Fictional Characters in Order of appearance


  • Vincent Russel, a partner in a company quietly dealing with issues for governments or business.
  • Duff Stewart, a Canadian Lieutenant hoping to avoid active service. He’ll be assigned to American forces for a secret mission, witness the death camps and be posted to the occupation armies in Berlin.
  • Bert Thompson, the managing editor of a fictional Ottawa newspaper.
  • Todd Aiken, a reporter with the same paper.
  • Tim Murphy, a Canadian sergeant and associate of Stewart, posted to duty in North West Europe, Holland and Berlin.
  • Ben Wiley, American army officer and Washington based associate of Vincent Russel.
  • Greta Heinzel, a German national enroute to visit her sister in Dresden.
  • Henrich Steinbergen, estate manager for Greta.
  • Karin Werner, another German national and cousin to Greta. She’ll witness the end of the Third Reich, the arrival of occupation forces in Berlin and eventually find temporary work with Allied administrators,
  • Evers and Maria Chance, a couple with extensive background in intelligence for business and governments.
  • Colonel Peter Petrenkov, a Russian officer with intelligence connections.
  • Herman Hauptmann, Werner’s supervisor in a record office.
  • Shroeder,a world war one veteran and the young teenager Carl, two fellow residents of Karin’s Berlin bomb shelter.
  • Mayor Vanderkirk, a Dutch mayor.
  • Bill Riggert,a Canadian Civil Servant.
  • Major Ben Cooper, American army officer later a member of T-Force.
  • Zev, the Jewish aide to Colonel Petrenkov.
  • Tiny Barnett, British officer, friend of Evers Chance, who has long time intelligence connections.
  • Dieter Krause, a death camp administrator.
  • Inga, German woman who turns to prostitution and works with Murphy to survive.
  • Captain James Quimby, American Intelligence officer.
  • Conrad Levine, Zurich lawyer and various Zurich bankers who help Karin trace an inheritance.
  • Andrew Potter, Canadian army officer assigned to investigation of war crimes.
  •  Johan Meisel, former SS officer, who refuses to believe the war is over.
  • Saul Bronstein, jeweler with connections to Israeli Defense forces.
  • Herr Altmann, former German army officer and Berlin policeman who may have ties to Neo-Nazi’s.
  • George Belton, Canadian Immigration official.
  • Gallagher and Liam, Canadian immigration officers in Halifax.
  • Walter Nesbitt, a lawyer who settles Karin’s inheritance in Canada.

 

For Further Reading


On WW2 and Berlin:


  1. The German War, A Nation under Arms, 1939-1946, Nicholas Stargardt, 2015.
  2. The Long Road Home, the Aftermath of the Second World War, Ben Shephard, 2011.
  3. Bloodlands, Europe between Hitler and Stalin, Timothy Synder, 2012.
  4. Year Zero, a History of 1945, Ian Buruma, 2013.


On the Cold war and Igor Gouzenko:


  1. The Making of a Spy, Gordon Lunan, 1995.
  2. Gouzenko, The Untold Story, John Sawatsky, 1984.
  3. How the Cold War Began, Amy Knight, 2005.