To Climb Cold War Mountains by Gary R Hall is an action/thriller novel filled with plenty of drama to keep you hooked to the story. Peter and Trudi Ackerman had a mission: rescue NATO Agent Gerdt Mintert before things got messy with the STASI. The rescue mission was supposed to be simple; however, things got a little complicated when the East-West Berlin border was closed. Unsure of their escape route, the group was not prepared for the future. However, help came in the form of a STASI agent who was ready to help them as long as he got out of the country as well. But the hurdles were not over. Peter was separated from the group at the worst possible moment, and he might not make it back to the group in time. Was Peter going to make it back to Trudi in time, or was this the end of the road for him?

Wow, the intensity of the action had me hooked to the story from the very beginning. Peter and Trudi were a great pair of protagonists to drive the story forward and make it entertaining. Gary R Hall’s descriptions of East Germany were incredibly vivid. However, it was how the author explained and described the desperation and the almost-panic the characters faced that made the story more entertaining for me. I loved how all the characters were human enough for me to relate to them. There was never a disconnect between me and all the characters. The dialogues were brilliant, especially the ones belonging to Stellman. The sarcasm and the sass made them enjoyable and refreshing. To Climb Cold War Mountains is a brilliant novel.

To Climb Cold War Mountains by Gary R. Hall is a novel with strong historical themes, set in the Cold War Era. Peter Ackerman sets out for East Germany with his wife Trudi to rescue an agent who is thought to have been discovered by the STASI. It is a mission that becomes more complicated with each step they take. Joined by a German-born Soviet helicopter pilot, the characters are pursued by the intrepid STASI Agent Stellman. The dangerous adventure takes the characters from East Germany to Czechoslovakia and West Germany. Separated from his wife, will Peter be reunited with Trudi as each of them struggles to make it safely to the West?

One of the things I enjoyed about To Climb Cold War Mountains was the author’s ability to capture the historical elements of the story, giving readers a strong feel of Cold War East Germany and the fear inspired by the STASI. For example, there is a chilling moment when one of their agents defects and joins those fleeing the territory for fear of the punishment that he could receive for a failed assignment. References to the historical Berlin Wall and the Modus Operandi of the STASI are deftly included. The characters are elaborately written, believable and likable, and readers will particularly enjoy the way the central couple is developed. The author’s gift for plot shines through the narrative with moments that are tense and unpredictable and twists that are unexpected. It is profoundly moving, filled with adventure, and brimming with realism. To Climb Cold War Mountains is an excellent read for fans of stories with strong political and historical settings and unforgettable characters. Gary R. Hall’s dazzling prose elevates the quality of entertainment.

To Climb Cold War Mountains by Gary R Hall is an exciting and dramatic representation of an escape from East Germany at the height of the Cold War. Peter Ackerman and his wife Trudi are both escapees from the German Sudetenland of post-war Czechoslovakia. Now working for the American Special Forces, Peter had rescued Trudi, his childhood friend, several years earlier and the pair of them, along with their specially trained dog, Zara, are tasked with returning to East Germany, through Czechoslovakia, to rescue an American asset, Gerdt Mintert, under suspicion by the East German Secret Police, the Stasi, along with Gert’s nephew and niece. For Trudi and Peter, this work for the American government is their way of proving to the world that not all Germans were rabid, Hitler-following monsters. This is critical for them as they climb their own personal mountains of redemption for the immoral and evil actions of some Germans during the war, including Trudi’s own father.

To Climb Cold War Mountains reads very much like a factual report of a critical mission rather than a fanciful fictional story and this definitely serves to add gravitas and reality to the tale. I have no doubt this was the intent of author Gary R Hall in writing this piece and I can say he definitely succeeded in this respect. The author’s knowledge of locations, procedures, personnel, and equipment of the time comes shining through every paragraph of the text, and as a reader, it is easy to accept this as a factual account. I particularly enjoyed the two main characters’ analysis of their reasons for doing this intensely dangerous work. It was incredibly easy to feel the suspicion and fear that was inherent in East German civilian life at the time, as the city of Berlin was about to be partitioned by a permanent wall. The descriptive detail of the long and hazardous trek through East Germany and then Czechoslovakia was riveting and kept me turning pages long after I should have retired for the evening. This is a fascinating insight into Cold War life in the East, as well as the extreme tensions on both sides of the Iron Curtain at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and can highly recommend it.