The Berlin Enigma

Book excerpt: As John Harrington grew older, he sat down with his daughter to share the story of his life. What she learned made her rethink the man who had raised her. The tale begins with his childhood in the Australian outback, and follows his immigration to England and enrollment in the British Forces in 1914. After being injured in France, he is hired by the British Foreign Office, which sends him to Berlin as a passport clerk in the 1930s. For the next ten years, he lives in a world of intrigue and espionage as the Nazi regime grows stronger around him. This is a compelling inside look at the rise of Nazism in the 1930s, from subtle changes in the people’s everyday behaviour to Hitler’s sinister consolidation of power. It is an eyewitness account of an era we all read about, but rarely experience with such a personal touch. Having promised not to release the story until after his passing, D.F. Harrington now shares her father’s remarkable life, which will change the way we understand the Second World War and the impact one person can have on history.