Set in the years after WW II as the Cold War was just starting to be felt, Dying Day by Robert Ryan is an espionage novel that is atmospheric, clever and intricate. In 1944 SOE agent Diana McGill is flown into occupied France and disappears. Three years after the war, her sister, Laura, who also worked as an operative during the war, has decided to take matters into her own hands and find out what really happened to her sister. This was a very dangerous time as various countries were scrambling for power and control. On the brink of Cold War, Laura needs to act quickly or any information will be impossible to obtain. Her first stop is Berlin, where the man that sent Diana on her last mission is currently operating, and that city is full of the chaos and trickery that broke out at the close of World War II.

I had previously read The Last Sunrise by this author and some of the characters from that book also make an appearance here as the Berlin Airlift plays an important part. The author delivers a first class espionage story full of plot twists and turns. His characters are well drawn, and his research is first rate. The story is based on actual case files which gives it an added layer of authenticity. This is a detailed look at how the front lines of the shadow war were formed, and how both influence and control was being courted by both east and west.

Robert Ryan is an expert at detailing the world of spies. Dying Day captures the 1948 atmosphere of Berlin where clandestine activities mixed with geopolitical tension ran riot. Both entertaining and informative, I enjoyed this story of lies, deceit and the search for the truth. ( )