The Ratcatcher of Berlin by James Stejskal
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The Ratcatcher of Berlin
Berlin 1957. In a Cold War city awash in intrigue, tension builds between the Soviet and the Allied occupation forces. Amid this conflict, two Americans, a CIA officer and a Special Forces soldier, make an uneasy pact to find a killer together, a pact that requires them to play a deadly game in the grim shadows of communist East Berlin. It’s a tale of “gunpowder, treason, and plot” in a city of uncertain and deceptive alliances, a cast of flawed and dangerous characters, and its own share of red herrings.
“In this electrifying prequel to Dead Hand and the fifth installment in The Snake Eater Chronicles, James Stejskal plunges readers into the shadowy origins of a clandestine American Special Forces unit operating behind enemy lines at the height of the Cold War.”
Berlin, 1957. A city split in two, teetering on the edge of conflict. Soviet and Allied forces glare at each other across barbed wire and crumbling streets, while spies, traitors, and assassins move unseen in the murky half-light. When a brutal murder threatens to ignite an international crisis, an uneasy alliance is forged: a hardened CIA officer and a Special Forces operative, each with his own secrets, must track the killer through the deadliest streets in Europe—those of communist East Berlin.
In a world where trust is a commodity and betrayal is currency, the hunt will force them into a high-stakes game of deception, where every move could be their last. Gunpowder, treason, and plot—in a city where no one is innocent.
The Ratcatcher of Berlin delivers a pulse-pounding blend of espionage, danger, and betrayal, cementing Stejskal’s reputation as a master of the espionage thriller.”
To purchase a copy of The Ratcatcher of Berlin, click the following link: Amazon
Praise for The Ratcatcher of Berlin:
“I love the way James Stejskal found a way to write about Berlin that is new, even as we’re reading about events 70 years ago. It’s a real joy for people who love a proper espionage story.”
— Charles Beaumont, former MI6 operative, author of A Spy Alone and A Spy at War.
“I smell the soot, the cigarettes, taste the beer, and I feel the sweat on the back of my neck as I hear footsteps behind me in the dark cobbled passages as Stejskal effortlessly transports me to Soviet East Berlin, the fall of 1958.”
— Michael Frost Beckner, screenwriter of “Spy Game” and creator of the TV series “The Agency,” author of the Spy Game Aiken Trilogy and Kaleidoscope serial.
“Ratcatcher brings to life Cold War Berlin as only a former intelligence officer, military historian, and espionage novelist can.”
— Doug Stanton, #1 New York Times best selling author, Horse Soldiers and In Harms Way
“The inclusion of the legendary East German spymaster Markus Wolf in a conclusion worthy of an East-West Casablanca caught my breath and played out like a cinematic pastiche of the very best spy dramas.”
— James C. Lawler, former Senior CIA Operations Officer; Author of Living Lies, In the Twinkling of an Eye, and The Traitor’s Tale
“Taut, gripping, and packed with intrigue, all of James Stejskal’s trademark authenticity is on full display.”
— Stephen England, author of the bestselling Shadow Warriors thriller series
“Gripping suspense, appealing characters, and an insider’s familiarity with clandestine operations make his realistic novels first rate spy fiction.”
— Paul Vidich, NYT bestselling author of Beirut Station and Matchmaker
Praise for a Question of Time:
“The definitive novel on Special Forces operations behind the Wall. Stejskal succeeds in conveying the urgency, stakes, machinations, and intrigue of the Cold War.”
— I.S. Berry, author, The Peacock and the Sparrow
The Ratcatcher of Berlin
by James Stejskal
As a historian, I find the benefit of research is that it opens up rabbit holes which lead to new and interesting stories. Those stories often find their way into my books but occasionally, a tale might just be too good to be true. A comrade told me of an incident that allegedly took place in late-1950s Berlin, but I couldn’t corroborate his story, so it wasn’t included in my history of Special Forces Berlin.
Several years later, tidbits I had pulled from the basement file vault of the East German Ministry of State Security aka the “Stasi” in Berlin gave me such a live-wire shock of realization that my friend’s story was one that needed to be told.
My latest espionage thriller takes those leads and runs with them, not as history — as fiction. It remains mostly true to the story I heard long ago and is aided by the secret files from the “other side.”
The Ratcatcher of Berlin is a tale of “gunpowder, treason, and plot” in a city of uncertain and deceptive alliances, a cast of flawed and dangerous characters, and good bit of Cold War action.
Here’s a short preview:
Berlin, 1957. A city split in two, teetering on the edge of conflict. Soviet and Allied forces glare at each other across barbed wire and crumbling streets, while spies, traitors, and assassins move unseen in the murky half-light. When a brutal murder threatens to ignite an international crisis, an uneasy alliance is forged: a hardened CIA officer and a Special Forces operative, each with his own secrets, must track the killer through the deadliest streets in Europe—those of communist East Berlin.
In a world where trust is a commodity and betrayal is currency, the hunt will force them into a high-stakes game of deception, where every move could be their last. Gunpowder, treason, and plot—in a city where no one is innocent.
The Ratcatcher of Berlin will be published by Double Dagger on April 29, 2025.
The Ratcatcher of Berlin Author James Stejskal
James Stejskal spent 35 years as a “Green Beret” and CIA case officer living and conducting operations around the world during the Cold War and after 9/11.
He has written five military history books, along with numerous articles, and received accolades for his book Masters of Mayhem: Lawrence of Arabia and the British Military Mission to the Hejaz.
His historical-fiction “Snake Eater Chronicles” espionage/spec ops books center on intelligence and special operations, including A Question of Time, Appointment in Tehran, Direct Legacy, Dead Hand and, now, The Ratcatcher of Berlin.
To learn more about James, click any of the following links: Amazon, Facebook, and his Website.
Elena Hartwell/Elena Taylor
Header image from Pixabay
