Preview
  • Berlin Game

  • A Bernard Samson Novel
  • By: Len Deighton
  • Narrated by: James Lailey
  • Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (60 ratings)

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Berlin Game

By: Len Deighton
Narrated by: James Lailey
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Publisher's summary

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
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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

What listeners say about Berlin Game

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Novel

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

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Served With a Twist

An excellent read. A captivating, revealing tale about longing, love and betrayal. Very timely and timeless.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Solid Cold War Spy Novel

Solid Cold War Spy Novel

Good characterization, excellent sense of history, this spy story is a classic and quite entertaining.

Narration is spot on.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

Just the Spy series I was looking for. It came highly recommended via a podcast with Will Arnett and Paul Giamatti. Now I’m looking forward to the entire series. I’m sure it’s a great read that it was a fantastic listen via audible and I will highly recommend it going forward.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Just fine writing. Great characters, great plot.

If your taste runs to Le Carre, you should try this author. Same genre, but good, original, writing. I read most of his books years ago and was pleased to find him on audio and that his work passes the test of time. A really good, sophisticated, cold war, spy novel.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story and performance

Loved the book years ago Wonderful story and characters and a sense of the times and places and cultures Sometimes surprisingly witty or funny The actor is fabulous with attractive and believable voices and pacing and good German pronunciation One of the best

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Incredibly dull

I honestly don’t understand all the good reviews. I found this book utterly boring with dull dialog and a completely flat story line. I got about half way through and just couldn’t last another minute.

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