorrow。 As usual when I travel I read history and fiction about the places I'll be seeing。 Deighton's book， well written as usual， takes place more in London than Berlin， with brief sections in the coast of Spain next to the French border， Bordeaux and Prague。 It is complicated， more so than most spy tales I've read， and I've read quite a few。 In fact Deighton begins each chapter with a short sentence of two from a chess manual （real or imagined？ No clue。 I was never any good at chess。）Because it is so complex， as well as more than a little confusing， I'll only offer what could be thought of as a spoiler， but which will not spoil anyone's reading， in fact might just encourage some to read it: There is NO funeral in Berlin， as such， in the text。 On that enigmatic note， cheers！ 。。。more

Pete ，

Not one of Deighton's best efforts。 His attention to descriptive details is a bit overwhelming here and the story bogs down as a result。 His character development is always strong though。 Solid conclusion but there didn't seem to be an great urgency in getting there。 Not one of Deighton's best efforts。 His attention to descriptive details is a bit overwhelming here and the story bogs down as a result。 His character development is always strong though。 Solid conclusion but there didn't seem to be an great urgency in getting there。 。。。more

Jack Bates ，

I bought this in a charity shop because I'd never read anything by Deighton。 It's much as one might expect， that particular kind of sharp precise detail you get in spy stories， especially those written before 1965。 It's an almost unrecognisable world of course， not just the Cold War Berlin， but smoggy cold London and everyone smoking constantly and everything coldly modern in a way that's impossibly distant。 I bought this in a charity shop because I'd never read anything by Deighton。 It's much as one might expect， that particular kind of sharp precise detail you get in spy stories， especially those written before 1965。 It's an almost unrecognisable world of course， not just the Cold War Berlin， but smoggy cold London and everyone smoking constantly and everything coldly modern in a way that's impossibly distant。 。。。more

Paul ，

Not a poor book， with a story the reader can follow and attempt to piece together - at least partly。 In particular， I appreciated the additional humour that Deighton starts to inject into the characters of Dawlish and ？？？， which hasn’t been their to such an extent in previous books。A shame that after over 240 pages of proper spy-like posturing the end comes quickly and disjointedly。

Michael ，

This is exponentially better than the first two books。 Why he deems it necessary to mention the model number of the Mercedes grated on my sensibilities - all in all hangs together and worth a rainy afternoon。

Stewart Sternberg ，

This is not a casual read。 The plot is complicated， there are numerous devastating plot twists， and a shocker reveal at the end。 in my opinion， this is the best of Deighton that I've read so far， and book number three of the Palmer series， although that character is unnamed in these books。 This is not a casual read。 The plot is complicated， there are numerous devastating plot twists， and a shocker reveal at the end。 in my opinion， this is the best of Deighton that I've read so far， and book number three of the Palmer series， although that character is unnamed in these books。 。。。more

Stephanie ，

Different from the film。 Part of Alphabet Soup Challenge 2017。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Funeral in Berlin

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Funeral in Berlin&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Funeral in Berlin&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0