The background of Riddle of Berlin is an international thriller, similar in overall nature to Ian Fleming or Robert Ludlum books. The actual story lines are about the possibility of redemption of the characters.  I hope that intertwining emotions of real people in the context of a fast-paced, page-turning thriller will be meaningful to readers.  We all seek redemption at various times in our lives.  It is the fundamental element of all religion.  We believe because we hope for redemption.

In Riddle of Berlin, there are nine main characters, each of whom seeks his or her own redemption.  I hope that reader can find a character that feels familiar.  These characters are:

            a. John Jaëgerman — a middle aged man who has lost his way in life and is depressed;

            b.    Carmen Pacifica — a 40ish woman who has escaped her own hell and hopes for new life;

            c.    Lucius Alcorn — vice president of the US (a black Army general in background) who has lost the love of his life (they kept it secret, and she dies heroically in the story) who has greatness on the horizon;

            d.    Daidre Patton — an over-achieving Army Ranger officer who is ready for a life in the open with Lucius, but who give her life to the effort to solve the Riddle of Berlin;

            e.    Moriah Jaëgerman – John’s daughter who believes he is alive and will stop or be thwarted until she achieves her goal (saving her father);

            f.    Nell Jaëgerman — who lost her husband, and comes to terms with the need to move on in life;

g.    Lucy Anton — a high school teacher who finds strength and courage;

            h.    Mark Anton — a over-achieving young man who is victimized

i.    The Lion — the bad guy, who seeks his own salvation, written simply in the Riddle of Berlin which is misunderstood in the throes of horrendous terrorism (that he foments)

The bombings, explosions and violence of the thriller background provide a stage on which these characters can evolve, perhaps even making a good movie.  But the heart and soul of the book is the characters, their struggles, and their denouements.