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Secret File #3
Funeral In Berlin
In Berlin, where neither side of the wall is safe, Colonel Stok of Red Army Security is prepared to sell an important Russian scientist to the West—for a price. British intelligence are willing to pay, providing their own top secret agent is in Berlin to act as go-between. But it soon becomes apparent that behind the facade of an elaborate mock funeral lies a game of deadly manoeuvres and ruthless tactics. A game in which the blood-stained legacy of Nazi Germany is enmeshed in the intricate moves of cold war espionage…
390 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1964
About the author
Len Deighton
172 books817 followersDeighton was born in Marylebone, London, in 1929. His father was a chauffeur and mechanic, and his mother was a part-time cook. After leaving school, Deighton worked as a railway clerk before performing his National Service, which he spent as a photographer for the Royal Air Force's Special Investigation Branch. After discharge from the RAF, he studied at St Martin's School of Art in London in 1949, and in 1952 won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, graduating in 1955.
Deighton worked as an airline steward with BOAC. Before he began his writing career he worked as an illustrator in New York and, in 1960, as an art director in a London advertising agency. He is credited with creating the first British cover for Jack Kerouac's On the Road. He has since used his drawing skills to illustrate a number of his own military history books.
Following the success of his first novels, Deighton became The Observer's cookery writer and produced illustrated cookbooks. In September 1967 he wrote an article in the Sunday Times Magazine about Operation Snowdrop - an SAS attack on Benghazi during World War II. The following year David Stirling would be awarded substantial damages in libel from the article.
He also wrote travel guides and became travel editor of Playboy, before becoming a film producer. After producing a film adaption of his 1968 novel Only When I Larf, Deighton and photographer Brian Duffy bought the film rights to Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop's stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! He had his name removed from the credits of the film, however, which was a move that he later described as "stupid and infantile." That was his last involvement with the cinema.
Deighton left England in 1969. He briefly resided in Blackrock, County Louth in Ireland. He has not returned to England apart from some personal visits and very few media appearances, his last one since 1985 being a 2006 interview which formed part of a "Len Deighton Night" on BBC Four. He and his wife Ysabele divide their time between homes in Portugal and Guernsey.
Deighton worked as an airline steward with BOAC. Before he began his writing career he worked as an illustrator in New York and, in 1960, as an art director in a London advertising agency. He is credited with creating the first British cover for Jack Kerouac's On the Road. He has since used his drawing skills to illustrate a number of his own military history books.
Following the success of his first novels, Deighton became The Observer's cookery writer and produced illustrated cookbooks. In September 1967 he wrote an article in the Sunday Times Magazine about Operation Snowdrop - an SAS attack on Benghazi during World War II. The following year David Stirling would be awarded substantial damages in libel from the article.
He also wrote travel guides and became travel editor of Playboy, before becoming a film producer. After producing a film adaption of his 1968 novel Only When I Larf, Deighton and photographer Brian Duffy bought the film rights to Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop's stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! He had his name removed from the credits of the film, however, which was a move that he later described as "stupid and infantile." That was his last involvement with the cinema.
Deighton left England in 1969. He briefly resided in Blackrock, County Louth in Ireland. He has not returned to England apart from some personal visits and very few media appearances, his last one since 1985 being a 2006 interview which formed part of a "Len Deighton Night" on BBC Four. He and his wife Ysabele divide their time between homes in Portugal and Guernsey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
July 25, 2023
One of the great, and one of the most realistic, spy novels of all time.
June 23, 2016
Looking back, the Communists were a worthy enemy. There were no suicide vests or improvised explosive devices aimed at innocent civilians. (Religious wars are always the most brutal.) Mind you, the Russians weren’t Boy Scouts, either. But after the ugliness and indiscriminate savagery of the current Sunni Muslim jihad against the West, I grow downright nostalgic about the 1960s.
Lately, I have been reading the three great spy novelists of that time—with great pleasure. I just finished Funeral in Berlin by one of them, the great Len Deighton. The other two were Ian Fleming of James Bond fame, and John Le Carré, author of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Spy Who Came In from the Cold.
Funeral in Berlin is typical of the period. The hero, who is called Harry Palmer in the movies but is unnamed in the books, arranges to transfer a Russian scientist to West Berlin by means of a coffin. No one seems to be trustworthy. In fact, the character one would think would be the most villainous, Colonel Stok of the KGB, is actually the most sympathetic character that “Harry” encounters. The people who are supposedly his allies are an untrustworthy lot: two of them try to kill him, others just want to sell him down river.
In comparison, James Bond is almost never surprised by villains who are supposed to be on the same side as him. There are all those lovely girls, and Felix Leiter of the CIA appears as a supporting hero in several of the novels.
Only Le Carré comes close to Deighton in creating a murky world of spies and supposed friends. My favorite of his books is Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, which has been made into an excellent film and a great British TV series starring Sir Alez Guinness as George Smiley.
Lately, I have been reading the three great spy novelists of that time—with great pleasure. I just finished Funeral in Berlin by one of them, the great Len Deighton. The other two were Ian Fleming of James Bond fame, and John Le Carré, author of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Spy Who Came In from the Cold.
Funeral in Berlin is typical of the period. The hero, who is called Harry Palmer in the movies but is unnamed in the books, arranges to transfer a Russian scientist to West Berlin by means of a coffin. No one seems to be trustworthy. In fact, the character one would think would be the most villainous, Colonel Stok of the KGB, is actually the most sympathetic character that “Harry” encounters. The people who are supposedly his allies are an untrustworthy lot: two of them try to kill him, others just want to sell him down river.
In comparison, James Bond is almost never surprised by villains who are supposed to be on the same side as him. There are all those lovely girls, and Felix Leiter of the CIA appears as a supporting hero in several of the novels.
Only Le Carré comes close to Deighton in creating a murky world of spies and supposed friends. My favorite of his books is Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, which has been made into an excellent film and a great British TV series starring Sir Alez Guinness as George Smiley.
July 14, 2015
I quite enjoyed this Len Deighton novel. I had seen the Harry Palmer movies starring Michael Caine (Funeral in Berlin and The Ipcress File) way back when and loved them. So I thought I'd give the novels a try. Glad I did. The writing is sharp and witty and Deighton's style is quite unique.
Funeral in Berlin is a spy novel set in the '60s. Of course, if you're looking for a spy or secret agent in the James Bond mold, you won't find him here. The novel centers around a proposed smuggling of a scientist across the Berlin wall. The characters are colorful and interesting (even the bureaucrats) and everyone seems to have their own agenda. Our hero has to figure out who's after what, and at times he struggles to do so. A clever plot that unfolds nicely. Bottom line, this is a cerebral spy thriller--not really a lot of action. If you enjoy quality writing and an intelligent spy novel, you might want to give it a try.
Funeral in Berlin is a spy novel set in the '60s. Of course, if you're looking for a spy or secret agent in the James Bond mold, you won't find him here. The novel centers around a proposed smuggling of a scientist across the Berlin wall. The characters are colorful and interesting (even the bureaucrats) and everyone seems to have their own agenda. Our hero has to figure out who's after what, and at times he struggles to do so. A clever plot that unfolds nicely. Bottom line, this is a cerebral spy thriller--not really a lot of action. If you enjoy quality writing and an intelligent spy novel, you might want to give it a try.
May 22, 2021
The WOOC(P) Files #3
Review of the Penguin Modern Classics paperback edition (April, 2021) of the original Jonathan Cape hardcover (1964)
Michael Caine as Harry Palmer in a film still from Funeral in Berlin (1966), image sourced from Pinterest.
Funeral in Berlin had more of a coherent plot with less confusing subplots than the previous outings for Deighton's nameless protagonist who works for a similarly anonymous British secret service known only by its initials WOOC(P). There were still the twists of betrayals and of many of the characters not being who they seemed at first, but it was all well handled. Deighton adds to his protagonist's first person narration by adding several chapters from the point of view of the other characters. The banter with his own office staff and characters from the Foreign Office was topped up with the dark humour of interactions with characters from the Soviet Bloc such as in the example above.
Funeral in Berlin is the 3rd of my Deighton re-reads after having recently learned of the Penguin Modern Classics republication of all of the novels which is being planned over the course of 2021 in an online article Why Len Deighton's spy stories are set to thrill a new generation (Guardian/Observer May 2, 2021).
Trivia and Link
Funeral in Berlin was filmed (the 2nd Secret File/Harry Palmer book Horse Under Water was skipped over in the film adaptations) as Funeral in Berlin (1966) directed by Guy Hamilton.
Review of the Penguin Modern Classics paperback edition (April, 2021) of the original Jonathan Cape hardcover (1964)
Stok was bubbling over with gaiety. He prodded Harvey and said, 'I tell you a joke. The factory workers say that it's impossible to do anything right. If you arrive five minutes early you are a saboteur, if you arrive five minutes late you are betraying socialism, if you arrive on time they say, "Where did you get that watch?" Stok laughed and spilled his drink. The Czech officer looked at him in shy disbelief and offered his packet of Memfis cigarettes.
'Another,' said Stok. 'Capitalism is the exploitation of man by man. Yes? Well socialism is exactly the reverse.'
Everyone laughed and swilled down another drink. Harvey was getting quite merry. He said to Stok, 'Where do you get all these gags - Reader's Digest?'
Stok grinned. 'No, no, no, no - from people. That one about capitalism and socialism - we arrested a man for telling that this morning.' Stok laughed his booming baritone laugh till the tears came into his eyes.
Harvey said to me softly, 'Is he kidding?'
'Who knows?' I said. - excerpt from Funeral in Berlin
Michael Caine as Harry Palmer in a film still from Funeral in Berlin (1966), image sourced from Pinterest.
Funeral in Berlin had more of a coherent plot with less confusing subplots than the previous outings for Deighton's nameless protagonist who works for a similarly anonymous British secret service known only by its initials WOOC(P). There were still the twists of betrayals and of many of the characters not being who they seemed at first, but it was all well handled. Deighton adds to his protagonist's first person narration by adding several chapters from the point of view of the other characters. The banter with his own office staff and characters from the Foreign Office was topped up with the dark humour of interactions with characters from the Soviet Bloc such as in the example above.
Funeral in Berlin is the 3rd of my Deighton re-reads after having recently learned of the Penguin Modern Classics republication of all of the novels which is being planned over the course of 2021 in an online article Why Len Deighton's spy stories are set to thrill a new generation (Guardian/Observer May 2, 2021).
Trivia and Link
Funeral in Berlin was filmed (the 2nd Secret File/Harry Palmer book Horse Under Water was skipped over in the film adaptations) as Funeral in Berlin (1966) directed by Guy Hamilton.
February 4, 2017
Originally published on my blog here in January 2004.
Because it is the main focus of the Bernard Samson novels, Berlin might appear to be something of an obsession with Deighton. It actually features remarkably rarely in his other novels, particularly considering its unique position during the Cold War as a bastion of the West surrounded by the Soviet bloc. It does, however, feature heavily in the third Harry Palmer novel, as the title obviously indicates.
The plot of Funeral in Berlin is apparently the mirror image of The The Ipcress File, with Palmer trying to arrange the reception for a Russian scientist defecting via West Berlin. But it soon becomes obvious that this isn't quite what is going on - why, for example, are those involved so insistent that the scientist's fake papers should be in a particular name when any would do for what they are claiming to want them for?
The whole of this novel, like Deighton's first two, revolves around things not being quite what they seem, right up to the ending with its particularly surprising revelations. (This was not the first time I'd read the novel; I'd forgotten the details but remembered the gist - and still found it exciting.) Deighton's novels do tend to be designed around this kind of misdirection, and it is of course a style particularly appropriate to the spy novel.
The setting of Berlin is atmospheric, more because it is full of nervous, posturing tough guys (both would-be and really tough); the descriptions are not as fully developed as they became in later years when Deighton's novels increased in length (Funeral in Berlin is less than half as long than Berlin Game, for instance). The most sympathetic character, as far as Palmer is concerned, is a Russian KGB colonel; for him, the distinction in the espionage business is between professionals and amateurs, rather than between friends and enemies.
The world of the spy as documented by Deighton continued to be a male dominated one through his entire career, and in fact never completely loses the old boy network feel that Palmer is so cynical about in The Ipcress file (Bernard Samson complains about this twenty years later on). Here, the two female characters are good looking young women, one Palmer's secretary and lover who does most of the routine work assigned to him, and the other a rather naive agent for some other power, whose seduction of Palmer seems to have slipped out of a James Bond story. Having mentioned Ian Fleming's famous spy in this context, though, I should point out that Deighton has moved on from Fleming's insistent misogyny. (Palmer is a much brighter but less flamboyant character than Bond, too.)
Apart from The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin is the best of the Harry Palmer novels, sharing its best quality - an ability to surprise even after all these years.
Because it is the main focus of the Bernard Samson novels, Berlin might appear to be something of an obsession with Deighton. It actually features remarkably rarely in his other novels, particularly considering its unique position during the Cold War as a bastion of the West surrounded by the Soviet bloc. It does, however, feature heavily in the third Harry Palmer novel, as the title obviously indicates.
The plot of Funeral in Berlin is apparently the mirror image of The The Ipcress File, with Palmer trying to arrange the reception for a Russian scientist defecting via West Berlin. But it soon becomes obvious that this isn't quite what is going on - why, for example, are those involved so insistent that the scientist's fake papers should be in a particular name when any would do for what they are claiming to want them for?
The whole of this novel, like Deighton's first two, revolves around things not being quite what they seem, right up to the ending with its particularly surprising revelations. (This was not the first time I'd read the novel; I'd forgotten the details but remembered the gist - and still found it exciting.) Deighton's novels do tend to be designed around this kind of misdirection, and it is of course a style particularly appropriate to the spy novel.
The setting of Berlin is atmospheric, more because it is full of nervous, posturing tough guys (both would-be and really tough); the descriptions are not as fully developed as they became in later years when Deighton's novels increased in length (Funeral in Berlin is less than half as long than Berlin Game, for instance). The most sympathetic character, as far as Palmer is concerned, is a Russian KGB colonel; for him, the distinction in the espionage business is between professionals and amateurs, rather than between friends and enemies.
The world of the spy as documented by Deighton continued to be a male dominated one through his entire career, and in fact never completely loses the old boy network feel that Palmer is so cynical about in The Ipcress file (Bernard Samson complains about this twenty years later on). Here, the two female characters are good looking young women, one Palmer's secretary and lover who does most of the routine work assigned to him, and the other a rather naive agent for some other power, whose seduction of Palmer seems to have slipped out of a James Bond story. Having mentioned Ian Fleming's famous spy in this context, though, I should point out that Deighton has moved on from Fleming's insistent misogyny. (Palmer is a much brighter but less flamboyant character than Bond, too.)
Apart from The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin is the best of the Harry Palmer novels, sharing its best quality - an ability to surprise even after all these years.
August 17, 2024
Deighton’s usual style of narrative; exciting and interestingly descriptive, punctuated with sarcastic wit. He knows Berlin thoroughly through experience rather than research and it shows in the atmosphere he creates. A great story that builds suspense and intrigue around a straightforward plot with a cracking good twist.
Written in the 60’s, this book generates a feeling of nostalgia; the London scenes, the old technology and people’s attitudes. Not that it was all good, but it brings back memories!
Written in the 60’s, this book generates a feeling of nostalgia; the London scenes, the old technology and people’s attitudes. Not that it was all good, but it brings back memories!
September 12, 2017
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.
April 12, 2024
Più coerente dei due precedenti e quindi più bello. Sempre una scrittura ostica. Bei personaggi 🙂
March 19, 2021
I enjoyed this story. In some aspects, I had no idea what was going on, but at the same time, it didn't matter. This is a Cold War spy mystery, that meanders along to its ending but is so well-written, that it was a pleasure to read. The basic premise is that the main character, Harry Salzman, a British operative, is in Berlin trying to arrange for the smuggling of a British scientist from the East through the Berlin wall back to the West. But that is the story at its simplest. The tale wanders from London to Berlin, east and west, to Czechoslovakia and France and contains a cast of characters, from Salzman to his capable assistant (one of my favourite characters even if she is only rarely in it), Jean to his boss, Dawlish, the Russian, Stok, etc that you love meeting and enjoy the interactions. Each chapter discusses the rules of chess and various plays and moves and ultimately, this is the crux of the story, a chess game with players feinting and moving across the board until the end. And who will win the game? You have to read Funeral in Berlin. Enjoy!
February 11, 2020
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.
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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!.
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7 out of 12.
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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!.
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7 out of 12.
February 1, 2014
A sparkling, racy, supersmart cold war spy story that packs more than a punch. Len Deighton is an acclaimed historian, and Funeral in Berlin owes much of its smart-as-hell real life references & accurate sense of time to that fact.
I enjoyed it immensely and I think this book has brought me back full circle to my old love for historically accurate and inspired genre novels. John Le' Carre, here I come again!
I enjoyed it immensely and I think this book has brought me back full circle to my old love for historically accurate and inspired genre novels. John Le' Carre, here I come again!
March 17, 2012
I read this book whenever I have the flu. I love it. And I don't like the others of these series much at all. I first read it when I was twelve and fell in love with Deighton's light touch, and the narration is wonderfully wry. I adore Stok as much as Palmer, btw.
Occured to me that this is one of the important existential novels of the sixities. Sorry Sartre
Occured to me that this is one of the important existential novels of the sixities. Sorry Sartre
August 5, 2013
This was fun! Deighton overcooked at times – "we get it! Hallam's tight!" - but always enjoyable and not, thankfully, horribly confusing.
Additional excitement#1: a previous owner of my copy had used their 1/3d ticket for London bus route 137 as a bookmark.
Additional excitement#2: someone has scribbled out the name of the fireworks company on p. 232. I understand from wikipedia that there was a court case and this paragraph was removed from later editions.
"He was a big-boned man, his hair was cropped to the skull and his complexion was like something the dog had been playing with."
"Samantha lived in the sort of road where driving schools teach people to turn around."
"Hallam clasped his thin hands behind his head and swung gently from side to side in his swivel chair. As the light from the window moved across his features, I could see the handsome ground plan of his bombed-out face. Now the powdery skin, sun-lamped to a pale nicotine colour, was supported only by his cheek-bones, like a tent when the guy ropes are slackened."
"He sipped a little coffee and then settled the cup into the saucer like he was landing a damaged helicopter."
"The red-cloaked Horse Guards sat motionless clutching their sabres and thinking of metal polish and sex."
"The [taxi] driver jammed the flag down and pulled abruptly back into the traffic. A man in a Mini shouted 'You stupid bastard!' at my driver and I nodded in agreement."
"His face was very white and very wrinkled like a big ball of string,"
"That basically was why the English would never be good at doing anything: they were amateurs. Such amateurs that finally someone standing by couldn't watch their bungling any longer, and took over. That's what America had done in two Word Wars. Perhaps it was all part of a vast British conspiracy."
Additional excitement#1: a previous owner of my copy had used their 1/3d ticket for London bus route 137 as a bookmark.
Additional excitement#2: someone has scribbled out the name of the fireworks company on p. 232. I understand from wikipedia that there was a court case and this paragraph was removed from later editions.
"He was a big-boned man, his hair was cropped to the skull and his complexion was like something the dog had been playing with."
"Samantha lived in the sort of road where driving schools teach people to turn around."
"Hallam clasped his thin hands behind his head and swung gently from side to side in his swivel chair. As the light from the window moved across his features, I could see the handsome ground plan of his bombed-out face. Now the powdery skin, sun-lamped to a pale nicotine colour, was supported only by his cheek-bones, like a tent when the guy ropes are slackened."
"He sipped a little coffee and then settled the cup into the saucer like he was landing a damaged helicopter."
"The red-cloaked Horse Guards sat motionless clutching their sabres and thinking of metal polish and sex."
"The [taxi] driver jammed the flag down and pulled abruptly back into the traffic. A man in a Mini shouted 'You stupid bastard!' at my driver and I nodded in agreement."
"His face was very white and very wrinkled like a big ball of string,"
"That basically was why the English would never be good at doing anything: they were amateurs. Such amateurs that finally someone standing by couldn't watch their bungling any longer, and took over. That's what America had done in two Word Wars. Perhaps it was all part of a vast British conspiracy."
August 30, 2020
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.
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.
October 20, 2020
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.
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.
September 12, 2018
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.
December 30, 2015
This was fun--zany, not as serious as the Samson works. And, the real mystery is revealed only at the end.
November 26, 2023
Complex spy thriller with a great finale at a deadly bonfire night party.
June 26, 2020
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.
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.
May 25, 2020
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.
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.
November 13, 2018
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.
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.
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March 13, 2020Quite up to the early-Deighton standard, with chess theory as the controlling structural metaphor.
April 13, 2019
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.
May 26, 2009
I think this is the second of Len Deighton's spy novels that revolve around an unamed spy (he was given the name Harry Palmer in the films with Michael Caine).
Our hero is given an assignment that on the face of it is to bring a Soviet defector over to the west. Set in cold war era London, Berlin, Prague and the Franco Spanish borders what should have been a straight forward exctraction turns into a triple cross involving the MI6, KGB, MOSSAD, the West Germnan secret service, Nazis and Swiss Banks.
The highly complex plot gives nothing away and keeps you guessing to the last.
Our hero is given an assignment that on the face of it is to bring a Soviet defector over to the west. Set in cold war era London, Berlin, Prague and the Franco Spanish borders what should have been a straight forward exctraction turns into a triple cross involving the MI6, KGB, MOSSAD, the West Germnan secret service, Nazis and Swiss Banks.
The highly complex plot gives nothing away and keeps you guessing to the last.
October 13, 2017
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.
A shame that after over 240 pages of proper spy-like posturing the end comes quickly and disjointedly.
February 2, 2011
A superior espionage thriller. Packed full of convincing detail and dry wit. A dense plot, but not so overwhelming that you'll get lost in it. Len Deighton's nameless protagonist is more charming than James Bond, just as smart as George Smiley and as cynical as a bullet in the back.
November 8, 2014
Funeral in Berlin is the second in the "Harry Palmer" trilogy and is perhaps the best as it's more believable than The Ipcress File or Billion Dollar Brain.
Deighton's writing here is well crafted and the Berlin scenes, both East and West, are well drawn and come to life.
Deighton's writing here is well crafted and the Berlin scenes, both East and West, are well drawn and come to life.
October 9, 2017
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.
July 18, 2010
Another re-read. Well written, with rich and often amusing descriptions, great eye for detail.Cold War era spy classic which stands up well 50 years on.
Want to read
July 9, 2023This is a spy classic. It's a clever read that will keep you thinking throughout. Small cheat since you never quite have enough information.
An enjoyable and quick read.
An enjoyable and quick read.
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