Zoo Station (John Russell) and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Buy Used
Used - Good See details
$9.60 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Kindle Edition
 
   
Sell Back Your Copy
For a $1.06 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Zoo Station
 
 
Start reading Zoo Station (John Russell) on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Zoo Station [Hardcover]

David Downing (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $8.99  
Hardcover --  
Paperback $11.20  
Audible Audio Edition, Unabridged $21.95 or Free with Audible 30-day free trial

Book Description

May 1, 2007
Zoo Station is 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

Praise for previous books by David Downing:

“The author combines his erudition with an excellent political imagination. He writes well, clearly and has a nice wit.”—The Sunday Times (London)

“An atmospheric thriller . . . furious pacing.”—Booklist

“An elegant rapid-fire spy story.”—The Virginian-Pilot

“Compulsive reading.”—The Sunday Telegraph (London)

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.

David Downing grew up in suburban London and is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction for adults and children, including The Moscow Option, Russian Revolution 1985, and The Red Eagles. He lives with his wife, an American acupuncturist, in Guildford, England.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in pre-WWII Berlin, Downing's fine new thriller introduces a clever and honorable hero, British journalist John Russell, who has spent 15 years working in Germany. Despite finding the Nazis despicable and war inevitable, Russell wants to remain in Germany to be near his girlfriend, beautiful actress Effi Koenen, and his son, Paul, from whose mother he's divorced. A mysterious Russian hires Russell to write a series of articles praising Nazi achievements, and though he finds this work odious, he figures out a way to make the job palatable by involving the British consulate and their chief intelligence officer. He's drawn increasingly deeper into the espionage web of not only the Russians and British but also the Germans. How he extricates himself from all three and gets revenge on the Nazis will have readers holding their breath. Fortunately, the satisfying ending suggests Downing (The Moscow Option) will bring Russell back in a sequel. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

As the pivotal year 1939 begins, John Russell, a British expatriate, is eking out an existence in Berlin as a freelance journalist. He is trying to keep his head down and play it safe so he can stay in Nazi Germany to be near his young son and his girlfriend--a glamorous yet cynical German movie actress. One afternoon, a Soviet agent approaches him with a business proposal for Russell to write articles putting a positive slant on Germany and to be published in Pravda--ostensibly to prepare the Soviets for a nonaggression pact with Hitler. But soon, both the Nazis and the British become interested in Russell's new business arrangement, and he quickly falls under their hardened scrutiny. After the alleged suicide of a fellow journalist, Russell finds himself in possession of perilous secrets that will tear his peaceful, safe little life apart. This is a quiet but suspenseful tale of an ordinary man living in a dangerous place during a dangerous time who finds within himself the strength to do heroic acts. Michael Gannon
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Soho Press; First Edition edition (May 1, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1569474540
  • ISBN-13: 978-1569474549
  • Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1 x 9.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #849,486 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

46 Reviews
5 star:
 (18)
4 star:
 (13)
3 star:
 (7)
2 star:
 (5)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (46 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 Stars - A Well-Written, Well-Researched "Quiet" Thriller!, June 22, 2007
By 
This review is from: Zoo Station (Hardcover)
As Europe is on the brink of war in 1939, Anglo-American journalist and longtime Berlin resident, John Russell, wants to stay in Germany to be near his German son and his actress-girlfriend. Russell can't resist an offer from an old acquaintance from his "communist" days do some work for the Soviets. Soon after, the Nazi and British intelligence services learn of Russell's involvement with the Soviets, and he is made to do some work for them as well. Downing is an excellent writer, with particular strength in the areas of character development, creating a highly realistic sense of atmosphere of what life was like in pre-WWII Nazi Germany and in weaving the extensive research he did into Zoo Station's storyline. I enjoyed reading Zoo Station for these reasons. However, as a book positioned as a thriller, Zoo Station succeeds in creating slow-building tension, but, for me, did not provide "thrills." That is, there were no action-oriented or suspenseful passages in the story that kept me on the edge of my seat or that made me to put everything else in my life aside in order to keep turning the pages in Zoo Station. If you decide to read Zoo Station -- and it IS worth reading -- be prepared for a more passive, "quiet" type of thriller.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


65 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars ZOO STATION A WONDERFUL PRE- WWII SPY THRILLER BY AUTHOR DAVID DOWNING, May 2, 2007
This review is from: Zoo Station (Hardcover)
Set in Germany Pre WWII, Englishman John Russell was working as a free lance journalist he had already been a long term resident for fifteen years and given that reason had been granted a full accreditation from the Ministry of Propaganda in Berlin. Unlike many of his press corp. colleagues who were now eager to get out, Russell wished to remain in Reich for as long as possible. Most importantly to be with his eleven year old son Paul by his German ex-wife; who lived else where in the city and secondly to stay near his current girlfriend Effi, a beautiful German actress.

New Year's Day 1939 in the early hours, Russell had been approached by an Old Russian communist acquaintance named Shchepkin. He wished to hire Russell's writing skills and make him an offer for extra money with a plan guaranteed to let Russell remain as long as possible in Germany. But this plan of course had more a return favour attached, secret spy work for the Soviets; his cover would be to write positive aspect articles of Nazi achievements for the Russian Newspapers.

Russell had doubts could he trust his old friend or had things changed between them as many years had passed. Russell already found Nazi lives despicable; Geobbles latest Speech on the vibrancy of modern German Culture could not cover the true Nazi reality, Russell already believed war was on its way. Then during early January 1939 the Nazis had brought out more anti-Jewish laws making it so hard now for any to leave. Being a spy didn't seem so unappealing a forced decision was finally made from threats and certain financial needs, but the web of espionage was bigger than he ever anticipated. Russell finds himself caught up in a plot to fight German tactics; a spy for the Russian's and then for the British as for Russell he was just trying to survive all dangers thrown his way these were uncertain times.

This would be my first novel by David Downing and it's a wonderful piece of fiction a quiet spy thriller. Four stars; deducting one because I felt some things were a little bit to convenient for Russell in places. Overall it remains an incredibly well written piece and very well researched. Detailed news stories just months before the war which are mentioned in passing, giving it authenticity. Downing has also kept to the boundaries of historical possibility in writing this and successful shows the pre war glitter and darkness of Berlin on the eve of WWII. Characterisations are shown very strong throughout; Russell and Effi both characters are well written Russell is loaded to the brim cynically but remains likeable. What I thought was fantastic was the conversations between Russell and other Foreign Correspondents, full of insightfulness; with lots of witty comments thrown in.

This first book was certainly written to lead you into the next, congratulations David Downing, I will be moving onto the second in the series Silesian Station.

Highly Recommended.

Andrea Bowhill
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars readable and atmospheric, August 4, 2008
This review is from: Zoo Station (Paperback)
I found this to be a readable page-turner. Although it is not up there with the best of Furst, Silva, et.al., it is literate, full of interesting characters, and depicts the atmosphere of the Nazi period in Berlin. I thought the Russell character could have been better developed, especially the politics involved between father and son. The depiction of how young people were socialized in Hitler's Germany was fascinating but I thought that more could have been made of Russell's reactions to his son's education. That said, I very much enjoyed reading this and will read the sequel.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
station buffet
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Frau Heidegger, Frau Wiesner, Zoo Station, Fran Heidegger, Eva Wiesner, John Russell, Herr Russell, Doug Conway, Hallesches Tor, Neue Konigstrasse, New York, Felix Wiesner, Nazi Germany, Sturmbannführer Kleist, Theresa Jürissen, Fran Wiesner, Hitler Youth, Charing Cross, Daily Mail, Germany's Neighbours, Irina Borskaya, Labor Front, Martin Chuzzlewit, National Socialism, Rynek Glówny
New!
Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
WWII novels 0 Mar 15, 2008
See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list



Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject