# Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon (Paperback)

**'Up there with the very best . . . Kanon writes beautifully, superbly . . . He is the master of the shadows of the era' _THE TIMES_  
  
From the author of _The Good German_ (made into a film starring George Clooney), _Leaving Berlin_ is a sweeping post-war story and an international bestseller.**  
  
**Berlin** is still in ruins almost four years after the war, caught between political idealism and the harsh realities of Soviet occupation. **Alex Meier** is a young Jewish writer who fled the Nazis for America before the war. Now, the politics of his youth have left him embroiled in the McCarthy witch-hunts. Faced with deportation and the loss of his family, Alex makes a desperate bargain with the fledgling **CIA**: he will earn his way back to America by acting as their agent in his native **Berlin**.  
  
**But almost from the start things go fatally wrong. Espionage, like the black market, is still a way of life.  
  
PRAISE FOR _LEAVING BERLIN_:**  
  
'An **unforgettable** picture of a city wrecked by defeat and betrayal. **Brilliant**' **_THE TIMES_**  
  
'_Leaving Berlin_ is hauntingly and beautifully written. You're going to love it . . . Falling into the book is like falling into a vice; it grips you, pitilessly, until the last page' **RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB**  
  
'**Hugely** **exciting**' **_DAILY TELEGRAPH_**  
  
'One of the **most exciting books** I've read in years' **ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH, author of** _**The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency**_ **series**  
  
'Brings the **hardships and moral decay** of post-war Berlin to life in **glorious detail**' **_DAILY EXPRESS_**

## Details

- **Price:** 8.99 GBP
- **Vendor:** Simon & Schuster
- **Tags:** All, thrillers

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 8.99 GBP | In stock |

## Images

- Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon book cover

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> Source: [Somiibooks](https://somiibooks.com/products/leaving-berlin-joseph-kanon-9781471137068)
> Updated: 2026-09-12