David Downing grew up in suburban London. He is the author of numerous books for adults and children, including four novels featuring Anglo-American journalist John Russell. He lives with his wife, an American acupuncturist, in Guildford, England.
Praise for "Potsdam Station"
"John Russell has always been in the thick of things in David
Downing's powerful historical novels set largely in Berlin . . .
Downing provides no platform for debate in this unsentimental
novel, leaving his hero to ponder the ethics of his pragmatic
choices while surveying the ground level horrors to be seen in
Berlin."
--"The New York Times Book Review
"
"Reminiscent of Woody Allen's Zelig, Russell, the hero of Downing's
espionage series, can't seem to resist inserting himself into
climactic moments of the 20th century ... Downing has been classed
in the elite company of literary spy masters Alan Furst and Philip
Kerr ... that flattering comparison is generally justified. If
Downing is light on character study, he's brilliant at evoking even
the smallest details of wartime Berlin on its last legs.... Given
the limited cast of characters, Downing must draw on almost
Dickensian reserves of coincidences and close calls to sustain the
suspense of his basic hide-and-seek story line. That he does
ingeniously. It helps to read Downing's novels in order, but if
"Potsdam Station" is your first foray into Russell's escapades, be
forewarned that you may soon feel compelled to undertake a literary
reconnaissance mission to retrieve and read the earlier books."
--"Washington Post"
"The echo of the Allied bombings and the crash of the boots of the
invading Russians permeate the pages in which David Downing vividly
does justice to the drama... The book is a reminder of what
happened and those who allowed it to happen...The book lives up to
the others in the Russell series, serving as yet one more reminder
of a world too many have entirely forgotten."
--"Washington Times
"
"Downing is brilliant at weaving history and fiction, and this
plot, with its twists and turns--all under the terrible bombardment
of Berlin and the Third Reich's death throes--is as suspenseful as
they come. The end, with another twist, is equall
Praise for "Potsdam Station"
"Reminiscent of Woody Allen's Zelig, Russell, the hero of Downing's
espionage series, can't seem to resist inserting himself into
climactic moments of the 20th century ... Downing has been classed
in the elite company of literary spy masters Alan Furst and Philip
Kerr ... that flattering comparison is generally justified. If
Downing is light on character study, he's brilliant at evoking even
the smallest details of wartime Berlin on its last legs.... Given
the limited cast of characters, Downing must draw on almost
Dickensian reserves of coincidences and close calls to sustain the
suspense of his basic hide-and-seek story line. That he does
ingeniously. It helps to read Downing's novels in order, but if
"Potsdam Station" is your first foray into Russell's escapades, be
forewarned that you may soon feel compelled to undertake a literary
reconnaissance mission to retrieve and read the earlier
books."--"Washington Post"
"The echo of the Allied b
Praise for the John Russell Series:
"Will have readers clamoring for a sequel."--"BookPage"
" "
"An extraordinary evocation of Nazi Germany on the eve of war, the
smell of cruelty seeping through the clean modern surface."--C. J.
Sansom, author of "Revelation"
" "
"Wonderful.... Downing's mingling of history and thrills makes this
a must read."--"Rocky Mountain News"
" "
"A beautifully crafted and compelling thriller with a
heart-stopping ending as John Russell learns the personal faces of
good and evil. An unforgettable read."--Charles Todd, author of the
Inspector Ian Rutledge Series
"An atmospheric tale."--"St. Petersburg Times"
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