Guest Post by Peter Riva, author of The Berlin Package

Peter Riva, author of Murder on Safari and The Berlin Package talks about his books and experiences!

One of the things I regret in writing the book The Berlin Package, was that my editor removed some of the fun food sections. Okay, they were not so integral to the plot, but I managed to leave some of them in, like the Saanen hotel dinner and the restaurant in Berlin, because, well, heck, when I travel, food plays a big part.

Okay, sometimes the food is not all about my appetite but the animals around me… This giraffe was in Kenya in the mid-80s

Sometimes it’s just me feeding the cows early in the morning.

Okay, back to the book… everything in the book, insofar as place and travel are concerned, have formed part of my life for over 50 years. Some has changed more recently, and I am always amazed how much Europe stays the same even though parts change. You can no longer get the train for Paris from the Zoo Gardens station as they have built one of the world’s most wonderful train stations in central Berlin now. The Russian train still comes through and, yes, the little mother is still in charge of the sleeper. Waking up in Paris with the thought of warm fresh croissants and a cup of hot cocoa to dip them in … darn, food again.

Where was I?

Ah yes, the book… the facts in the book are accurate. Aren’t the Stasi frightening? And yes, we have Nazi concentration camp gold in the Federal Reserve in lower Manhattan… although everyone wishes we didn’t. And yes, some gold recovered from a mine shaft in Austria (a salt mine) was found to be radioactive in the ‘80s… which is what gave me the idea. Imagine if you could hide a wolf in sheep’s clothing… or in this case hide a sheep in wolf’s clothing while you take the wolf away for some evil purpose…. Enjoy! No nightmares… Pero saves the day (with loads of help from his friends).