Brilliantly evoking a dark, deceitful world of post war Germany, where no one seems trustworthy and paranoia is rife, Kerr brings back his hard boiled P.I Bernie Gunther. The historical references make this series a fascinating read with this one following the aftermath of World War II .
Maxim Jakubowski, a Lovereading expert voice says: Bernie Gunther; a German cop who has moved from the Nazi 1930s to the post-war period, with mixed loyalties but a strong sense of duty which often gets him into trouble.A QUIET FLAME was his 5th outing andIF THE DEAD RISE NOT appears next in September.
Bernie Gunther series: 1. March Violets (1989) 2. The Pale Criminal (1990) 3. A German Requiem (1991) 4. The One From the Other (2006)
Bernie Gunther, Kerr's iconoclastic private-eye, is the ideal narrator for this tale of the dirty deals made by victors and vanquished alike in post war Germany. Having learned that there's no way to distinguish 'the one from the other', the cynical P.I. has the moral clarity to see through the deceit and hypocrisy of both friend and foe.
Munich, 1949: Amid the chaos of defeat, it's a place of dirty deals, rampant greed, fleeing war criminals, and all the backstabbing intrigue that prospers in the aftermath of war. A place where a private eye can find a lot of not-quite-reputable work: cleaning up the Nazi past of well-to-do locals, abetting fugitives in the flight abroad, sorting out rival claims to stolen goods. It's work that fills Bernie with disgust - but it also fills his sorely depleted wallet. Then a woman seeks him out. Her husband has disappeared. She's not looking to get him back - he's a wanted man who ran one of the most vicious concentration camps in Poland. She just wants confirmation that he's dead.
It's a simple enough job. But in post-war Germany, nothing is simple
Philip Kerr was born in Edinburgh in 1956, and lived in London. He is the author of March Violets, The Pale Criminal, A German Requiem, A Philosophical Investigation, and Dead Meat. He has also edited two anthologies. In 2011 Philip Kerr was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library, awarded to an author for a body of work. He sadly passed away in March 2018.
Maxim Jakubowski's view on BERNIE GUNTHER...
A German cop who has moved from the Nazi 1930s to the post-war period, with mixed loyalties but a strong sense of duty which often gets him into trouble. A QUIET FLAME was his 5th outing andIF THE DEAD RISE NOT appeared next in September 2009.
