Berlin Game

A Bernard Samson Novel

By: Len Deighton

Narrated by: James Lailey

Berlin Game begins with a plea from “Brahms Four,” one of Britain’s most valuable agents stationed in East Germany: He wants to cross the Iron Curtain and come to the West. Bernard Samson, the former field agent now stationed in London, is tasked with the rescue. But before he even sets out on the mission, suspicions arise that there is a traitor in the MI6, likely one of his closest colleagues.

The first in Deighton’s acclaimed Game, Set, Match trilogy featuring the talented yet jaded intelligence officer Bernard Samson, Berlin Game is a riveting story of betrayal and suspicion in the Cold War.

©1983 Pluriform Publishing Company BV. Afterword copyright © 2010 by Pluriform Publishing Company BV. (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Critic reviews

“Deighton, as always, makes the familiar twists and turns of spy errantry new again, partly by his grip of narrative, partly by his grasp of character, and partly by his easy, sardonic tone.”—The New Yorker

Terrific No Hijinks Spy Fiction

Bernard Samson of the British Secret Service must extract agent "Brahms Four" from soviet East Germany in the era of the Berlin Wall.
Deighton's excellent, with the detail and bite of Fleming but the realism & moral ambiguity of Le Carre.
Well read by James Lailey.

No James Bond here

Wonderful descriptive details, an ascorbic wit, a hero with the scars of dreams unrealized & the struggle of everyday life. Great story plot- can’t wait to crack open book two of the Samson trilogy.

John’s favorite…

This was my husband’s favorite book (the whole trilogy). He read it on a trip to Paris long ago, the first on the way over, the second during his stay, and the third on his return flight. I started reading it to him in his short stay in the hospital, and then I lost him.

I finally finished it, and I loved every moment. Historical fiction, realistic middle-age and marital struggles, it’s witty and interesting, well written, and although I’m no spy, completely relatable.

The narrator is perfect, too, great intonation and pleasant voice.

A real spy story

First class writing and great performance of a classic spy novel. I’ve already bought the rest of the set and look forward to listening to them. If you like Le Carre you’ll love Deighton.

Excellent Novel

Very enjoyable. Good character development and detail of the location. I imagine Michael Caine as the lead