in 1930 historian Archie Laverick, scarred mentally and physically by the Great War, travels to Berlin to research a famed Prussian general.
His quiet study is shattered when he crosses paths with Esme Carmichael, a spirited young American intent on making her name as a foreign correspondent.
When a shooting at a Saxon castle leaves a young Jewish woman accused of murder, Archie and Esme are drawn into a perilous hunt for the truth.
Their investigation cuts through the glittering façades and lingering scars of a nation still reeling from war – where resentment simmers, political alliances shift, and the first shadows of a new conflict fall across Europe.
Amid whispers of blackmail and betrayal, the pair must navigate intrigue and danger to unmask a killer hiding in plain sight.
Operation Berlin by Michael Ridpath is published on 12 April, 2026.
See what other historical fiction is coming out in 2026 in our summary of more than 130 books published this year.
