The Matchmaker by Paul Vidich
Berlin, 1989. Anne Simpson, an American who works as a translator at the Joint Operations Refugee Committee, thinks she is in a normal marriage with a charming East German. But then her husband disappears and the CIA and Western German intelligence arrive at her door. Nothing about her marriage is as it seems.
Anne had been targeted by the Matchmaker - a high level East German counterintelligence officer - who runs a network of Stasi agents. These agents are his 'Romeos' who marry vulnerable women in West Berlin to provide them with cover as they report back to the Matchmaker. Anne has been married to a spy, and now he has disappeared, and is presumably dead.
The CIA are desperate to find the Matchmaker because of his close ties to the KGB. They believe he can establish the truth about a high-ranking Soviet defector. They need Anne because she's the only person who has seen his face - from a photograph that her husband mistakenly left out in his office - and she is the CIA's best chance to identify him before the Matchmaker escapes to Moscow.
Time is running out as the Berlin Wall falls and chaos engulfs East Germany. But what if Anne's husband is not dead? And what if Anne has her own motives for finding the Matchmaker to deliver a different type of justice?
About the author
Paul Vidich has had a distinguished career in music and media. Most recently, he served as Special Advisor to AOL and was Executive Vice President at the Warner Music Group, in charge of technology and global strategy. He serves on the Board of Directors of Poets & Writers and The New School for Social Research. A founder and publisher of the Storyville App, Vidich is also an award-winning author of short fiction. His novels, An Honorable Man, The Good Assassin and The Coldest Warrior, are available from No Exit Press.
Review
‘The Matchmaker’ is a a fascinating look into the dying days of the Cold War in Berlin as the wall falls. What makes this book stand out for me when compared to others in this genre, is the fact that it based on a real Soviet programme during the Cold War and Vidich’s work feels all the more realistic due to this. I found it a riveting story with a strong narrative and a style of writing that transports you back in time.
There is one scene in particular that I found to be painted vividly in my mind and that is when a character is running across the ‘no mans land’ to the wall wondering if they will be shot. Imagine being that person who is the in the first handful of people trying to cross the wall into West Germany on the night the wall fell - the fear they must have felt and the hope and courage they must have possessed to attempt what was at the time such an audacious action?! This is part of why I love historical fiction as it has the power to transport the reader and open up an inquisitive mind. I love when a book makes me google even when it is a subject I actually know quite a lot about. It means the writer has made me question, want to learn more and that is the sign of a great writer.
As much as I loved this book I couldn't quite gel with Anne’s character - she was a bit too restrained for me. I think there should have been a bit more anger and irrationality in her but I did feel empathy towards her. She is a strong character and I loved the scenes between her and Petra. What I did adore about the book where the descriptions of Berlin and the differences between East and West. These little bits of description really managed to paint the scene for the reader and place them right into the action of the story.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
