The Berlin Conspiracy

I recently received a review copy of a Cold War espionage thriller... The Berlin Conspiracy by Tom Gabbay. For a first novel, he did an excellent job. Take yourself back to 1963... Berlin during the Cold War. Jack Teller is a retired CIA agent who decided that life wasn't for him after what happened in Cuba and the Bay of Pigs. His disillusionment has led him to spend his days fishing in southern Florida. But all that changes when his name specifically comes up as the desired contact of an East German agent who has some important information. Nobody, not even Jack, knows why this agent wants him. But he decides to go along for the ride and see what happens. After ditching his handlers to run the contact his own way, he learns that there is a plot to assassinate President Kennedy in Berlin. The unusual twist is that the plot is being run by people in the US government, and it's up to Jack to figure out who is involved and what the motivation might be. He quickly finds out that he's become a loose end that needs to be tied up, and as a result he's being framed to take the fall for the killing. The question becomes not only can Jack stay alive, but can he keep the President from being shot... The whole "who shot Kennedy" conspiracy obviously comes into play here, and Gabbay does a nice job in approaching that from a different angle. The plot line blends pretty seamlessly into historical fact, and it's not a stretch to imagine this particular scenario playing out. This was a recreational read that I found myself looking forward to at nights when I did some reading before falling asleep. I have no doubt that if and when Tom Gabbay writes another novel, it will be on my "to read" list.

Tom Gabbay's fertile mind has created a grabber right out of the gate. I would dare anyone to read the first few pages of this masterfully crafted spy novel and then put it aside. Compared to Le Carre by others, it does indeed have some very intriguing twists and turns, but is written in a much clearer style. And Tom's imagination might have come closer to an actual occurrence than the general public will ever know. I can see this story becoming a movie or TV special sometime in the future

"The Berlin Conspiracy" is a remarkable debut that introduces us to a likeable and genuine hero. The first-person narrative creates a compelling story that the reader gets completely wrapped up in. I couldn't put the book down! A perfect balance between history and story-telling, loaded with plot twists and character development. A truly enjoyable read.

This spy novel has shades of LeCarre, but with more twists and turns, and plenty of action. The setting is Berlin in the early 60s and the characters are very believable and not caricatures. The plot was gripping, and I found it hard to put down. I hope this is the first of a series, featuring the main character.