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New Year's eve 1938 finds John Russel sitting on a fence in Nazi Germany as trainloads of Jewish children are shipped off to England, and tension between the Poles and the Germans mount. The fence he is perched precariously on is one familiar to journalists of any age. Here, up close it's all to easy to see what Hitler is about, but putting it down on paper won't convince anyone who hasn't seen the willingness of the brown shirts to inflict pain, humiliation and death on the Jews. As a journalist he wants to stay so that he can at least write the truth about what he see "between the lines," but he also has a son in German, and a girlfriend he doesn't want to abandon, voluntarily or otherwise.

When the Russians offer John a deal. To write stories about the Nazis that show their better side, it goes against his grain, but may be the only way he can stay in Germany. But it's not the only offer he's going to get, and the intrigue mounts as he tries to stay alive and still be able to face himself. (E.Lilley)

Book Description: By 1939, Anglo-American journalist John Russell has spent over a decade in Berlin, where his son lives with his mother. He writes human-interest pieces for British and American papers, avoiding the investigative journalism that could get him deported. But as World War II approaches, he faces having to leave his son as well as his girlfriend of several years, a beautiful German starlet.

When an acquaintance from his old communist days approaches him to do some work for the Soviets, Russell is reluctant, but he is unable to resist the offer. He becomes involved in other dangerous activities, helping a Jewish family and a determined young American reporter. When the British and the Nazis notice his involvement with the Soviets, Russell is dragged into the murky world of warring intelligence services.

(Source: Soho Press)