Spymaster: The Real-Life Karla, His Moles, and the East German Secret Police

Evoking a style and mood worthy of John le Carre, journalist Colitt has written more than a mere biography of a master spy. As a longtime Berlin correspondent for the Financial Times of London, Colitt memorably depicts the gritty and dangerous milieu of Cold War Germany. Espionage and intrigue were part of the backdrop to daily life, and within that setting, Markus Wolf flourished. Wolf was the deputy minister of the Stasi, East Germany's notorious secret police, and he organized a web of agents that operated throughout Europe. Colitt relied on interviews (including several with Wolf himself) and influential contacts to construct this engrossing tale of Wolf's life, from his bleak childhood to his aborted trial in 1994. Because Wolf is the reputed model for le Carre's evil genius Karla, this book will appeal to devotees of espionage thrillers, while academic readers will appreciate the historical and political insights. Wolf is also profiled in Jeffrey T. Richardson's recent study, A Century of Spies (LJ 8/95).--Thomas Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, Pa.