Following on from his highly successful novels of political intrigue and tricky diplomatic dealings, Spin Doctor and The British Ambassador, Michael Shea again draws on his long experience as a career diplomat to give us an entertaining new novel dramatically set in the new European centre -- Berlin. Berlin -- located between London, Paris, Warsaw and Moscow -- is the new frontline for global diplomacy. The British embassy personnel in Berlin are consequently the most ambitious, charming and ruthless in the service. Alex Murray is sent to Berlin as the no.2 man to the old-fashioned Ambassador, when the previous head left under mysterious circumstances. Caught between mounting international tensions, in particular the flood of refugees at the Russian border incited by a charismatic leader threatening to overflow into Western Europe and create havoc, and the internal rivalries within the embassy, Alex must negotiate both the external crises and the professional demands of the job as a British diplomat in Berlin. The Berlin Embassy authentically recreates the tensions of embassy life and work, cleverly portraying the 'upstairs-downstairs' ambiance of a profession that deals daily with potential political crises. Taut, compelling and topical, Michael Shea once again delves behind the scenes of international diplomacy, a topic in which he is eminently qualified, and emerges with another fascinating and immensely readable thriller.