David Downing Books In Order

John Russell & Effi Koenen Books In Publication Order

  1. Zoo Station (2007)
  2. Silesian Station (2008)
  3. Stettin Station (2009)
  4. Potsdam Station (2010)
  5. Lehrter Station (2012)
  6. Masaryk Station (2013)
  7. Wedding Station (2021)

Jack McColl Books In Publication Order

  1. Jack of Spies (2013)
  2. One Man’s Flag (2015)
  3. Lenin’s Roller Coaster (2017)
  4. The Dark Clouds Shining (2018)

Leading Lives Books In Publication Order

  1. Joseph Stalin (2001)
  2. Benito Mussolini (2001)
  3. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (2002)
  4. Mohandas Gandhi (2002)
  5. Emmeline Pankhurst (2002)
  6. Ho Chi Minh (2003)
  7. Che Guevara (2003)
  8. Lenin (2020)

Standalone Novels In Publication Order

  1. The Moscow Option (1980)
  2. The Red Eagles (2014)
  3. Diary of a Dead Man on Leave (2019)

Non-Fiction Books In Publication Order

  1. Future Rock (1976)
  2. Clint Eastwood (1977)
  3. The Devil’s Virtuosos (1977)
  4. War Without End, Peace Without Hope (1978)
  5. Charles Bronson (1982)
  6. Jack Nicholson (1983)
  7. Marlon Brando (1984)
  8. Robert Redford (1985)
  9. Robert Mitchum (1986)
  10. A Dreamer Of Pictures (1995)
  11. Passovotchka (1999)
  12. The Best of Enemies (2000)
  13. Yasser Arafat (2002)
  14. Sealing Their Fate (2009)

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David Downing Books Overview

Zoo Station

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 Na*zis 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.

Silesian Station

Praise for David Downing:

‘ Downing ‘s excellent at building suspense…
and shows a keen eye for describing people and places.’ Sacramento Bee

‘An extraordinary evocation of Na*zi Germany on the eve of war, the smell of cruelty seeping through the clean modern surface.’ C. J. Sansom, author of Sovereign

Summer, 1939. British journalist John Russell has just been granted American citizenship in exchange for agreeing to work for American intelligence when his girlfriend Effi is arrested by the Gestapo. Russell hoped his new nationality would let him safely stay in Berlin with Effi and his son, but now he’s being blackmailed. To free Effi, he must agree to work for the Na*zis. They know he has Soviet connections and want him to pass them false intelligence. Russell consents, but secretly offers his services to the Soviets instead not for anything too dangerous, though, and only if they’ll sneak him and Effi out of Germany if necessary.

It’s a good plan, but soon things become complicated. A Jewish girl has vanished, and Russell feels compelled to search for her. A woman from his past, a communist, reappears, insisting he help her reconnect with the Soviets, who turn out to demand more than Russell hoped. Meanwhile, Europe lurches toward war, and he must follow the latest stories to places where American espionage assignments await him.

David Downing is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction for adults and children, including Zoo Station, the first novel featuring John Russell. He lives in Guildford, England.

Stettin Station

Praise for the John Russell series: Will have readers clamoring for a sequel. BookPage A finely drawn portrait of the capital of a nation marching in step toward disaster. St. Louis Post Dispatch 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 A Duty to the Dead Wonderful…
. Downing’s mingling of history and thrills makes this a must read. Rocky Mountain News An extraordinary evocation of Na*zi Germany on the eve of war, the smell of cruelty seeping through the clean modern surface. C. J. Sansom, author of Revelation An atmospheric tale. St. Petersburg Times A welcome new addition to the historical suspense genre…
. Downing’s excellent at building suspense…
and shows a keen eye for describing people and places. The Sacramento Bee A page turner. The Palm Beach Post In the fall of 1941, Anglo American journalist John Russell is still living in Berlin, tied to the increasingly alien city by his love for two Berliners: his fourteen year old son Paul and his longtime girlfriend Effi. Forced to work for both German and American intelligence, he s searching for a way out of Germany. Can he escape and take Effi with him? David Downing grew up in suburban London. He is the author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction for both adults and children, including two previous books featuring John Russell Zoo Station and Silesian Station. He lives with his wife, an American acupuncturist, in Guildford, England.

Potsdam Station

In April 1945, Hitler’s Reich is on the verge of extinction. Assaulted by Allied bombs and Soviet shells, ruled by Na*zis with nothing to lose, Berlin has become the most dangerous place on earth. John Russell s son Paul is stationed on the Eastern Front with the German Army, awaiting the Soviets final onslaught. In Berlin, Russell s girlfriend Effi has been living in disguise, helping fugitives to escape from Germany. With a Jewish orphan to care for, she s trying to outlast the Na*zis. Russell hasn t heard from either of them since fleeing Germany in 1941. He is desperate to find out if they re alive and to protect them from the advancing Red Army. He flies to Moscow, seeking permission to enter Berlin with the Red Army as a journalist, but when the Soviet s arrest him as a spy, things look bleak until they find a use for him that has him parachuting into Berlin behind German lines.

Joseph Stalin

This title explores the life of Josef Stalin. It examines his early years, his studies and interests, his professional life, his low points and his legacy. The volume contains: feature panels detailing the lives of colleagues, rivals and others, sources, quotes and eyewitness accounts; further reading and web sites; and a timeline and maps. It is part of the ‘Leading Lives’ series. An underlying theme throughout this series is whether an individual can change the course of history.

Benito Mussolini

This title explores the life of Benito Mussolini. It examines his early years, his studies and interests, his professional life, his low points and his legacy. The volume contains: feature panels detailing the lives of colleagues, rivals and others, sources, quotes and eyewitness accounts; further reading and web sites; and a timeline and maps. It is part of the ‘Leading Lives’ series. An underlying theme throughout this series is whether an individual can change the course of history.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

Follows the life of the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, who became the first head of the Soviet state.

Mohandas Gandhi

One of a series on key leaders in history, which explores their lives and achievements. Each book examines the person’s early years, studies and interests, professional life, low points, and their legacy. An underlying theme is whether an individual can change the course of history.

Che Guevara

‘Leading Lives’ covers key leaders in history and explores their lives and achievements. Each book examines the person’s early years, studies and interests, professional life, low points, and considers the links between that individual and the history and events of the time. An underlying teme is whether an individual can change the course of history.

The Moscow Option

This provocative alternate history looks at World War II from a new angle what might have happened had the Germans taken Moscow in 1941. Based on authentic history and real possibilities, this book plays out the dramatic consequences of opportunities taken and examines the grotesque possibilities of a Third Reich triumphant. On September 30th, 1941, the Germans fight their way into the ruins of Moscow, and the Soviet Union collapses. Although Russian resistance continues, German ambition multiplies after this signal victory and offensives are launched in Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Hitler’s armies, assured of success, make their leader’s dreams reality, and Allied hopes of victory seem to be hopelessly doomed. David Downing’s writing is fluid and eminently believable, as he blends actual events with the intriguing possibilities of alternate history. The Moscow Option is a chilling reminder that the course of World War II might easily have run very differently.

A Dreamer Of Pictures

Neil Young is arguably the only rock performer and songwriter whose work has retained the respect of a large following while gaining the allegiance of new generations. He has demonstrated a unique ability to combine commercial success with a willful experimentation. His music has encompassed almost every American popular style, from folk to metal, from rockabilly to punk, from rhythm and blues to country; and it is his restless pursuit of new challenges that has led on the one hand to his recognition as one of the few stars who refuses to ‘sell out,’ and on the other hand to his being sued by his record company for making albums that were not ‘characteristic of Neil Young.’ In A Dreamer Of Pictures, David Downing paints an illuminating and entertaining portrait of this contradictory and enigmatic figure. Here we see his childhood in Canada and his first forays into musicmaking; his ups and downs with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and Crazy Horse; the privations and excesses of life on the road; his unconventional filmmaking and fundraising ventures; his often absurd political pronouncements; his two marriages; his involvement with his younger son’s therapy to combat cerebral palsy; and his continuing musical evolution. Neil Young has taken rock beyond generational boundaries and has helped to establish it as a unique art form; A Dreamer Of Pictures is thus a portrait not only of Young, but of rock itself.

Passovotchka

In November 1945, a party from Moscow Dynamo FC travelled to Britain to play four matches against top British teams. They departed 33 days later, leaving a trail of controversy in their unbeaten wake. Nothing went smoothly on this tour, and throughout, the Russians were involved in disputes with the FA, the British clubs, the match referees, and the press. With the Cold War not yet begun, Russia was still Britain’s ally and everyone claimed to want to keep politics out of sport. But the Soviet authorities were clearly anxious that Dynamo’s performance should reflect well on the State; and there were many in the British press eager to make political capital out of the controversy surrounding the tour. The book contains a blow by blow account of the tour itself; a history of the Moscow Dynamo club, and a discussion of the state of British football at the end of the war, including those aspects of the game style of play, training methods, the issue of professionalism which the Dynamo tour brought into question.

The Best of Enemies

An England vs. Germany football match is one of the most passionate and controversial sporting events there is whether it’s a club match or international. In this book, David Downing examines the history of such clashes, unearthing the stories, the statistics, and the footballing trends.

Yasser Arafat

An exploration of the life and achievements of Yasser Arafat. The book examines his early years, studies and interests and then as*sesses his professional life, its low points and their legacy. An underlying theme throughout the ‘Leading Lives’ series is to look at whether an individual can change the course of history. The book contains: feature panels detailing the lives of colleagues and rivals; a timeline and maps; further reading and websites; a glossary and index.

Sealing Their Fate

As the Japanese fleet prepared to sail from Japan to Pearl Harbor, the German army was launching its final desperate assault on Moscow, while the British were planning a decisive blow against Rommel in North Africa. The British conquered the desert, the Germans succumbed to Moscow’s winter, and the Japanese awakened the sleeping giant of American might. In just three weeks, from November 17 to December 8, the course of World War II was decided and the fate of Germany and Japan was sealed.

With new insight and a fresh perspective, David Downing tells the story of these crucial days, shifting the riveting narrative from snowbound Russian villages to the stormy northern Pacific, from the North African desert to Europe s warring capitals, and from Tokyo to Washington.

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