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Bernie Gunther #3
螕蔚蟻渭伪谓喂魏蠈 蟻苇魏尾喂蔚渭
螔蔚蟻慰位委谓慰, 1947. 螚 伪蠀蟿慰魏蟻伪蟿慰蟻委伪 蟿慰蠀 围委蟿位蔚蟻 苇蠂蔚喂 魏伪蟿伪蟻蟻蔚蠉蟽蔚喂 蟽伪谓 苇谓伪蟼 蠂维蟻蟿喂谓慰蟼 蟺蠉蟻纬慰蟼. 螚 螕蔚蟻渭伪谓委伪 胃蠀渭委味蔚喂 蟺位苇慰谓 尉蔚蟺蔚蟽渭苇谓畏 谓蟿委尾伪, 蟺慰蠀 渭苇蟽伪 蟽蟿伪 蔚蟻蔚委蟺喂伪 蔚谓蠈蟼 苇谓未慰尉慰蠀 蟺伪蟻蔚位胃蠈谓蟿慰蟼 渭蔚蟿蟻维 蟿喂蟼 伪蟺蠋位蔚喂蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 蟺慰位苇渭慰蠀: 渭喂蟽慰纬魏蟻蔚渭喂蟽渭苇谓伪 魏蟿委蟻喂伪, 魏伪蟿蔚蟽蟿蟻伪渭渭苇谓慰喂 未蟻蠈渭慰喂, 维谓胃蟻蠅蟺慰喂-蠁伪谓蟿维蟽渭伪蟿伪 蟿慰蠀 蟺伪位喂慰蠉 蟿慰蠀蟼 蔚伪蠀蟿慰蠉 渭蔚 未蔚位蟿委慰 蟿蟻慰蠁委渭蠅谓 蟽蟿慰 蠂苇蟻喂. 螣喂 蟽魏位畏蟻慰蟿蟻维蠂畏位慰喂 螜尾维谓 蟿慰蠀 螝蠈魏魏喂谓慰蠀 危蟿蟻伪蟿慰蠉 蔚蟺喂未委未慰谓蟿伪喂 蟽蔚 魏维胃蔚 位慰纬萎蟼 尾喂伪喂慰蟺蟻伪纬委蔚蟼, 蔚谓蠋 慰喂 螒渭蔚蟻喂魏伪谓慰委 蟽蟿蟻伪蟿喂蠋蟿蔚蟼 伪蟺慰位伪渭尾维谓慰蠀谓 蟿畏 "蠁喂位蠈尉蔚谓畏" 伪纬魏伪位喂维 蟿蠅谓 螕蔚蟻渭伪谓委未蠅谓 蟽蔚 魏伪魏蠈蠁畏渭伪 渭蟺伪蟻. 危蔚 魏维蟺慰喂慰谓 蟿慰委蠂慰, 苇谓伪 渭喂蟽慰蟽尾畏蟽渭苇谓慰 蟽蠉谓胃畏渭伪: 螖螘螡 违螤螒巍围螘螜 围巍螣螡螣危 螕螜螒 螒螕螒螤螘危... 螣 螠蟺苇蟻谓喂 螕魏慰蠉谓蟿蔚蟻, 蟺伪谓蟿蟻蔚渭苇谓慰蟼 渭蔚 蟿畏 未伪蟽魏维位伪-蟽蔚蟻尾喂蟿蠈蟻伪 螝委蟻蟽蟿蔚谓, 蟺蟻慰蟽蟺伪胃蔚委 谓伪 蔚蟺喂尾喂蠋蟽蔚喂 蟽蔚 渭喂伪 蟺蠈位畏 蟺慰蠀 伪蟽蠁蠀魏蟿喂维 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 蟺蔚委谓伪, 蟿畏 渭伪蠉蟻畏 伪纬慰蟻维 魏伪喂 蟿畏谓 蟺慰蟻谓蔚委伪. 螝维蟺慰喂伪 蟽蟿喂纬渭萎 伪谓伪魏伪位蠉蟺蟿蔚喂 蠈蟿喂 畏 纬蠀谓伪委魏伪 蟿慰蠀 蟿慰谓 伪蟺伪蟿维 渭' 苇谓伪谓 螒渭蔚蟻喂魏伪谓蠈 伪尉喂蠅渭伪蟿喂魏蠈. 韦伪蠀蟿蠈蠂蟻慰谓伪, 慰 蟺伪位喂蠈蟼 蟿慰蠀 蟽蠀谓维未蔚位蠁慰蟼 螆渭喂位 螠蟺苇魏蔚蟻 味畏蟿维 蟿畏 尾慰萎胃蔚喂维 蟿慰蠀, 魏伪胃蠋蟼 尾蟻委蟽魏蔚蟿伪喂 蠁蠀位伪魏喂蟽渭苇谓慰蟼 蟽蟿畏 螔喂苇谓谓畏, 魏伪蟿畏纬慰蟻慰蠉渭蔚谓慰蟼 纬喂伪 蟿慰 蠁蠈谓慰 蔚谓蠈蟼 螒渭蔚蟻喂魏伪谓慰蠉 位慰蠂伪纬慰蠉. 螒蟺慰蠁伪蟽喂蟽渭苇谓慰蟼 谓伪 蠁蠉纬蔚喂 渭伪魏蟻喂维 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 蟺蠈位畏 蟺慰蠀 蟿慰谓 蟺位畏纬蠋谓蔚喂 魏伪喂 渭蔚 蟿畏谓 蟺蟻慰慰蟺蟿喂魏萎 渭喂伪蟼 蟺伪蠂蠀位萎蟼 伪渭慰喂尾萎蟼, 慰 螠蟺苇蟻谓喂 伪蟺慰蠁伪蟽委味蔚喂 谓伪 伪谓伪位维尾蔚喂 蟿畏谓 蠀蟺蠈胃蔚蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 螠蟺苇魏蔚蟻.
480 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 1991
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About the author
Philip Kerr
160听books1,965听followersPhilip Kerr was a British author. He was best known for his Bernie Gunther series of 13 historical thrillers and a children's series, Children of the Lamp, under the name P.B. Kerr.
Librarian鈥檚 note: There is more than one author in the 欧宝娱乐 database with this name.
Librarian鈥檚 note: There is more than one author in the 欧宝娱乐 database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 562 reviews
June 22, 2022
A near perfect example of noir historical mystery/spy novel.
A German Requiem is the 3rd volume in the Bernie Gunther series and the final instalment in in the original Berlin trilogy although the novel is set mostly in Wien. I had quite a few problems with the 1st volume, I was convinced by the 2nd and fell in love with the series by the 3rd.
The first two were set in Berlin in 1936 and 1938, while this one was set in Berlin and Vienna in 1947. Berlin is still struggling to recover after the loss of the War and so is Bernie. We are revealed that he had fallen prisoner into the Russian hands and somehow escaped. Also he got married which was quite a surprise. Due to his financial problems and following two unhappy events, he accepts a job in Wien in order to put some distance between him and his problems. One of his old colleagues is in jail for murdering an American and he is hired to prove his innocence. What follows is a dangerous quest for the truth where nothing is at it seems. Crossings and double-crossings, spy games, war crimes and old Nazis refusing to disappear, the novel has it all.
I also appreciated the evolution of the main character. He grew as a person and became more complex, with many existential questions to address. I also welcomed the almost disappearance of the rampant sexism present in the 1st volume, although he meets plenty of women in this one too.
I enjoyed the hoarse voice of the narrator, Jonathan Keeble. I think it goes well with the character and I will defiantly go with the audiobook for the next volume.
Other books in the series:
1. March Violets ***
2. The Pale Criminal ****
A German Requiem is the 3rd volume in the Bernie Gunther series and the final instalment in in the original Berlin trilogy although the novel is set mostly in Wien. I had quite a few problems with the 1st volume, I was convinced by the 2nd and fell in love with the series by the 3rd.
The first two were set in Berlin in 1936 and 1938, while this one was set in Berlin and Vienna in 1947. Berlin is still struggling to recover after the loss of the War and so is Bernie. We are revealed that he had fallen prisoner into the Russian hands and somehow escaped. Also he got married which was quite a surprise. Due to his financial problems and following two unhappy events, he accepts a job in Wien in order to put some distance between him and his problems. One of his old colleagues is in jail for murdering an American and he is hired to prove his innocence. What follows is a dangerous quest for the truth where nothing is at it seems. Crossings and double-crossings, spy games, war crimes and old Nazis refusing to disappear, the novel has it all.
I also appreciated the evolution of the main character. He grew as a person and became more complex, with many existential questions to address. I also welcomed the almost disappearance of the rampant sexism present in the 1st volume, although he meets plenty of women in this one too.
I enjoyed the hoarse voice of the narrator, Jonathan Keeble. I think it goes well with the character and I will defiantly go with the audiobook for the next volume.
Other books in the series:
1. March Violets ***
2. The Pale Criminal ****
December 31, 2018
to start this book finishes Philip Kerrs' Berlin Noir trilogy and while the story starts in Berlin 1947, a city under siege by the communist threat, most of it plays in Vienna. So I would label this last book more Vienna Noir than anything.
This whole book was guided by my internal soundtrack of Orson Welles The third man mostly by Anton Karas who played the famous theme on the zither. Which is perhaps not that odd when you consider the story told in this novel and the amount both have in common and not just the same era. Fitting that Kerr lets his book end on a movie set for the same movie.
Bernie Gunther in his post-WWII Berlin finds live violent and difficult after escaping from a Russian Prisoner-of-war-camp. His wife does everything to survive and he has some difficulty with that. It is good that his private detective work sends him of to Vienna where he is asked to prove his former colleague's innocence. Vienna like Berlin is a divided city in which the Russians also have a rather large foothold. In this ancient town there is a whole world of darkness filled by prostitution, black markets, spy-craft and murder. Bernie has to find his way through this maze of deception and is often not sure on whose side he is working and why. And of course the old Nazis have been beaten but are they really down and out?
This book is about the shadowy underbelly of the WWII and how the various parties were dividing the remnants of the Nazi Empire in all its knowledge and resources. Scarily enough the choices made were more often than not so morally sound as we would like to be. Bernie is as always on nobody's side but busy with surviving but not at any cost.
A good book written about the postwar cruelty that existed in Europe after WWII, and the shadows that were at work to build a new world. For anybody who expected the world to become a better place after the gruesome excesses of WWII a bit of unwanted insight in the real world.
A well written book and Kerr did a much better job than in his last attempt where his sexual politics were poor to terrible. In this book he does a much better job and also explained the world after the war which is at no time pretty and does not use any apologies for it.
This book is less of a detective story and far more a spy story and as such Vienna was the right place to set the tale.
I remembered with this book why I liked the Bernie Gunther stories and can only conclude that with his later books he did Bernie justice, as does this one.
This whole book was guided by my internal soundtrack of Orson Welles The third man mostly by Anton Karas who played the famous theme on the zither. Which is perhaps not that odd when you consider the story told in this novel and the amount both have in common and not just the same era. Fitting that Kerr lets his book end on a movie set for the same movie.
Bernie Gunther in his post-WWII Berlin finds live violent and difficult after escaping from a Russian Prisoner-of-war-camp. His wife does everything to survive and he has some difficulty with that. It is good that his private detective work sends him of to Vienna where he is asked to prove his former colleague's innocence. Vienna like Berlin is a divided city in which the Russians also have a rather large foothold. In this ancient town there is a whole world of darkness filled by prostitution, black markets, spy-craft and murder. Bernie has to find his way through this maze of deception and is often not sure on whose side he is working and why. And of course the old Nazis have been beaten but are they really down and out?
This book is about the shadowy underbelly of the WWII and how the various parties were dividing the remnants of the Nazi Empire in all its knowledge and resources. Scarily enough the choices made were more often than not so morally sound as we would like to be. Bernie is as always on nobody's side but busy with surviving but not at any cost.
A good book written about the postwar cruelty that existed in Europe after WWII, and the shadows that were at work to build a new world. For anybody who expected the world to become a better place after the gruesome excesses of WWII a bit of unwanted insight in the real world.
A well written book and Kerr did a much better job than in his last attempt where his sexual politics were poor to terrible. In this book he does a much better job and also explained the world after the war which is at no time pretty and does not use any apologies for it.
This book is less of a detective story and far more a spy story and as such Vienna was the right place to set the tale.
I remembered with this book why I liked the Bernie Gunther stories and can only conclude that with his later books he did Bernie justice, as does this one.
October 17, 2019
(SPOILER ALERT)
This is my favourite of the Bernie Gunther books because it is his least misogynist one and the woman are actually explored to some extent as real characters for the first time. Also it shows the stark desperation and poverty and danger of Berlin and Vienna at the time.
With Russian soldiers raping a pillaging and I though he had streotyped all Russian soldiers as barbaric monsters until MVD Colonel Poroshin who tries to recruit Gunther helps rescue Gunther's wife.
An interesting insight into the life of choc0ladies
Women and girls who sold sex to American and Allied soldiers for basic food provisions,
I found this incredibly sad.
The center of the plot is a network of former Nazi officers called the Org who aim to reconstruct the Third Reich. who are being sponsored by the Americans in their maniacal fight against the Communists.
My two favourite characters in the book are both women who die in the book violently but at least unlike the first Gunther book their characters and backgrounds were explored a little and they were not mere plot devices.
There is Traudl, a beautiful German Communist and Veronika, a Czech Jewess who spend the war hiding from the Nazis and now works as a chocolady. Both girls are brutally murdered by the Org.
Gunther redeems some of his mysoginistic past by trying to save both girls. And also by taking back his wife after she sold sex for provisions to an American officer.
I wish Veronika had lived though. She went through such suffering at the hands of the Nazis for being Jewish and is then murdered by them two years after the war for working as a prostitute.
like all the other victims of the Nazis , Jews, Gypsies, disabled people, Poles. Gays etc prostitutes too were seen as subhuman
But then society has always treated these women as such and their lives as cheap, I hope and pray one day this may change, but don't think it ever will.
Lastly my major gripe with Gunther is this. He was a member of the SS during the war. And though he did not take direct part in murder of Jews and asked to be transferred to administrative work back in Germany. He was still part of the greatest network of evil in history. So him refusing to go back to the police in Germany because he did not want to work for the Communists strikes me as hypocritical to say the least.
This is my favourite of the Bernie Gunther books because it is his least misogynist one and the woman are actually explored to some extent as real characters for the first time. Also it shows the stark desperation and poverty and danger of Berlin and Vienna at the time.
With Russian soldiers raping a pillaging and I though he had streotyped all Russian soldiers as barbaric monsters until MVD Colonel Poroshin who tries to recruit Gunther helps rescue Gunther's wife.
An interesting insight into the life of choc0ladies
Women and girls who sold sex to American and Allied soldiers for basic food provisions,
I found this incredibly sad.
The center of the plot is a network of former Nazi officers called the Org who aim to reconstruct the Third Reich. who are being sponsored by the Americans in their maniacal fight against the Communists.
My two favourite characters in the book are both women who die in the book violently but at least unlike the first Gunther book their characters and backgrounds were explored a little and they were not mere plot devices.
There is Traudl, a beautiful German Communist and Veronika, a Czech Jewess who spend the war hiding from the Nazis and now works as a chocolady. Both girls are brutally murdered by the Org.
Gunther redeems some of his mysoginistic past by trying to save both girls. And also by taking back his wife after she sold sex for provisions to an American officer.
I wish Veronika had lived though. She went through such suffering at the hands of the Nazis for being Jewish and is then murdered by them two years after the war for working as a prostitute.
like all the other victims of the Nazis , Jews, Gypsies, disabled people, Poles. Gays etc prostitutes too were seen as subhuman
But then society has always treated these women as such and their lives as cheap, I hope and pray one day this may change, but don't think it ever will.
Lastly my major gripe with Gunther is this. He was a member of the SS during the war. And though he did not take direct part in murder of Jews and asked to be transferred to administrative work back in Germany. He was still part of the greatest network of evil in history. So him refusing to go back to the police in Germany because he did not want to work for the Communists strikes me as hypocritical to say the least.
March 5, 2018
With 鈥樷€� has saved the best until last, at least in terms of the original Berlin Trilogy ('鈥�/'鈥�/鈥樷€�). Ten years after this original trilogy returned to the character and, in 2006, started to write more Bernie G眉nther books. At the time of writing this review in 2016, there are currently 11 Bernhard G眉nther books.
鈥樷€� is superb. Echoes of the 1949 British film noir classic 'The Third Man鈥� directed by Carol Reed are all over this book, including a few explicit references to casting and filming a scene. A book/film double bill of 鈥樷€� and 'The Third Man鈥� would be a wonderful combination.
As with the first two books, it鈥檚 the period detail that really elevates 鈥樷€� and the legacy of Nazism, and the dawn of Cold War international intrigue and espionage, are cleverly and dramatically evoked.
Since we last caught up with Bernie, in 1938, he鈥檚 got married, reluctantly been employed by the SS, and been a Russian POW lucky to escape with his life. 鈥樷€� is set in 1947. Most of the action in 鈥樷€� takes place in Vienna where nothing is quite what it seems. Ostensibly Bernie is there on a murder investigation but he is soon thrown into a complex, murky world populated by duplicitous Russians, Austrians, Germans, and Americans. The less you know about the plot the better, but suffice to say 鈥樷€� is the most dramatic and surprising book in the trilogy. I鈥檓 also pleased to say that the rampant misogyny of the first two books is far more reigned in here, and Bernie emerges as a more rounded, likeable and humane individual, which augers well for the rest of the series.
As a stand alone book 鈥樷€� is a great read, and would still be for a reader with no prior knowledge of Bernie G眉nther, however it鈥檚 when taken as a whole that the achievement of the 鈥樷€� trilogy becomes apparent. Read together they form a wonderful tale that covers the rise and fall of the Third Reich which brings home the day to day realities of life for a typical German. Bravo , a brilliant achievement. I look forward to reading the rest of this series.
5/5
鈥樷€� is superb. Echoes of the 1949 British film noir classic 'The Third Man鈥� directed by Carol Reed are all over this book, including a few explicit references to casting and filming a scene. A book/film double bill of 鈥樷€� and 'The Third Man鈥� would be a wonderful combination.
As with the first two books, it鈥檚 the period detail that really elevates 鈥樷€� and the legacy of Nazism, and the dawn of Cold War international intrigue and espionage, are cleverly and dramatically evoked.
Since we last caught up with Bernie, in 1938, he鈥檚 got married, reluctantly been employed by the SS, and been a Russian POW lucky to escape with his life. 鈥樷€� is set in 1947. Most of the action in 鈥樷€� takes place in Vienna where nothing is quite what it seems. Ostensibly Bernie is there on a murder investigation but he is soon thrown into a complex, murky world populated by duplicitous Russians, Austrians, Germans, and Americans. The less you know about the plot the better, but suffice to say 鈥樷€� is the most dramatic and surprising book in the trilogy. I鈥檓 also pleased to say that the rampant misogyny of the first two books is far more reigned in here, and Bernie emerges as a more rounded, likeable and humane individual, which augers well for the rest of the series.
As a stand alone book 鈥樷€� is a great read, and would still be for a reader with no prior knowledge of Bernie G眉nther, however it鈥檚 when taken as a whole that the achievement of the 鈥樷€� trilogy becomes apparent. Read together they form a wonderful tale that covers the rise and fall of the Third Reich which brings home the day to day realities of life for a typical German. Bravo , a brilliant achievement. I look forward to reading the rest of this series.
5/5
February 1, 2021
危蟿慰 3慰 魏伪喂 渭蔚纬伪位蠉蟿蔚蟻慰 蟽蔚 苇魏蟿伪蟽畏 尾喂尾位委慰 蟿畏蟼 '韦蟻喂位慰纬委伪蟼 蟿慰蠀 螔蔚蟻慰位委谓慰蠀'(1991), o Kerr 渭维蟼 渭蔚蟿伪蠁苇蟻蔚喂 蟽蟿慰 渭蔚蟿伪蟺慰位蔚渭喂魏蠈 魏位委渭伪 蟿慰蠀 '唯蠀蠂蟻慰蠉' 螤慰位苇渭慰蠀 (1947) 魏伪喂 未畏渭喂慰蠀蟻纬蔚委, 委蟽蠅蟼, 苇谓伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿伪 魏伪位蠉蟿蔚蟻伪 魏伪喂 蟺喂慰 慰位慰魏位畏蟻蠅渭苇谓伪 魏伪蟿伪蟽魏慰蟺喂魏维 胃蟻委位蔚蟻/'谓慰蠀维蟻' 伪蟽蟿蠀谓慰渭喂魏维 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿慰蟻萎渭伪蟿伪, 蠈蟺慰蠀 伪蟺慰未委未蔚蟿伪喂 渭蔚 蟺蔚喂蟽蟿喂魏蠈 魏伪喂 蔚谓蟿蠀蟺蠅蟽喂伪魏蠈 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 畏 '味慰蠁蔚蟻萎' 伪蟿渭蠈蟽蠁伪喂蟻伪 渭喂伪蟼 魏伪蟿蔚蟽蟿蟻伪渭渭苇谓畏蟼 螕蔚蟻渭伪谓委伪蟼 蟽蟿畏谓 慰蟺慰委伪 蟿慰 苇谓蟽蟿喂魏蟿慰 蔚蟺喂尾委蠅蟽畏蟼 渭蟺慰蟻蔚委 谓伪 苇蠂蔚喂 ..... 胃伪谓伪蟿畏蠁蠈蟻伪 伪蟺慰蟿蔚位苇蟽渭伪蟿伪 - 纬喂伪蟿委 蠈蟺蠅蟼 蟿慰 蟺慰位蠉 蔚蠉蟽蟿慰蠂慰 蟽蠉谓胃畏渭伪 蟽蔚 苇谓伪 蟿慰委蠂慰 蟿慰谓委味蔚喂: '螖蔚谓 蠀蟺维蟻蠂蔚喂 蠂蟻蠈谓慰蟼 纬喂伪 伪纬维蟺蔚蟼'....
螠蔚 渭蔚纬伪位蠉蟿蔚蟻畏 蟽喂纬慰蠀蟻喂维 魏伪喂 渭蔚胃慰未喂魏蠈蟿畏蟿伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿喂蟼 '螔喂慰位苇蟿蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 螠维蟻蟿畏', 慰 Kerr 蟺位维胃蔚喂 渭喂伪 蟽蠀谓伪蟻蟺伪蟽蟿喂魏萎 蟽蠀谓苇蠂蔚喂伪 蟽蟿喂蟼 蟺蔚蟻喂蟺苇蟿蔚喂蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 蟿蠀蠂慰未喂蠋魏蟿畏-谓蟿喂蟿苇魏蟿喂尾, 螠蟺苇蟻谓蠂伪蟻谓蟿 螕魏慰蠉谓蟿蔚蟻, 蠈蟺慰蠀 慰喂 蟽蠀渭渭伪蠂喂魏苇蟼 未蠀谓维渭蔚喂蟼, 慰喂 未喂蟺位慰委 蟺蟻维魏蟿慰蟻蔚蟼, 慰喂 蠀蟺畏蟻蔚蟽委蔚蟼 伪谓蟿喂魏伪蟿伪蟽魏慰蟺委伪蟼, 蟿慰 魏蠀谓萎纬喂 蟿蠅谓 螡伪味委 蔚纬魏位畏渭伪蟿喂蠋谓 魏伪喂 畏 蟺位伪蟽蟿慰蟺蟻慰蟽蠅蟺委伪 蔚委谓伪喂 蟽蔚 蟺蟻蠋蟿慰 蟺位维谓慰 - 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺蔚蟻喂苇蠂蔚喂 魏伪喂 伪蟻魏蔚蟿维 蟽魏位畏蟻苇蟼 蟺蔚蟻喂纬蟻伪蠁苇蟼 尾伪蟽伪谓喂蟽蟿畏蟻委蠅谓, 蠈蟺蠅蟼 魏伪喂 蟺慰位位苇蟼 蟽蟿喂纬渭苇蟼 '蟽蟿蔚纬谓慰蠉' 魏蠀谓喂蟽渭慰蠉 魏伪喂 渭伪蠉蟻慰蠀 蠂喂慰蠉渭慰蟻.
螣喂 萎蟻蠅蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿慰蟻萎渭伪蟿慰蟼 苇蠂慰蠀谓 未喂蟿蟿萎 蠀蟺蠈蟽蟿伪蟽畏: 蔚委谓伪喂 胃蠉蟿蔚蟼 魏伪喂 胃蠉渭伪蟿伪, 蟿伪蠀蟿蠈蠂蟻慰谓伪, 蔚谓蠋 蟺蟻慰蟽蟺伪胃慰蠉谓 谓伪 蟽蠋蟽慰蠀谓 蟿慰蠀蟼 蔚伪蠀蟿慰蠉蟼 蟿慰蠀蟼, 伪谓 蠈蠂喂 蟿畏 蠄蠀蠂萎 蟿慰蠀蟼, 渭苇蟽伪 伪蟺蠈 委谓蟿蟻喂纬魏蔚蟼, 未慰位慰蟺位慰魏委蔚蟼 魏伪喂 蟽蠀谓蔚蟻纬伪蟽委伪, 伪魏蠈渭伪, 魏伪喂 渭蔚 伪蠀蟿蠈谓 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 胃蔚蠅蟻慰蠉蟽伪谓 蠅蟼 '未喂维尾慰位慰'.
螘谓蟿蠀蟺蠅蟽喂维味慰蠀谓 慰喂 蟺蔚蟻喂纬蟻伪蠁苇蟼 蟿蠅谓 魏蟿喂蟻委蠅谓 蟺慰蠀 苇蠂慰蠀谓 魏伪蟿伪蟽蟿蟻伪蠁蔚委 伪蟺蠈 尾慰渭尾伪蟻未喂蟽渭慰蠉蟼, 畏 纬位伪蠁蠀蟻萎 伪谓伪蠁慰蟻维 蟽蟿畏 蟺蔚委谓伪 魏伪喂 蟿畏谓 蔚魏蟺蠈蟻谓蔚蠀蟽畏 蟽蟿慰蠀蟼 未蟻蠈锟斤拷慰蠀蟼 蟿慰蠀 喂蟽慰蟺蔚未蠅渭苇谓慰蠀 螔蔚蟻慰位委谓慰蠀, 蔚谓蠋, 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 维位位畏 蟺位蔚蠀蟻维, 未喂蠂维味慰蠀谓 蟿慰蠀蟼 伪谓伪纬谓蠋蟽蟿蔚蟼 畏 蔚渭渭慰谓萎 蟿慰蠀 Kerr 蟽蟿畏 伪谓伪蠁慰蟻维 蟿蠅谓 慰谓慰渭维蟿蠅谓 蟿蠅谓 未蟻蠈渭蠅谓 蟿慰蠀 螔蔚蟻慰位委谓慰蠀, 蠈蟺蠅蟼 魏伪喂 蟿蠅谓 未蟻慰渭慰位慰纬委蠅谓 蟿慰蠀 螕魏慰蠉谓蟿蔚蟻, 蟽蟿慰喂蠂蔚委伪 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 渭蟺慰蟻慰蠉蟽伪谓 谓伪 渭畏谓 蠀蟺维蟻蠂慰蠀谓 渭蔚 蟿苇蟿慰喂伪 蟽蠀蠂谓蠈蟿畏蟿伪 蟽蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 - 蟿伪 蟺蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺伪 蟿慰蠀 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿慰蟻萎渭伪蟿慰蟼 蔚委谓伪喂, 蔚蟺委蟽畏蟼, 蟺慰位蠀维蟻喂胃渭伪 魏伪喂 蠂蟻蔚喂维味蔚蟿伪喂 蟺蟻慰蟽慰蠂萎, 魏蠀蟻委蠅蟼, 魏伪蟿维 蟿畏谓 伪谓维纬谓蠅蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 2慰蠀 渭苇蟻慰蠀蟼, 纬喂伪 谓伪 渭畏谓 蠀蟺维蟻尉蔚喂 蟽蠉纬蠂蠀蟽畏 渭蔚蟿伪尉蠉 蟿蠅谓 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻蠅谓.
螉蟽蠅蟼, 蟿慰 蟺喂慰 蟽蠀谓伪蟻蟺伪蟽蟿喂魏蠈 魏伪喂 '蠂慰蟻蟿伪蟽蟿喂魏蠈' 尾喂尾位委慰 蟿畏蟼 蟿蟻喂位慰纬委伪蟼 蟿慰蠀 螝err.
螔伪胃渭慰位慰纬委伪: 4,5/5 萎 9/10.
螠蔚 渭蔚纬伪位蠉蟿蔚蟻畏 蟽喂纬慰蠀蟻喂维 魏伪喂 渭蔚胃慰未喂魏蠈蟿畏蟿伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿喂蟼 '螔喂慰位苇蟿蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 螠维蟻蟿畏', 慰 Kerr 蟺位维胃蔚喂 渭喂伪 蟽蠀谓伪蟻蟺伪蟽蟿喂魏萎 蟽蠀谓苇蠂蔚喂伪 蟽蟿喂蟼 蟺蔚蟻喂蟺苇蟿蔚喂蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 蟿蠀蠂慰未喂蠋魏蟿畏-谓蟿喂蟿苇魏蟿喂尾, 螠蟺苇蟻谓蠂伪蟻谓蟿 螕魏慰蠉谓蟿蔚蟻, 蠈蟺慰蠀 慰喂 蟽蠀渭渭伪蠂喂魏苇蟼 未蠀谓维渭蔚喂蟼, 慰喂 未喂蟺位慰委 蟺蟻维魏蟿慰蟻蔚蟼, 慰喂 蠀蟺畏蟻蔚蟽委蔚蟼 伪谓蟿喂魏伪蟿伪蟽魏慰蟺委伪蟼, 蟿慰 魏蠀谓萎纬喂 蟿蠅谓 螡伪味委 蔚纬魏位畏渭伪蟿喂蠋谓 魏伪喂 畏 蟺位伪蟽蟿慰蟺蟻慰蟽蠅蟺委伪 蔚委谓伪喂 蟽蔚 蟺蟻蠋蟿慰 蟺位维谓慰 - 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺蔚蟻喂苇蠂蔚喂 魏伪喂 伪蟻魏蔚蟿维 蟽魏位畏蟻苇蟼 蟺蔚蟻喂纬蟻伪蠁苇蟼 尾伪蟽伪谓喂蟽蟿畏蟻委蠅谓, 蠈蟺蠅蟼 魏伪喂 蟺慰位位苇蟼 蟽蟿喂纬渭苇蟼 '蟽蟿蔚纬谓慰蠉' 魏蠀谓喂蟽渭慰蠉 魏伪喂 渭伪蠉蟻慰蠀 蠂喂慰蠉渭慰蟻.
螣喂 萎蟻蠅蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿慰蟻萎渭伪蟿慰蟼 苇蠂慰蠀谓 未喂蟿蟿萎 蠀蟺蠈蟽蟿伪蟽畏: 蔚委谓伪喂 胃蠉蟿蔚蟼 魏伪喂 胃蠉渭伪蟿伪, 蟿伪蠀蟿蠈蠂蟻慰谓伪, 蔚谓蠋 蟺蟻慰蟽蟺伪胃慰蠉谓 谓伪 蟽蠋蟽慰蠀谓 蟿慰蠀蟼 蔚伪蠀蟿慰蠉蟼 蟿慰蠀蟼, 伪谓 蠈蠂喂 蟿畏 蠄蠀蠂萎 蟿慰蠀蟼, 渭苇蟽伪 伪蟺蠈 委谓蟿蟻喂纬魏蔚蟼, 未慰位慰蟺位慰魏委蔚蟼 魏伪喂 蟽蠀谓蔚蟻纬伪蟽委伪, 伪魏蠈渭伪, 魏伪喂 渭蔚 伪蠀蟿蠈谓 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 胃蔚蠅蟻慰蠉蟽伪谓 蠅蟼 '未喂维尾慰位慰'.
螘谓蟿蠀蟺蠅蟽喂维味慰蠀谓 慰喂 蟺蔚蟻喂纬蟻伪蠁苇蟼 蟿蠅谓 魏蟿喂蟻委蠅谓 蟺慰蠀 苇蠂慰蠀谓 魏伪蟿伪蟽蟿蟻伪蠁蔚委 伪蟺蠈 尾慰渭尾伪蟻未喂蟽渭慰蠉蟼, 畏 纬位伪蠁蠀蟻萎 伪谓伪蠁慰蟻维 蟽蟿畏 蟺蔚委谓伪 魏伪喂 蟿畏谓 蔚魏蟺蠈蟻谓蔚蠀蟽畏 蟽蟿慰蠀蟼 未蟻蠈锟斤拷慰蠀蟼 蟿慰蠀 喂蟽慰蟺蔚未蠅渭苇谓慰蠀 螔蔚蟻慰位委谓慰蠀, 蔚谓蠋, 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 维位位畏 蟺位蔚蠀蟻维, 未喂蠂维味慰蠀谓 蟿慰蠀蟼 伪谓伪纬谓蠋蟽蟿蔚蟼 畏 蔚渭渭慰谓萎 蟿慰蠀 Kerr 蟽蟿畏 伪谓伪蠁慰蟻维 蟿蠅谓 慰谓慰渭维蟿蠅谓 蟿蠅谓 未蟻蠈渭蠅谓 蟿慰蠀 螔蔚蟻慰位委谓慰蠀, 蠈蟺蠅蟼 魏伪喂 蟿蠅谓 未蟻慰渭慰位慰纬委蠅谓 蟿慰蠀 螕魏慰蠉谓蟿蔚蟻, 蟽蟿慰喂蠂蔚委伪 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 渭蟺慰蟻慰蠉蟽伪谓 谓伪 渭畏谓 蠀蟺维蟻蠂慰蠀谓 渭蔚 蟿苇蟿慰喂伪 蟽蠀蠂谓蠈蟿畏蟿伪 蟽蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 - 蟿伪 蟺蟻蠈蟽蠅蟺伪 蟿慰蠀 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿慰蟻萎渭伪蟿慰蟼 蔚委谓伪喂, 蔚蟺委蟽畏蟼, 蟺慰位蠀维蟻喂胃渭伪 魏伪喂 蠂蟻蔚喂维味蔚蟿伪喂 蟺蟻慰蟽慰蠂萎, 魏蠀蟻委蠅蟼, 魏伪蟿维 蟿畏谓 伪谓维纬谓蠅蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 2慰蠀 渭苇蟻慰蠀蟼, 纬喂伪 谓伪 渭畏谓 蠀蟺维蟻尉蔚喂 蟽蠉纬蠂蠀蟽畏 渭蔚蟿伪尉蠉 蟿蠅谓 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻蠅谓.
螉蟽蠅蟼, 蟿慰 蟺喂慰 蟽蠀谓伪蟻蟺伪蟽蟿喂魏蠈 魏伪喂 '蠂慰蟻蟿伪蟽蟿喂魏蠈' 尾喂尾位委慰 蟿畏蟼 蟿蟻喂位慰纬委伪蟼 蟿慰蠀 螝err.
螔伪胃渭慰位慰纬委伪: 4,5/5 萎 9/10.
March 3, 2018
螚 韦蟻委蟿畏 蟺蔚蟻喂蟺苇蟿蔚喂伪 蟿慰蠀 围蔚蟻 螕魏慰蠉谓蟿蔚蟻, 渭伪蟼 尾蟻委蟽魏蔚喂 蟽蔚 苇谓伪 渭蔚蟿伪蟺慰位蔚渭喂魏蠈 螔蔚蟻慰位委谓慰, 苇谓伪 螔蔚蟻慰位委谓慰 魏伪蟿蔚蟽蟿蟻伪渭渭苇谓慰, 伪蟺慰渭慰谓蠅渭苇谓慰 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰蠀蟼 危蠀渭渭维蠂慰蠀蟼 魏伪喂 渭蔚 蟿慰蠀蟼 魏伪蟿慰委魏慰蠀蟼 蟿慰蠀 谓伪 味慰蠀谓 蟺位畏蟻蠋谓慰谓蟿伪蟼 蟿伪 伪蟺慰蟿蟻蠈蟺伪喂伪 蔚纬魏位萎渭伪蟿伪 蟺慰蠀 未喂苇蟺蟻伪尉伪谓 慰喂 螡伪味委. 螣 螠蟺苇蟻谓喂 胃伪 魏伪蟿伪蠁苇蟻蔚喂 谓伪 渭蟺位蔚蠂蟿蔚委 尉伪谓维 蟽蔚 渭委伪 蠀蟺蠈胃蔚蟽畏 蠁蠈谓慰蠀 畏 慰蟺慰委伪 胃伪 蔚尉蔚位喂蠂胃蔚委 未喂伪蠁慰蟻蔚蟿喂魏维 伪蟺蠈 蠈蟿喂 蟽蠀谓萎胃蠅蟼, 魏维蟿喂 蟺慰蠀 渭蔚 尉苇谓喂味蔚 慰蟻喂蟽渭苇谓蔚蟼 蠁慰蟻苇蟼 魏伪喂 维位位蔚蟼 渭慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽蔚. 螖蔚谓 渭蟺慰蟻蠋 谓伪 魏伪蟿伪位萎尉蠅 伪谓 萎蟿伪谓 芦蟽慰蠁萎禄 蔚蟺喂位慰纬萎 蟿慰蠀 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪 谓伪 魏喂谓畏胃蔚委 蟽蔚 未喂伪蠁慰蟻蔚蟿喂魏维 渭慰谓慰蟺维蟿喂伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿伪 魏位伪蟽蟽喂魏维 蟿慰蠀 芦蠁蠈谓慰蠀禄, 伪位位维 蟽委纬慰蠀蟻伪 渭慰蠀 魏蟻维蟿畏蟽蔚 蟿慰 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 渭苇蠂蟻喂 蟿喂蟼 蟿蔚位蔚蠀蟿伪委蔚蟼 蟽蔚位委未蔚蟼.
螒蠀蟿蠈 蟺慰蠀 蟽蠀谓蔚蠂委味蔚喂 谓伪 渭畏谓 渭慰蠀 伪蟻苇蟽蔚喂, 蔚委谓伪喂 蟿慰 蟺蠈蟽慰 芦蟿苇位蔚喂慰蟼禄 蔚委谓伪喂 慰 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻伪蟼. 螒蟺委蟽蟿蔚蠀蟿慰 位伪纬蠅谓喂魏蠈, 慰喂 纬蠀谓伪委魏蔚蟼 谓伪 蟺苇蠁蟿慰蠀谓 蟽蟿伪 蟺蠈未喂伪 蟿慰蠀, 慰喂 蔚蠂胃蟻慰委 蟿慰蠀 谓伪 蟿慰谓 芦胃伪蠀渭维味慰蠀谓禄, 魏伪喂 蟿慰 蟺喂慰 渭蔚纬维位慰 伪蟻谓畏蟿喂魏蠈 纬喂伪 蔚渭苇谓伪 蔚委谓伪喂 畏 蔚蠉魏慰位畏 位蠉蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 Kerr 谓伪 位伪渭尾维谓蔚喂 渭苇蟻慰蟼 苇谓伪 纬蔚纬慰谓蠈蟼 蟿慰 慰蟺慰委慰 胃伪 伪位位维尉蔚喂 蟺位萎蟻蠅蟼 蟿畏谓 蟿蠉蠂畏 蟿慰蠀 蟺蟻蠅蟿伪纬蠅谓喂蟽蟿萎! 螘委谓伪喂 蟺慰位蠉 芦尉蔚谓苇蟻蠅蟿慰禄 谓伪 蟽蠀渭尾伪委谓蔚喂 魏维蟿喂 芦蟿蠀蠂伪委慰禄 蟺慰蠀 尾纬维味蔚喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 未蠉蟽魏慰位畏 胃苇蟽畏 蟿慰谓 蟺蟻蠅蟿伪纬蠅谓喂蟽蟿萎 渭伪蟼. 螛伪 蟺蟻慰蟿喂渭慰蠉蟽伪 魏维蟿喂 蟺喂慰 蟻蔚伪位喂蟽蟿喂魏蠈, 蔚蠁蠈蟽慰谓 魏伪喂 蟿慰 纬蔚谓喂魏蠈蟿蔚蟻慰 蠉蠁慰蟼 蟿蠅谓 尾喂尾位委蠅谓 蟿慰蠀 尾伪蟽委味蔚蟿伪喂 蟽蔚 伪位畏胃喂谓维 喂蟽蟿慰蟻喂魏维 纬蔚纬慰谓蠈蟿伪 魏伪喂 蟿畏谓 蟺蟻伪纬渭伪蟿喂魏蠈蟿畏蟿伪. 螆谓伪蟼 谓蟿蔚谓蟿苇魏蟿喂尾-蔚尉慰位慰胃蟻蔚蠀蟿萎蟼 蠁伪谓蟿维味蔚喂 蔚魏蟿蠈蟼 魏位委渭伪蟿慰蟼 蟿蠅谓 委未喂蠅谓 蟿蠅谓 尾喂尾位委蠅谓鈥�
螝伪蟿维 蟿伪 维位位伪, 蟺苇蟻伪蟽伪 蔚蠀蠂维蟻喂蟽蟿伪 未喂伪尾维味慰谓蟿伪蟼 蟿慰 魏伪喂 蔚魏蟿委渭畏蟽伪 未蔚蠈谓蟿蠅蟼 蟿喂蟼 蟺慰位位苇蟼 蟺喂蟽蟿苇蟼 蟺位畏蟻慰蠁慰蟻委蔚蟼 蟺慰蠀 渭伪蟼 苇未蠅蟽蔚 慰 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪蟼 纬喂伪 蔚魏蔚委谓畏 蟿畏谓 蟺蔚蟻委慰未慰!
螒蠀蟿蠈 蟺慰蠀 蟽蠀谓蔚蠂委味蔚喂 谓伪 渭畏谓 渭慰蠀 伪蟻苇蟽蔚喂, 蔚委谓伪喂 蟿慰 蟺蠈蟽慰 芦蟿苇位蔚喂慰蟼禄 蔚委谓伪喂 慰 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻伪蟼. 螒蟺委蟽蟿蔚蠀蟿慰 位伪纬蠅谓喂魏蠈, 慰喂 纬蠀谓伪委魏蔚蟼 谓伪 蟺苇蠁蟿慰蠀谓 蟽蟿伪 蟺蠈未喂伪 蟿慰蠀, 慰喂 蔚蠂胃蟻慰委 蟿慰蠀 谓伪 蟿慰谓 芦胃伪蠀渭维味慰蠀谓禄, 魏伪喂 蟿慰 蟺喂慰 渭蔚纬维位慰 伪蟻谓畏蟿喂魏蠈 纬喂伪 蔚渭苇谓伪 蔚委谓伪喂 畏 蔚蠉魏慰位畏 位蠉蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 Kerr 谓伪 位伪渭尾维谓蔚喂 渭苇蟻慰蟼 苇谓伪 纬蔚纬慰谓蠈蟼 蟿慰 慰蟺慰委慰 胃伪 伪位位维尉蔚喂 蟺位萎蟻蠅蟼 蟿畏谓 蟿蠉蠂畏 蟿慰蠀 蟺蟻蠅蟿伪纬蠅谓喂蟽蟿萎! 螘委谓伪喂 蟺慰位蠉 芦尉蔚谓苇蟻蠅蟿慰禄 谓伪 蟽蠀渭尾伪委谓蔚喂 魏维蟿喂 芦蟿蠀蠂伪委慰禄 蟺慰蠀 尾纬维味蔚喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 未蠉蟽魏慰位畏 胃苇蟽畏 蟿慰谓 蟺蟻蠅蟿伪纬蠅谓喂蟽蟿萎 渭伪蟼. 螛伪 蟺蟻慰蟿喂渭慰蠉蟽伪 魏维蟿喂 蟺喂慰 蟻蔚伪位喂蟽蟿喂魏蠈, 蔚蠁蠈蟽慰谓 魏伪喂 蟿慰 纬蔚谓喂魏蠈蟿蔚蟻慰 蠉蠁慰蟼 蟿蠅谓 尾喂尾位委蠅谓 蟿慰蠀 尾伪蟽委味蔚蟿伪喂 蟽蔚 伪位畏胃喂谓维 喂蟽蟿慰蟻喂魏维 纬蔚纬慰谓蠈蟿伪 魏伪喂 蟿畏谓 蟺蟻伪纬渭伪蟿喂魏蠈蟿畏蟿伪. 螆谓伪蟼 谓蟿蔚谓蟿苇魏蟿喂尾-蔚尉慰位慰胃蟻蔚蠀蟿萎蟼 蠁伪谓蟿维味蔚喂 蔚魏蟿蠈蟼 魏位委渭伪蟿慰蟼 蟿蠅谓 委未喂蠅谓 蟿蠅谓 尾喂尾位委蠅谓鈥�
螝伪蟿维 蟿伪 维位位伪, 蟺苇蟻伪蟽伪 蔚蠀蠂维蟻喂蟽蟿伪 未喂伪尾维味慰谓蟿伪蟼 蟿慰 魏伪喂 蔚魏蟿委渭畏蟽伪 未蔚蠈谓蟿蠅蟼 蟿喂蟼 蟺慰位位苇蟼 蟺喂蟽蟿苇蟼 蟺位畏蟻慰蠁慰蟻委蔚蟼 蟺慰蠀 渭伪蟼 苇未蠅蟽蔚 慰 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪蟼 纬喂伪 蔚魏蔚委谓畏 蟿畏谓 蟺蔚蟻委慰未慰!
July 29, 2019
1947. In an explosive start, Bernie G眉nther has returned to Berlin from a Soviet POW camp to find a post-Apocryphal city where food and fuel is in short supply, women clear the streets of debris and people huddle in the basements of bombed buildings, the upper stories unsafe. The former Kripo detective is again making a meagre living as a PI while his wife, a school teacher, works at a cafe frequented by American servicemen where she gains valuable supplies. G眉nther has a close call with death at the hands of a drunken Russian soldier and is depressed to learn the real reason his wife has assess to supplies.
Enter the suave Russian Colonel Poroshin, with a proposition. Former Kripo detective Becker, now a black-marketeer, is in prison in Vienna, accused of killing an American officer. Becker claims he is innocent and being framed, and Poroshin, owing his life to Becker, intercedes on his behalf, arranging documentation for G眉nther to travel to Vienna as an import-export consultant, to find the real killer before Becker is hanged. Putting aside his dislike of Becker, G眉nther takes the assignment, and finds Vienna dreary and false.
There鈥檚 nothing the Viennese love more than getting 鈥榗osy鈥�. They look to achieve this conviviality in bars and restaurants, to the accompaniment off a musical quartet comprising a bass, a violin, an accordion and a zither 鈥� a strange instrument which resembles an empty box of chocolates with thirty or forty strings that are plucked like a guitar. For me, this omnipresent combination embodies everything that is phoney about Vienna, like the syrupy sentiment and the affected politeness...
Like Berlin, Vienna is partitioned by the 4 powers 鈥� America, England, France and the Soviet Union, and as G眉nther tracks down a man named K枚nig and his girlfriend, he is drawn into the murky world of subterfuge.
鈥榃hat a town this is for saying 鈥済oing-away party鈥� when what you mean is 鈥渁 requiem mass鈥�. Your 鈥渞esearch鈥� sounds rather like my 鈥渋mports and exports鈥�, Herr K枚nig: a fancy ribbon round a very plain cake.鈥�
He finds himself in a dangerous game up against ruthless men, some from his own past, as the old guard still runs the show with new names and alliances, forging a 鈥淣ew Germany鈥�, and he is forced to examine his own culpability in the war years.
There are many who remained uneasy at the way the moral dirt was swept under the carpet. But it is certain that a nation cannot feel collective guilt, that each man must encounter it personally. Only now did I realize the nature of my own...
The third is the Berlin Noire trilogy, A German Requiem was the best, and held my attention from the first page. The dialogue between G眉nther and Poroshin had me laughing out loud; the streets, cafes and clubs of Vienna intensely-researched. As the body count rises I found it hard to keep pace with who was on which side, and some of the later scenes were disturbing.
Trying to keep one step ahead of all the lies, my own included, I was rapidly coming to the end of my own ingenuity, and I was in danger of losing the tempo of the whole affair. Not to mention my life.
Verdict: One of the best thrillers I have read this year.
Enter the suave Russian Colonel Poroshin, with a proposition. Former Kripo detective Becker, now a black-marketeer, is in prison in Vienna, accused of killing an American officer. Becker claims he is innocent and being framed, and Poroshin, owing his life to Becker, intercedes on his behalf, arranging documentation for G眉nther to travel to Vienna as an import-export consultant, to find the real killer before Becker is hanged. Putting aside his dislike of Becker, G眉nther takes the assignment, and finds Vienna dreary and false.
There鈥檚 nothing the Viennese love more than getting 鈥榗osy鈥�. They look to achieve this conviviality in bars and restaurants, to the accompaniment off a musical quartet comprising a bass, a violin, an accordion and a zither 鈥� a strange instrument which resembles an empty box of chocolates with thirty or forty strings that are plucked like a guitar. For me, this omnipresent combination embodies everything that is phoney about Vienna, like the syrupy sentiment and the affected politeness...
Like Berlin, Vienna is partitioned by the 4 powers 鈥� America, England, France and the Soviet Union, and as G眉nther tracks down a man named K枚nig and his girlfriend, he is drawn into the murky world of subterfuge.
鈥榃hat a town this is for saying 鈥済oing-away party鈥� when what you mean is 鈥渁 requiem mass鈥�. Your 鈥渞esearch鈥� sounds rather like my 鈥渋mports and exports鈥�, Herr K枚nig: a fancy ribbon round a very plain cake.鈥�
He finds himself in a dangerous game up against ruthless men, some from his own past, as the old guard still runs the show with new names and alliances, forging a 鈥淣ew Germany鈥�, and he is forced to examine his own culpability in the war years.
There are many who remained uneasy at the way the moral dirt was swept under the carpet. But it is certain that a nation cannot feel collective guilt, that each man must encounter it personally. Only now did I realize the nature of my own...
The third is the Berlin Noire trilogy, A German Requiem was the best, and held my attention from the first page. The dialogue between G眉nther and Poroshin had me laughing out loud; the streets, cafes and clubs of Vienna intensely-researched. As the body count rises I found it hard to keep pace with who was on which side, and some of the later scenes were disturbing.
Trying to keep one step ahead of all the lies, my own included, I was rapidly coming to the end of my own ingenuity, and I was in danger of losing the tempo of the whole affair. Not to mention my life.
Verdict: One of the best thrillers I have read this year.
August 24, 2023
There is a slight difference between this novel and the former ones, as the action has more density and Bernie (almost to the end) makes fewer jokes.
The interpenetration reality-fiction makes the book more interesting, the characters are alive, the style is pleasant, there was some research work done by Mr. Kerr, all of these facts taken together make quite a fine book.
The interpenetration reality-fiction makes the book more interesting, the characters are alive, the style is pleasant, there was some research work done by Mr. Kerr, all of these facts taken together make quite a fine book.
December 31, 2020
CRITIQUE:
Both Sides (of the War) Now
Of the three novels in the "Berlin Noir Trilogy", I was first attracted to "March Violets" not long after they were published in the omnibus version, though, upon reflection, "A German Requiem" was the most enjoyable and rewarding read, now that I've read all three.
I'm still puzzled as to why none of the first three novels was set in wartime Berlin. The first two were set in Berlin in 1936 and 1938 respectively, while the third was set in Vienna in 1947 and, possibly, as late as 1948 (when the film "The Third Man" was in production). This novel is arguably an homage to "The Third Man", possibly even Graham Greene's screenplay about black marketeers, penicillin, and faked deaths, all of which feature in the novel.
The main character, Bernie Gunther, was imprisoned in a Soviet POW camp for most of the war, which explains his absence from Berlin, and his command of Russian, which gives him credibility with the Soviets.
We don't learn much about what life was like in Berlin during the war itself, apart from the fact that by the end of the war, it was in ruins, architecturally, economically and socially:
The Vienna Gambit
When Bernie is offered a lucrative assignment in Vienna, he has plenty of reason to leave. He has just spied his wife, Kirsten, giving an American officer a blow-job in a bombed-out apartment block in the light of the full moon, ostensibly to supplement their meager income.
Berlin was still occupied by the USA, Britain, France and the Soviet Union, all of which managed their respective sectors with cold war dominance and corruption. It's a wonder West Germany or the re-united Germany survived. Austria, the first step in the ratline out of Germany, is just as bad.
Despite the efforts of Nazi hunters, many senior Nazi's and war criminals have been able to re-invent themselves or acquire new identities, which enable them to assume senior roles in the administration (particularly the police forces) of the new Germanies (i.e., both East and West). They plan to work away at these roles, until the time is ripe to re-establish a new Reich. In the West, they fit in because of their fanatical anti-Communism. In the East, they help suppress the local population.
This is the backdrop of the third novel. It moves beyond a police procedural, and assumes the character of a spy novel. There are numerous femme fatales, only they are only marginally less trustworthy than the police and the intelligence officers. It's impossible to tell who's a double agent, who's double-crossing whom, who's manipulating Bernie, or who's zooming who, which might explain the title:
Warts and All
The author seems to have got the message about toning down the sexism in the novel after the excesses of "The Pale Criminal". Bernie pines for his wife for most of the novel, though he still keeps a watchful eye on a number of prostitutes (who are described variously as "sparklers" or "chocoladies", depending on their commercial motivation), croupiers and actresses (one of whom obtains a bit part in "The Third Man," which provides an opportunity for some wise-cracking humour):
As with the male characters (who are all pretty shadowy), it's often hard to differentiate the women, though they seem to switch pretty fluidly from role to role, as Bernie learned with Kirsten.
Ironically, at the end of the novel, Bernie learns that he has caught a venereal disease from his favoured female interest, which hastens his decision to reconcile with Kirsten, warts and all, so to speak.
SOUNDTRACK:
Both Sides (of the War) Now
Of the three novels in the "Berlin Noir Trilogy", I was first attracted to "March Violets" not long after they were published in the omnibus version, though, upon reflection, "A German Requiem" was the most enjoyable and rewarding read, now that I've read all three.
I'm still puzzled as to why none of the first three novels was set in wartime Berlin. The first two were set in Berlin in 1936 and 1938 respectively, while the third was set in Vienna in 1947 and, possibly, as late as 1948 (when the film "The Third Man" was in production). This novel is arguably an homage to "The Third Man", possibly even Graham Greene's screenplay about black marketeers, penicillin, and faked deaths, all of which feature in the novel.
The main character, Bernie Gunther, was imprisoned in a Soviet POW camp for most of the war, which explains his absence from Berlin, and his command of Russian, which gives him credibility with the Soviets.
We don't learn much about what life was like in Berlin during the war itself, apart from the fact that by the end of the war, it was in ruins, architecturally, economically and socially:
"Life amidst the wreckage of Germany was frequently as unsafe as it had been in the last days of the war: a collapsing wall here, an unexploded bomb there. It was still a bit of a lottery."
The Vienna Gambit
When Bernie is offered a lucrative assignment in Vienna, he has plenty of reason to leave. He has just spied his wife, Kirsten, giving an American officer a blow-job in a bombed-out apartment block in the light of the full moon, ostensibly to supplement their meager income.
Berlin was still occupied by the USA, Britain, France and the Soviet Union, all of which managed their respective sectors with cold war dominance and corruption. It's a wonder West Germany or the re-united Germany survived. Austria, the first step in the ratline out of Germany, is just as bad.
Despite the efforts of Nazi hunters, many senior Nazi's and war criminals have been able to re-invent themselves or acquire new identities, which enable them to assume senior roles in the administration (particularly the police forces) of the new Germanies (i.e., both East and West). They plan to work away at these roles, until the time is ripe to re-establish a new Reich. In the West, they fit in because of their fanatical anti-Communism. In the East, they help suppress the local population.
This is the backdrop of the third novel. It moves beyond a police procedural, and assumes the character of a spy novel. There are numerous femme fatales, only they are only marginally less trustworthy than the police and the intelligence officers. It's impossible to tell who's a double agent, who's double-crossing whom, who's manipulating Bernie, or who's zooming who, which might explain the title:
"Whether a man is ready to die or not, his requiem always sounds the same."
Warts and All
The author seems to have got the message about toning down the sexism in the novel after the excesses of "The Pale Criminal". Bernie pines for his wife for most of the novel, though he still keeps a watchful eye on a number of prostitutes (who are described variously as "sparklers" or "chocoladies", depending on their commercial motivation), croupiers and actresses (one of whom obtains a bit part in "The Third Man," which provides an opportunity for some wise-cracking humour):
" 'Isn't it exciting?' she squealed. 'Me acting with Orson Welles.'
"'The War of the Worlds' fellow?'
"She shrugged blankly. 'I never saw that film.'
"Forget it."
As with the male characters (who are all pretty shadowy), it's often hard to differentiate the women, though they seem to switch pretty fluidly from role to role, as Bernie learned with Kirsten.
Ironically, at the end of the novel, Bernie learns that he has caught a venereal disease from his favoured female interest, which hastens his decision to reconcile with Kirsten, warts and all, so to speak.
SOUNDTRACK:
September 24, 2017
In Kerr鈥檚 Bernie Gunther series, he successfully tells a historical narrative through the means of a hardboiled detective with the dark world of 1930鈥檚 Germany forming almost a hardboiled character of itself. The first three books of what later became a dozen novels form what is referred to as the Berlin trilogy, tracing Gunther鈥檚 passage through the 1930鈥檚 into a dark chapter of evil. The second novel leaves off as Chamberlain loses his last chance to stand up to Hitler and hands over a third of Czechoslovakia without a shot being fired and Kristallnacht , the night of broken glass rages in the German cities. The gates of hell are about to blow open.
Book three picks up the story many years later in 1947 as the few survivors pick their way through the ruins of Berlin and the West begins to realize just what they are facing in Soviet occupied Eastern Europe. The story now is not just surviving in the face of a totalitarian regime, but of different factions betting on the outcome. It鈥檚 still a dark dreary world but it鈥檚 different and you really need a scorecard to figure out whose on your side. And the scars of the past are hard to hide.
There鈥檚 a complex murder case that Gunther is hired to investigate. It鈥檚 in Vienna and the story for the most part takes place there. In many ways, this part of the story has all the hallmarks of a classic hardboiled mystery from the explosive violence, the coarseness, the women in the nightclubs, and the late night rendezvouses. But, it鈥檚 the historical background that elevates this story to something more than just another murder mystery.
Book three picks up the story many years later in 1947 as the few survivors pick their way through the ruins of Berlin and the West begins to realize just what they are facing in Soviet occupied Eastern Europe. The story now is not just surviving in the face of a totalitarian regime, but of different factions betting on the outcome. It鈥檚 still a dark dreary world but it鈥檚 different and you really need a scorecard to figure out whose on your side. And the scars of the past are hard to hide.
There鈥檚 a complex murder case that Gunther is hired to investigate. It鈥檚 in Vienna and the story for the most part takes place there. In many ways, this part of the story has all the hallmarks of a classic hardboiled mystery from the explosive violence, the coarseness, the women in the nightclubs, and the late night rendezvouses. But, it鈥檚 the historical background that elevates this story to something more than just another murder mystery.
June 23, 2017
For those of you who are not familiar with Kerr or his P.I., Bernie Gunther, I will provide this background. A German Requiem is book three in an ongoing series by Kerr that he started writing about thirty years ago. The series arc begins before World War II and continues long after it. Kerr, unlike many other authors, does not write his stories in chronological sequence. This places a lot of challenge on him to keep the back references consistent and Gunther鈥檚 character in line with what he has, at that moment, experienced. Kerr is up to the task. Whether a police or private investigator, Gunther takes a traditional view of crime and criminals. This puts him at odds with the Nazis and later with others who see political crime and scapegoats as more important. He is troubled by injustice and has no 鈥渃oping mechanism鈥� that allows him to shrug-off his failures鈥hey eat at his soul. Several things emerge from Kerr鈥檚 writing and I will note only two here: First is that 鈥渉is鈥� Berlin is as much a character in many of the stories as any person; second, he (through Gunther) attacks evil as assiduously as gardener attacks invasive plant species. For all the comparisons to other 鈥渄etectives,鈥� this makes him quite different from most writers of detective fiction.
Let us now begin with the fact that this book鈥檚 plot is not centered in Berlin but in Vienna. Berlin has not fared well post-WW II. Divided among four countries for administration, little has been done to clear away the rubble. Prostitution and black-marketing seem the only occupations that can put food on the table. Gunther having been reunited with his wife sees their relationship eroding with the desperation of everyday needs. He works for coal to heat their apartment; she encourages U.S. soldiers for access to their PX foodstuffs. Can this marriage be saved?
This situation is interrupted by an opportunity to make some money by investigating the circumstances of an old Berlin acquaintance who is now being held for murder in Vienna by the American authorities. Gunther, with mixed emotions, accepts the job. Kerr鈥檚 confident descriptions of:
Berlin (where a woman is found surviving by eating the fungus off the wall of her apartment);
Rail travel in the Soviet zone (where Gunther is set upon by a Russian soldier); and,
Vienna (where, if you have ever seen the movie, The Third Man, everything is for sale is a world of spy versus spy).
This world is so offensive to Gunther that he can barely carryon. Here is a scene where a taxi-driver attempts to fix him up with a prostitute:
鈥淗e chuckled warmly at the thought of it all. 鈥業 could arrange something for you, sir. In the back of the car. For a small commission of course.鈥�
鈥淚 leaned forwards on the seat. I don鈥檛 know why I bothered with him. Maybe I just don鈥檛 like garter-handlers. Maybe I just didn鈥檛 much care for his Trotsky-lookalike face.
鈥溾€橳hat would be just great,鈥� I said very tough. 鈥業f it weren鈥檛 for a Russian table-trap I found in the Ukraine. Partisans put a tension-release trap behind a drawer that they left half-open with a bottle of vodka in there, just to get your attention. I came along, pulled the drawer, the pressure was released and the grenade detonated. It took the meat and two vegetables clean off at my belly. I nearly died from loss of blood. And when finally I came out of the coma I nearly died of grief. I tell you if I so much as see a bit of plum I鈥檓 liable to go mad with the frustration of it. I鈥檇 probably kill the nearest man to me out of plain envy.鈥�
鈥淭he drive glanced back over his shoulder. 鈥楽orry,鈥� he said nervously, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 mean to鈥︹€欌€�
This is an example of a grim joke (nothing like this happened to Gunther) that he resorts to in order to cope. Here is another example of Gunther鈥檚 quick retorts:
鈥�(He) smiled thinly, 鈥楽ome people keep savage dogs to protect me. I have Rainis.鈥�
鈥溾€橸es, well I hope he鈥檚 house-trained.鈥� I took off my hat and wiped my brow with my handkerchief. 鈥楳e, I wouldn鈥檛 let him past the front door. I鈥檇 keep him on a chain in the yard. Where does he think he is? Treblinka? The bastard couldn鈥檛 wait to shoot me鈥�.鈥欌€�
The violence is raw, though not as frequent as in some noirs. The sex isn鈥檛 very warm, when it occasionally appears. Kerr鈥檚 gift is to make it all believable. Of his first three novels, I think this is the best. We see some real growth in the character of Bernie Gunther. Kerr masterfully blends the historical figures with the four-power intrigue and the mystery. If we don鈥檛 have all the clues in advance, neither does Gunther. The ending is logical and the entire experience (as Nero Wolfe might say) satisfactory.
Let us now begin with the fact that this book鈥檚 plot is not centered in Berlin but in Vienna. Berlin has not fared well post-WW II. Divided among four countries for administration, little has been done to clear away the rubble. Prostitution and black-marketing seem the only occupations that can put food on the table. Gunther having been reunited with his wife sees their relationship eroding with the desperation of everyday needs. He works for coal to heat their apartment; she encourages U.S. soldiers for access to their PX foodstuffs. Can this marriage be saved?
This situation is interrupted by an opportunity to make some money by investigating the circumstances of an old Berlin acquaintance who is now being held for murder in Vienna by the American authorities. Gunther, with mixed emotions, accepts the job. Kerr鈥檚 confident descriptions of:
Berlin (where a woman is found surviving by eating the fungus off the wall of her apartment);
Rail travel in the Soviet zone (where Gunther is set upon by a Russian soldier); and,
Vienna (where, if you have ever seen the movie, The Third Man, everything is for sale is a world of spy versus spy).
This world is so offensive to Gunther that he can barely carryon. Here is a scene where a taxi-driver attempts to fix him up with a prostitute:
鈥淗e chuckled warmly at the thought of it all. 鈥業 could arrange something for you, sir. In the back of the car. For a small commission of course.鈥�
鈥淚 leaned forwards on the seat. I don鈥檛 know why I bothered with him. Maybe I just don鈥檛 like garter-handlers. Maybe I just didn鈥檛 much care for his Trotsky-lookalike face.
鈥溾€橳hat would be just great,鈥� I said very tough. 鈥業f it weren鈥檛 for a Russian table-trap I found in the Ukraine. Partisans put a tension-release trap behind a drawer that they left half-open with a bottle of vodka in there, just to get your attention. I came along, pulled the drawer, the pressure was released and the grenade detonated. It took the meat and two vegetables clean off at my belly. I nearly died from loss of blood. And when finally I came out of the coma I nearly died of grief. I tell you if I so much as see a bit of plum I鈥檓 liable to go mad with the frustration of it. I鈥檇 probably kill the nearest man to me out of plain envy.鈥�
鈥淭he drive glanced back over his shoulder. 鈥楽orry,鈥� he said nervously, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 mean to鈥︹€欌€�
This is an example of a grim joke (nothing like this happened to Gunther) that he resorts to in order to cope. Here is another example of Gunther鈥檚 quick retorts:
鈥�(He) smiled thinly, 鈥楽ome people keep savage dogs to protect me. I have Rainis.鈥�
鈥溾€橸es, well I hope he鈥檚 house-trained.鈥� I took off my hat and wiped my brow with my handkerchief. 鈥楳e, I wouldn鈥檛 let him past the front door. I鈥檇 keep him on a chain in the yard. Where does he think he is? Treblinka? The bastard couldn鈥檛 wait to shoot me鈥�.鈥欌€�
The violence is raw, though not as frequent as in some noirs. The sex isn鈥檛 very warm, when it occasionally appears. Kerr鈥檚 gift is to make it all believable. Of his first three novels, I think this is the best. We see some real growth in the character of Bernie Gunther. Kerr masterfully blends the historical figures with the four-power intrigue and the mystery. If we don鈥檛 have all the clues in advance, neither does Gunther. The ending is logical and the entire experience (as Nero Wolfe might say) satisfactory.
March 2, 2022
This was an incredible whirlwind with a lot of moving pieces and an unrelenting pace. The story picks up several years after the last book, with WWII now over and Germany carved up between the allies and the Soviets during the very early days of the cold war. It begins with Bernie travelling to Vienna on a murder investigation but quickly metastasizes full on into tale of intrigue and espionage involving rival spy agencies and their efforts to locate Nazi war criminals. The tense, dark and oppressive atmosphere of pre-war Germany from previous books is supplanted by a fractured landscape full of hidden identities, murky loyalties and the pervasive feelings of guilt and despair that weighed heavily on the defeated collective German psyche.
August 18, 2009
PI Bernie Gunther of post-war Berlin is a Marlowe-type shamus. Lots of Chandler metaphors, quips, and atmosphere. The hard-boiled element is there. Bernie goes to Vienna where he tangles with the Yanks, Brits, "Ivans", French, and Austrians. Shifty alliances and twists drive the plot. Great, intelligent read with first-rate writing. A must for any PI genre fans.
June 6, 2016
To "螕蔚蟻渭伪谓喂魏蠈 巍苇魏尾喂蔚渭" 蔚委谓伪喂 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺慰蠀 魏位蔚委谓蔚喂 蟿畏谓 '韦蟻喂位慰纬委伪 蟿慰蠀 螔蔚蟻慰位委谓慰蠀' 蟿慰蠀 Philip Kerr 魏伪喂 畏 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蟿慰蠀 未喂伪未蟻伪渭伪蟿委味蔚蟿伪喂 蟿慰 1947, 蟽蟿畏 螔喂苇谓谓畏. 螆蠂慰蠀谓 蟺蔚蟻维蟽蔚喂 10 蠂蟻蠈谓喂伪 伪蟺蠈 蟿喂蟼 蟿蔚位蔚蠀蟿伪委蔚蟼 蟺蔚蟻喂蟺苇蟿蔚喂蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 螠蟺苇蟻谓喂 螕魏慰蠉谓蟿蔚蟻, 魏伪喂 蟿蠈蟽慰 畏 未喂魏萎 蟿慰蠀 味蠅萎 蠈蟽慰 魏伪喂 慰 魏蠈蟽渭慰蟼 蠈蟺蠅蟼 蟿慰谓 萎尉蔚蟻蔚 蠅蟼 萎蟻蠅伪蟼 魏喂 蔚渭蔚委蟼 蠅蟼 伪谓伪纬谓蠋蟽蟿蔚蟼, 苇蠂蔚喂 伪位位维尉蔚喂. 螣 蟺蠈位蔚渭慰蟼 苇蠂蔚喂 蟿蔚位蔚喂蠋蟽蔚喂, 慰 围委蟿位蔚蟻 苇蠂蔚喂 畏蟿蟿畏胃蔚委 魏伪喂 慰喂 危慰尾喂蔚蟿喂魏慰委 渭蔚 蟿慰蠀蟼 螒渭蔚蟻喂魏维谓慰蠀蟼 魏维谓慰蠀谓 蟿蠋蟻伪 魏慰蠀渭维谓蟿慰.
韦伪 3 伪蟽蟿蔚蟻维魏喂伪 未蔚谓 蟽畏渭伪委谓慰蠀谓 蟺蠅蟼 未蔚谓 渭慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽蔚 纬蔚谓喂魏维 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 - 伪蟺位维 渭慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽蔚 位喂纬蠈蟿蔚蟻慰 伪蟺'蟿伪 蠀蟺蠈位慰喂蟺伪 蟺慰蠀 苇蠂蠅 未喂伪尾维蟽蔚喂. 螝伪喂 未蔚谓 蟿慰 蟺蔚蟻委渭蔚谓伪! 螤蔚蟻委渭蔚谓伪 谓伪 未喂伪尾维蟽蠅 渭蔚 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 渭喂伪 蠀蟺蠈胃蔚蟽畏 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 蔚尉蔚位喂蟽蟽蠈蟿伪谓 蟽蟿畏谓 位伪蟿蟻蔚渭苇谓畏 渭慰蠀 螔喂苇谓谓畏, 魏维蟿蠅 伪蟺蠈 蔚谓蟿蔚位蠋蟼 未喂伪蠁慰蟻蔚蟿喂魏苇蟼 蟽蠀谓胃萎魏蔚蟼, 蠂蠅蟻委蟼 蟿畏谓 谓伪味喂蟽蟿喂魏萎 螕蔚蟻渭伪谓委伪 蟿慰蠀 围委蟿位蔚蟻 魏伪喂 蟿慰蠀 围委渭位蔚蟻 伪蠀蟿萎谓 蟿畏 蠁慰蟻维 蟽蟿慰 蟺蟻慰蟽魏萎谓喂慰. 螝伪喂 蔚委蠂蔚 蟺蟻维纬渭伪蟿喂 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 谓伪 未喂伪尾维味蔚喂 魏伪谓蔚委蟼 蟿慰 蟺蠋蟼 畏 维位位慰蟿蔚 蟺伪谓委蟽蠂蠀蟻畏 魏伪喂 '蠄畏位慰渭蠉蟿伪' 螕蔚蟻渭伪谓委伪 渭蔚蟿蟻维蔚喂 蟿蠋蟻伪 蟿喂蟼 蟺位畏纬苇蟼 蟿畏蟼. 螌蟺蠅蟼 蟺维谓蟿伪, 慰 Kerr 蟺伪蟻慰蠀蟽喂维味蔚喂 (蟿伪蠀蟿蠈蠂蟻慰谓伪 渭蔚 蟿畏 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿慰蟻畏渭伪蟿喂魏萎 蟿慰蠀 未蟻维蟽畏) 魏伪喂 蟿慰 喂蟽蟿慰蟻喂魏蠈 蠀蟺蠈尾伪胃蟻慰 蟿畏蟼 蔚蟺慰蠂萎蟼, 魏喂 蠈蟺蠅蟼 蟺维谓蟿伪 魏伪胃蠈位慰蠀 蠅蟻伪喂慰蟺慰喂畏渭苇谓慰.
螌渭蠅蟼, 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 渭慰蠀 蠁维谓畏魏蔚 魏维蟺蠅蟼... 渭蟺蔚蟻未蔚渭苇谓慰. 10 蠂蟻蠈谓喂伪 纬蔚渭维蟿伪 魏蔚谓维 蔚委谓伪喂 蟺慰位位维, 喂未喂伪委蟿蔚蟻伪 蠈蟿伪谓 伪蠀蟿维 蟿伪 魏蔚谓维 蟺蔚蟿维纬慰谓蟿伪喂 蔚未蠋 魏喂 蔚魏蔚委 渭苇蟽伪 蟽蟿畏谓 蠀蟺蠈胃蔚蟽畏 魏伪喂 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 蟺位萎蟻蠅蟼 伪谓蔚蟺蟿蠀纬渭苇谓伪. 螣 螠蟺苇蟻谓喂 魏慰蠀尾伪位维蔚喂 蠁伪谓蟿维蟽渭伪蟿伪 蟺慰蠀 蟺伪蟻伪渭苇谓慰蠀谓 维纬谓蠅蟽蟿伪 蟽蟿慰谓 伪谓伪纬谓蠋蟽蟿畏... 螉蟽蠅蟼 蟽蟿伪 蠀蟺蠈位慰喂蟺伪 尾喂尾位委伪 蟿畏蟼 蟽蔚喂蟻维蟼, 蟺慰蠀 未蔚谓 苇蠂慰蠀谓 蔚魏未慰胃蔚委 蟽蟿伪 蔚位位畏谓喂魏维, 渭伪胃伪委谓慰蠀渭蔚 蟺蔚蟻喂蟽蟽蠈蟿蔚蟻伪 纬喂伪 蟿畏谓 未蔚魏伪蔚蟿委伪 1938-48. 螖蔚谓 蟿慰 苇蠂蠅 蠄维尉蔚喂,伪位位维 蟿慰 蔚位蟺委味蠅. 螝喂 畏 委未喂伪 畏 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蔚委谓伪喂 蔚蟺委蟽畏蟼 渭蟺蔚蟻未蔚渭苇谓畏, 魏伪喂 胃伪 苇位蔚纬伪 渭蔚 苇谓伪谓 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 蠈蠂喂 魏伪喂 蟿蠈蟽慰 纬慰畏蟿蔚蠀蟿喂魏蠈. 螝慰喂谓蠋蟼, 胃伪 苇位蔚纬伪 蟺蠅蟼 伪蟺位维 蟺蔚蟻委渭蔚谓伪 谓伪 尉蔚蟿蠀位喂蠂蟿蔚委 蔚蟺喂蟿苇位慰蠀蟼 蟿慰 魏慰蠀尾维蟻喂 蟿畏蟼 蠀蟺蠈胃蔚蟽畏蟼 纬喂伪 谓伪 未蠅 蟿喂 纬委谓蔚蟿伪喂, 伪位位维 未蔚谓 蔚委蠂伪 魏伪渭委伪 蠈蟻蔚尉畏 谓伪 蟿慰 尉蔚蟿蠀位委尉蠅 畏 委未喂伪! 螝伪魏蠈 伪蠀蟿蠈!
螤蟻慰蟽蠅蟺喂魏维, 蟺喂蟽蟿蔚蠉蠅 蟺蠅蟼 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 苇位蔚喂蟺蔚 渭喂伪 '蟽蟺委胃伪' 蟺慰蠀 苇蠂蠅 尾蟻蔚喂 蟽蔚 维位位伪. 危委纬慰蠀蟻伪 慰喂 蔚尉蔚位委尉蔚喂蟼 蟿蟻苇蠂慰蠀谓 魏伪喂 慰喂 伪谓伪蟿蟻慰蟺苇蟼 未喂伪未苇蠂慰谓蟿伪喂 畏 渭委伪 蟿畏谓 维位位畏, 伪位位维 未蔚谓 蟽魏蔚蠁蟿蠈渭慰蠀谓 蟿慰 蟽蟿蠈蟻蠀 伪魏蠈渭伪 魏喂 蠈蟿伪谓 未蔚谓 蔚委蠂伪 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 伪谓慰喂纬渭苇谓慰 渭蟺蟻慰蟽蟿维 渭慰蠀, 蠈蟺蠅蟼 维位位蔚蟼 蠁慰蟻苇蟼. 螖蔚谓 渭蔚 蔚谓慰蠂位慰蠉蟽蔚 谓伪 蟿慰 伪蠁萎蟽蠅 蟽蟿畏谓 维魏蟻畏 纬喂伪 位委纬慰, 蠈蟺蠅蟼 维位位蔚蟼 蠁慰蟻苇蟼. 螖蔚谓 渭蔚 苇蟿蟻蠅纬伪谓 蟿伪 蠂苇蟻喂伪 渭慰蠀 谓伪 纬蠀蟻委蟽蠅 纬蟻萎纬慰蟻伪 蟿喂蟼 蟽蔚位委未蔚蟼, 纬喂伪 谓伪 未蠅 蟿喂 胃伪 纬委谓蔚喂 蟺伪蟻伪魏维蟿蠅, 蠈蟺蠅蟼 维位位蔚蟼 蠁慰蟻苇蟼...
螒纬伪蟺蠋 蟿慰谓 螠蟺苇蟻谓喂 螕魏慰蠉谓蟿蔚蟻 魏喂 伪纬伪蟺蠋 蟿慰谓 Kerr 魏伪喂 伪谓伪纬谓蠅蟻委味蠅 蟺蠅蟼 蠈位慰喂 渭伪蟼 苇蠂慰蠀渭蔚 魏伪喂 蟿喂蟼 位喂纬蠈蟿蔚蟻慰 未蠀谓伪蟿苇蟼 蟽蟿喂纬渭苇蟼 渭伪蟼. 螕喂伪 渭苇谓伪, 渭喂伪 蟿苇蟿慰喂伪 蟽蟿喂纬渭萎 蔚委谓伪喂 魏伪喂 蟿慰 "巍苇魏尾喂蔚渭". 螣蟺蠅蟽未萎蟺慰蟿蔚 蠂维蟻畏魏伪 谓伪 渭维胃蠅 蟿伪 渭蔚蟿伪蟺慰位蔚渭喂魏维 谓苇伪 蟿慰蠀 螠蟺苇蟻谓喂, 伪位位维 蔚蟺委蟽畏蟼 慰蟺蠅蟽未萎蟺慰蟿蔚 蟿伪 蟺蟻慰蟺慰位蔚渭喂魏维 谓苇伪 蟿慰蠀 魏伪喂 伪蠀蟿维 蟺慰蠀 伪魏慰位慰蠉胃畏蟽伪谓 蟿喂蟼 蔚蟺蠈渭蔚谓蔚蟼 未蔚魏伪蔚蟿委蔚蟼 魏伪喂 蟺伪蟻慰蠀蟽喂维味慰谓蟿伪喂 蟽蟿伪 蔚蟺蠈渭蔚谓伪 尾喂尾位委伪 渭慰蠀 蠁维谓畏魏伪谓 蟺慰位蠉 蟺喂慰 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓蟿伪.
韦伪 3 伪蟽蟿蔚蟻维魏喂伪 未蔚谓 蟽畏渭伪委谓慰蠀谓 蟺蠅蟼 未蔚谓 渭慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽蔚 纬蔚谓喂魏维 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 - 伪蟺位维 渭慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽蔚 位喂纬蠈蟿蔚蟻慰 伪蟺'蟿伪 蠀蟺蠈位慰喂蟺伪 蟺慰蠀 苇蠂蠅 未喂伪尾维蟽蔚喂. 螝伪喂 未蔚谓 蟿慰 蟺蔚蟻委渭蔚谓伪! 螤蔚蟻委渭蔚谓伪 谓伪 未喂伪尾维蟽蠅 渭蔚 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 渭喂伪 蠀蟺蠈胃蔚蟽畏 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 蔚尉蔚位喂蟽蟽蠈蟿伪谓 蟽蟿畏谓 位伪蟿蟻蔚渭苇谓畏 渭慰蠀 螔喂苇谓谓畏, 魏维蟿蠅 伪蟺蠈 蔚谓蟿蔚位蠋蟼 未喂伪蠁慰蟻蔚蟿喂魏苇蟼 蟽蠀谓胃萎魏蔚蟼, 蠂蠅蟻委蟼 蟿畏谓 谓伪味喂蟽蟿喂魏萎 螕蔚蟻渭伪谓委伪 蟿慰蠀 围委蟿位蔚蟻 魏伪喂 蟿慰蠀 围委渭位蔚蟻 伪蠀蟿萎谓 蟿畏 蠁慰蟻维 蟽蟿慰 蟺蟻慰蟽魏萎谓喂慰. 螝伪喂 蔚委蠂蔚 蟺蟻维纬渭伪蟿喂 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 谓伪 未喂伪尾维味蔚喂 魏伪谓蔚委蟼 蟿慰 蟺蠋蟼 畏 维位位慰蟿蔚 蟺伪谓委蟽蠂蠀蟻畏 魏伪喂 '蠄畏位慰渭蠉蟿伪' 螕蔚蟻渭伪谓委伪 渭蔚蟿蟻维蔚喂 蟿蠋蟻伪 蟿喂蟼 蟺位畏纬苇蟼 蟿畏蟼. 螌蟺蠅蟼 蟺维谓蟿伪, 慰 Kerr 蟺伪蟻慰蠀蟽喂维味蔚喂 (蟿伪蠀蟿蠈蠂蟻慰谓伪 渭蔚 蟿畏 渭蠀胃喂蟽蟿慰蟻畏渭伪蟿喂魏萎 蟿慰蠀 未蟻维蟽畏) 魏伪喂 蟿慰 喂蟽蟿慰蟻喂魏蠈 蠀蟺蠈尾伪胃蟻慰 蟿畏蟼 蔚蟺慰蠂萎蟼, 魏喂 蠈蟺蠅蟼 蟺维谓蟿伪 魏伪胃蠈位慰蠀 蠅蟻伪喂慰蟺慰喂畏渭苇谓慰.
螌渭蠅蟼, 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 渭慰蠀 蠁维谓畏魏蔚 魏维蟺蠅蟼... 渭蟺蔚蟻未蔚渭苇谓慰. 10 蠂蟻蠈谓喂伪 纬蔚渭维蟿伪 魏蔚谓维 蔚委谓伪喂 蟺慰位位维, 喂未喂伪委蟿蔚蟻伪 蠈蟿伪谓 伪蠀蟿维 蟿伪 魏蔚谓维 蟺蔚蟿维纬慰谓蟿伪喂 蔚未蠋 魏喂 蔚魏蔚委 渭苇蟽伪 蟽蟿畏谓 蠀蟺蠈胃蔚蟽畏 魏伪喂 未蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 蟺位萎蟻蠅蟼 伪谓蔚蟺蟿蠀纬渭苇谓伪. 螣 螠蟺苇蟻谓喂 魏慰蠀尾伪位维蔚喂 蠁伪谓蟿维蟽渭伪蟿伪 蟺慰蠀 蟺伪蟻伪渭苇谓慰蠀谓 维纬谓蠅蟽蟿伪 蟽蟿慰谓 伪谓伪纬谓蠋蟽蟿畏... 螉蟽蠅蟼 蟽蟿伪 蠀蟺蠈位慰喂蟺伪 尾喂尾位委伪 蟿畏蟼 蟽蔚喂蟻维蟼, 蟺慰蠀 未蔚谓 苇蠂慰蠀谓 蔚魏未慰胃蔚委 蟽蟿伪 蔚位位畏谓喂魏维, 渭伪胃伪委谓慰蠀渭蔚 蟺蔚蟻喂蟽蟽蠈蟿蔚蟻伪 纬喂伪 蟿畏谓 未蔚魏伪蔚蟿委伪 1938-48. 螖蔚谓 蟿慰 苇蠂蠅 蠄维尉蔚喂,伪位位维 蟿慰 蔚位蟺委味蠅. 螝喂 畏 委未喂伪 畏 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蔚委谓伪喂 蔚蟺委蟽畏蟼 渭蟺蔚蟻未蔚渭苇谓畏, 魏伪喂 胃伪 苇位蔚纬伪 渭蔚 苇谓伪谓 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 蠈蠂喂 魏伪喂 蟿蠈蟽慰 纬慰畏蟿蔚蠀蟿喂魏蠈. 螝慰喂谓蠋蟼, 胃伪 苇位蔚纬伪 蟺蠅蟼 伪蟺位维 蟺蔚蟻委渭蔚谓伪 谓伪 尉蔚蟿蠀位喂蠂蟿蔚委 蔚蟺喂蟿苇位慰蠀蟼 蟿慰 魏慰蠀尾维蟻喂 蟿畏蟼 蠀蟺蠈胃蔚蟽畏蟼 纬喂伪 谓伪 未蠅 蟿喂 纬委谓蔚蟿伪喂, 伪位位维 未蔚谓 蔚委蠂伪 魏伪渭委伪 蠈蟻蔚尉畏 谓伪 蟿慰 尉蔚蟿蠀位委尉蠅 畏 委未喂伪! 螝伪魏蠈 伪蠀蟿蠈!
螤蟻慰蟽蠅蟺喂魏维, 蟺喂蟽蟿蔚蠉蠅 蟺蠅蟼 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 苇位蔚喂蟺蔚 渭喂伪 '蟽蟺委胃伪' 蟺慰蠀 苇蠂蠅 尾蟻蔚喂 蟽蔚 维位位伪. 危委纬慰蠀蟻伪 慰喂 蔚尉蔚位委尉蔚喂蟼 蟿蟻苇蠂慰蠀谓 魏伪喂 慰喂 伪谓伪蟿蟻慰蟺苇蟼 未喂伪未苇蠂慰谓蟿伪喂 畏 渭委伪 蟿畏谓 维位位畏, 伪位位维 未蔚谓 蟽魏蔚蠁蟿蠈渭慰蠀谓 蟿慰 蟽蟿蠈蟻蠀 伪魏蠈渭伪 魏喂 蠈蟿伪谓 未蔚谓 蔚委蠂伪 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰 伪谓慰喂纬渭苇谓慰 渭蟺蟻慰蟽蟿维 渭慰蠀, 蠈蟺蠅蟼 维位位蔚蟼 蠁慰蟻苇蟼. 螖蔚谓 渭蔚 蔚谓慰蠂位慰蠉蟽蔚 谓伪 蟿慰 伪蠁萎蟽蠅 蟽蟿畏谓 维魏蟻畏 纬喂伪 位委纬慰, 蠈蟺蠅蟼 维位位蔚蟼 蠁慰蟻苇蟼. 螖蔚谓 渭蔚 苇蟿蟻蠅纬伪谓 蟿伪 蠂苇蟻喂伪 渭慰蠀 谓伪 纬蠀蟻委蟽蠅 纬蟻萎纬慰蟻伪 蟿喂蟼 蟽蔚位委未蔚蟼, 纬喂伪 谓伪 未蠅 蟿喂 胃伪 纬委谓蔚喂 蟺伪蟻伪魏维蟿蠅, 蠈蟺蠅蟼 维位位蔚蟼 蠁慰蟻苇蟼...
螒纬伪蟺蠋 蟿慰谓 螠蟺苇蟻谓喂 螕魏慰蠉谓蟿蔚蟻 魏喂 伪纬伪蟺蠋 蟿慰谓 Kerr 魏伪喂 伪谓伪纬谓蠅蟻委味蠅 蟺蠅蟼 蠈位慰喂 渭伪蟼 苇蠂慰蠀渭蔚 魏伪喂 蟿喂蟼 位喂纬蠈蟿蔚蟻慰 未蠀谓伪蟿苇蟼 蟽蟿喂纬渭苇蟼 渭伪蟼. 螕喂伪 渭苇谓伪, 渭喂伪 蟿苇蟿慰喂伪 蟽蟿喂纬渭萎 蔚委谓伪喂 魏伪喂 蟿慰 "巍苇魏尾喂蔚渭". 螣蟺蠅蟽未萎蟺慰蟿蔚 蠂维蟻畏魏伪 谓伪 渭维胃蠅 蟿伪 渭蔚蟿伪蟺慰位蔚渭喂魏维 谓苇伪 蟿慰蠀 螠蟺苇蟻谓喂, 伪位位维 蔚蟺委蟽畏蟼 慰蟺蠅蟽未萎蟺慰蟿蔚 蟿伪 蟺蟻慰蟺慰位蔚渭喂魏维 谓苇伪 蟿慰蠀 魏伪喂 伪蠀蟿维 蟺慰蠀 伪魏慰位慰蠉胃畏蟽伪谓 蟿喂蟼 蔚蟺蠈渭蔚谓蔚蟼 未蔚魏伪蔚蟿委蔚蟼 魏伪喂 蟺伪蟻慰蠀蟽喂维味慰谓蟿伪喂 蟽蟿伪 蔚蟺蠈渭蔚谓伪 尾喂尾位委伪 渭慰蠀 蠁维谓畏魏伪谓 蟺慰位蠉 蟺喂慰 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓蟿伪.
January 8, 2019
Powerful historical fiction. Kerr transports you to a place and time many of have only heard vaguely about. Nazis, war, recovery, wrapped up in a good mystery. Philip Kerr created an excellent storyteller in Bernie.
December 31, 2023
This one, I have to admit is quite good. So 4 1/2 stars. My reason for not giving it 5 is well expressed in a community review of a different book by Kerr: 鈥淎 load of thoroughly entertaining rubbish, the literary equivalent of Tarantino鈥檚 brilliant movie Inglorious Bastards.鈥�
And so with that, I pack up the year, a year in which I read many books 鈥� some good, some trash, some barely worthwhile, others fabulous. A typical year of promiscuous reading鈥�!
And so with that, I pack up the year, a year in which I read many books 鈥� some good, some trash, some barely worthwhile, others fabulous. A typical year of promiscuous reading鈥�!
March 30, 2021
In this third entry of Kerr's Bernie Gunther series, we find a very different, post-war Gunther trying to survive in a grim Berlin. Gunter is now married, but both him and his wife seemed more concerned with survival (food, heat) than anything else. Compromises are made to just get through the day, as Bernie discovers his wife trading sex with an American officer, for food. Rather than confront her with this information, Bernie takes on a case, in Vienna, from, interestingly, a Russian intelligence officer. It involves an old comrade from Bernie's police, and later, SS days. Bernie's no Nazi, but he did abandon a few principles in order survive the war, one of which was a brief stint with the SS. (Bernie saw the beginnings of what was going to be the Holocaust, and transferred out.) Nevertheless, he would get a full dose the Hell that was the Russian Front, and a Russian P.O.W prison. But the new order of things is similarly lethal. You don't know who to trust, as Bernie has dealings with Russian, American, old (and brutal) Nazi agents, and other rogue characters. The Vienna Kerr paints is, if you've seen The Third Man , a familiar one of grays and blacks and side glances. (You even get a glimpse of the famous movie being filmed.) I was actually rating this effort lower (3 stars), in part because I didn't like the pacing for two thirds of the novel. It seemed off compared to its two cracker-jack predecessors. But it also seemed off due to Bernie himself. Was this even the same character? By novel's end I became somewhat convinced of his changes, his deepening. Apparently Gunter has had some spiritual stirrings due to what he has seen and lived through. Nothing dramatic, but to my mind ever-present, like a faint thread that remains intact throughout the novel. And that it made it all the more believable. Gunther's "faith" is no moving conversion story, but more like a helpful life preserver in a cynical hellscape. A different kind of Bernie Gunther novel, but definitely a Bernie Gunter novel.
December 14, 2021
La Seconda Guerra Mondiale e' appena finita, e la Germania e' in ginocchio. La nazione che aveva dichiarato guerra al mondo terrorizzandolo e' distrutta e le macerie riempiono ovunque l'orizzonte. L'investigatore Bernie Gunther, qui al terzo episodio della serie, e' allo sbando come tutti i suoi connazionali. Non e' mai stato nazista, anche quando era difficile non esserlo, ma ora e' comunque costretto a doversi inventare qualcosa pur di vivere alla giornata. Accetta cosi' la pericolosa indagine sulla morte di un capitano americano che lo porta a Vienna. Una Vienna divisa tra i nuovi padroni del mondo, americani e russi, che hanno scelto questo teatro per mettere in scena un nuovo conflitto latente. Tra spie, doppiogiochisti, ex nazisti in cerca di riscossa e poveri diavoli che cercano di sbarcare il lunario, Gunther si trovera' costretto a piu' di un equilibrismo per poter riportare a casa la pelle. Un po' prolisso e meno scorrevole dei precedenti e' sempre pero' una piacevole lettura. Come sempre la ricostruzione storica e' ammirevole e i dialoghi azzeccati.
April 29, 2018
Another excellent entry in the Bernie Gunther series 鈥�#3, set mostly in post WWII Austria.
With every page I was deeply impressed with the late Philip Kerr鈥檚 ability not only to realistically set his story in the world that existed in 1947, but to get the reader invested in characters who were, at a minimum, witness to unspeakable barbarism, if not actual participants.
With every page I was deeply impressed with the late Philip Kerr鈥檚 ability not only to realistically set his story in the world that existed in 1947, but to get the reader invested in characters who were, at a minimum, witness to unspeakable barbarism, if not actual participants.
August 9, 2018
Bernie Gunther takes on an assignment in Vienna, where a former colleague from the Kripo is facing a death sentence for the murder of an American soldier. Gunther soon concludes that both his colleague and the American were involved in shady dealings, maybe the flourishing black market or perhaps some kind of espionage, but the further he digs, the more loose ends and contradictions he uncovers.
I found this book less enjoyable than the previous two in this series (originally a trilogy which Philip Kerr later extended). Its main strength lies in its skilful use of well-researched period detail, and the depiction of post-War Vienna is fascinating. Likewise the comparison of its decay and ruin with Berlin, the similarities and differences in the fate of these two great cities being woven brilliantly into the narrative. There are also clever references to the film industry, Orson Welles and the film 'The Third Man'.
However, the plot is rather convoluted, sometimes unnecessarily so, and I found myself thinking at the end that it was all rather pointless. With the previous books, I quickly became intrigued and then engaged and then totally engrossed, with this book I read cheerfully to the end without really caring too much what the solution was.
With Bernie Gunther, I also personally find it's best to read his accounts of his sexual encounters as quickly as possible and then put them out of my mind - somehow they are more brutal and unpleasant than the scenes of violence and less easy to accept in the context of the plot. I appreciate that Gunther is an anti-hero figure, but there's a lack of subtlety in this aspect of Kerr's writing that jars with how he demonstrates his skill elsewhere.
Overall, not a bad read and I will definitely continue with the series, but not my favourite.
I found this book less enjoyable than the previous two in this series (originally a trilogy which Philip Kerr later extended). Its main strength lies in its skilful use of well-researched period detail, and the depiction of post-War Vienna is fascinating. Likewise the comparison of its decay and ruin with Berlin, the similarities and differences in the fate of these two great cities being woven brilliantly into the narrative. There are also clever references to the film industry, Orson Welles and the film 'The Third Man'.
However, the plot is rather convoluted, sometimes unnecessarily so, and I found myself thinking at the end that it was all rather pointless. With the previous books, I quickly became intrigued and then engaged and then totally engrossed, with this book I read cheerfully to the end without really caring too much what the solution was.
With Bernie Gunther, I also personally find it's best to read his accounts of his sexual encounters as quickly as possible and then put them out of my mind - somehow they are more brutal and unpleasant than the scenes of violence and less easy to accept in the context of the plot. I appreciate that Gunther is an anti-hero figure, but there's a lack of subtlety in this aspect of Kerr's writing that jars with how he demonstrates his skill elsewhere.
Overall, not a bad read and I will definitely continue with the series, but not my favourite.
February 15, 2012
This one felt more like a history lesson than a noir thriller, Bernie Gunther basically behaving like a tour guide through post war atrocities than as a German Marlowe.
There's some kind of convoluted plot involving multiple parties with dubious morals and an elastic sense of who is working with/for whom, there's so much back stabbing and double crossing going on simply serving as a stream of red herrings and the padding out of the book to it's longer than previous entries page count.
The blurb talks about a legacy of dirt and horror beyond anything Gunther had previously experienced and I spent the entire novel waiting to be shocked or appalled or horrified or...somebody get me a thesaurus? I wasn't, and Bernie didn't seem to be. In many ways it had a similar plot to 's which was referenced both directly and indirectly multiple times throughout this trip to Vienna but it replaced the sparse nature with an unwarranted bloatedness and class with a more honest vulgarity and A German Requiem comes off looking worse for it.
I sure hope the 4th Bernie Gunther installment returns it to it's previous glory, especially the fun hard boiled aspect of or I may not read the rest of the series.
There's some kind of convoluted plot involving multiple parties with dubious morals and an elastic sense of who is working with/for whom, there's so much back stabbing and double crossing going on simply serving as a stream of red herrings and the padding out of the book to it's longer than previous entries page count.
The blurb talks about a legacy of dirt and horror beyond anything Gunther had previously experienced and I spent the entire novel waiting to be shocked or appalled or horrified or...somebody get me a thesaurus? I wasn't, and Bernie didn't seem to be. In many ways it had a similar plot to 's which was referenced both directly and indirectly multiple times throughout this trip to Vienna but it replaced the sparse nature with an unwarranted bloatedness and class with a more honest vulgarity and A German Requiem comes off looking worse for it.
I sure hope the 4th Bernie Gunther installment returns it to it's previous glory, especially the fun hard boiled aspect of or I may not read the rest of the series.
October 30, 2018
Finished the third and final book of the Berlin Noir trilogy, A German Requiem. This one, in my opinion, was probably the best of the three and definitely the most complex. It takes place in 1947 and 1948 in post-war Berlin and Vienna. Bernie had managed to escape from a Russian prison camp where he spent the last part of the war and he and his wife are trying to eke out an existence in the war-savaged Berlin of 1947. Not only is the city almost totally destroyed but it is also being held hostage by the Russian Communists. His wife does whatever it takes to make ends meet and some of this does not set well with Bernie. He agrees to travel to Vienna at the behest of a high-ranking Russian officer to try to prove the innocence of Bernie's old colleague from Kripo, Emil Becker, who is accused of killing an American Counter Intelligence officer. But is this the real purpose of sending Bernie to Vienna. He ends up getting enmeshed in the operations of the Americans and the Russians and a plot where the Americans may be using ex-Nazi war criminals in their beginning cold war against the Communists. The story was very engaging and emphasized the hardship of post-war conditions in Germany and Austria, occupation by the Allied Powers, espionage activities between them, and the secret post-war resurgence of Nazi war criminals.
March 9, 2013
Book 3 is "Requiem", which takes place after the war, mostly in Vienna. In many ways it is the least sexist and yet somehow falls flat to me. Again a lot of intricate plotting, but It's not hard to follow. This one moves right into Dashiell Hammett's nameless detective, even referring to various of his books again.
Here's a quote that feels to me much like a rewrite of the end Sam Spade speech from "The Maltese Falcon" where he tells the girl why he has to do things the way he does. This is from "Requiem":
"I'm no knight in shining armour. Just a weather-beaten man in a crumpled overcoat on a street corner with only a grey idea of something you might as well go ahead and call Morality. Sure, I'm none too scrupulous about the things that might benefit my pocket, and I could no more inspire a bunch of young thugs to do good works than I could stand up and sing a solo in the church choir. But of one thing I was sure. I was through looking at my fingernails when there were thieves in the store."
Overall, I guess I don't find Kerr a very good writer. He's sexist and derivative, and while he can do some good plotting and physical descriptions of places- actually very good-to me, the bad outweighs the good.
Here's a quote that feels to me much like a rewrite of the end Sam Spade speech from "The Maltese Falcon" where he tells the girl why he has to do things the way he does. This is from "Requiem":
"I'm no knight in shining armour. Just a weather-beaten man in a crumpled overcoat on a street corner with only a grey idea of something you might as well go ahead and call Morality. Sure, I'm none too scrupulous about the things that might benefit my pocket, and I could no more inspire a bunch of young thugs to do good works than I could stand up and sing a solo in the church choir. But of one thing I was sure. I was through looking at my fingernails when there were thieves in the store."
Overall, I guess I don't find Kerr a very good writer. He's sexist and derivative, and while he can do some good plotting and physical descriptions of places- actually very good-to me, the bad outweighs the good.
March 3, 2017
This book takes place just after WW2, mostly in Vienna. Bernie is now a private detective, living in Berlin. He gets hired to try to prove that an old associate of his did not kill some American, fighting against the clock to save him from the death penalty, coming up fast. A lot of things come up along the way, and it's never certain just who's in charge, who's the vilain, and who's going to die. But as usual, Bernie seems to be one of the few who finds all the answers.
November 10, 2017
A German Requiem is the third Bernie G眉nther story and was part of Philip Kerr's trilogy Berlin Noir. It's the second time I've read it and I was not disappointed. Bernie finds himself in Vienna, employed by the Russians to find out who murdered an American captain. Accused of the murder is Bernie's old colleague Becker whom our hero remembers with no fondness at all. However, he needs the money and becomes involved a plot which, despite its twists and turns, unfolds brilliantly with surprise climax.
The narrative ends against the background of the filming of The Third Man, the best ever British movie. The author captures the dark wet feel of Vienna in 1948 where nobody is to be trusted in a city jointly under the control of the victorious allies. Bernie quickly finds this to be true and he appears to be constantly under the threat of violence or imprisonment.
As usual G眉nther, who narrates the adventure, is cynical but not so much as in later novels. Here he appears to suffer from the collective war guilt that most Germans experienced in the years after the war.
A German Requiem is a very fine and exciting tale.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen, Two Families at War and The Summer of '39, all published by Sacristy Press.
The narrative ends against the background of the filming of The Third Man, the best ever British movie. The author captures the dark wet feel of Vienna in 1948 where nobody is to be trusted in a city jointly under the control of the victorious allies. Bernie quickly finds this to be true and he appears to be constantly under the threat of violence or imprisonment.
As usual G眉nther, who narrates the adventure, is cynical but not so much as in later novels. Here he appears to suffer from the collective war guilt that most Germans experienced in the years after the war.
A German Requiem is a very fine and exciting tale.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen, Two Families at War and The Summer of '39, all published by Sacristy Press.
April 2, 2020
The last of three Philip Kerr novels in my hefty paperback. The trilogy concludes in Vienna. It's been a real adventure for me to get to know Bernie Gunther and Kerr's writing, book by book. The concluding novel is currently my favorite. It has an abundance of intrigue, action, character revelation/growth all wrapped into a vivid description of life in post WWII Vienna which, like Berlin, is now occupied by the victorious foreign powers. There's a long, graceful and well-constructed conclusion. And endings, as most fiction writers will tell you, ain't easy. But all of the story's loose ends just click into place. Kerr's writing, like his sense of place, just seems to get better as time goes by. That said, I think I need a break from my mystery binge (Chandler/MacDonald/Kerr). John Updike and P. G. Wodehouse here I come.
August 4, 2022
Viena, 1947-ieji. Privatus seklys B. Giunteris gavo nauj膮 u啪duot寞 - 寞rodyti, kad senas jo bendradarbis n臈ra kaltas d臈l amerikie膷i懦 karininko mirties. Kaltinamasis Bekeris dirbo organizacijoje, persekiojan膷ioje nacius, sek臈 karo nusikalt臈lius, priklaus臈 vienai 寞takingai organizacijai. Apgaul臈s b奴du patek臋s 寞 pastar膮j膮, B. Giunteris akis 寞 ak寞 susiduria su vyrais, apgaudin臈jan膷iais teis臈saug膮.
Ech, kaip buvau pasiilgusi gero detektyvo, o 拧io pasirodymo - ypa膷 laukiau (po praeitos dalies 鈥濨eveidis nusikalt臈lis鈥�)! Romanai, tikros istorijos, dramos ir kiti pana拧奴s 啪anrai yra gerai, galima daug ko pasimokyti, gauti 寞kv臈pimo, bet kartais norisi ka啪ko tokio, kas pad臈t懦 pails臈ti nuo santyki懦 dilem懦 ir sukre膷ian膷i懦 istorij懦, o vietoj to - pad臈t懦 panirti 寞 ie拧kojim懦 ir m寞sli懦 trans膮. Bernio Giunterio tyrimai yra ta detektyvini懦 knyg懦 serija, kurios kiekvien膮 dal寞 skaitydamas net nepastebi, kaip greitai k奴rinys atsiduria fini拧o tiesiojoje ir visi ta拧kai byloje sud臈liojami ant 鈥瀒鈥�.
Neabejoju, kad kai kuriems gali pasirodyti, kad tai n臈ra lengvai skaitomas k奴rinys, kadangi esti ir istorinis kontekstas, ir ne vienas veik臈jas, kuris 膷ia vaidina svarbi膮 rol臋 (visus juos reikia 寞sid臈m臈ti ir nepasiklysti j懦 gausoje), o kur dar visi kiti aspektai, b奴dingi detektyvinio 啪anro istorijai. Omenyje turiu pat寞 vykdom膮 tyrim膮, 寞nirtingas nusikalt臈lio paie拧kas, kitas m寞sles ir siu啪et膮, kupin膮 netik臈t懦 staigmen懦. Tiems, kurie mano pana拧iai 寞 tai, k膮 寞vardijau anks膷iau, nor臈膷iau pasakyti: taip tikrai n臈ra - istorija skaitosi greitai, maloniai, su 拧ypsena veide (d臈l siu啪ete vyraujan膷ios charizmos) ir neleid啪ia atitraukti aki懦.
Kad a拧 jau膷iu silpnyb臋 istoriniams dalykams, 啪ino visi akylesni mano ap啪valg懦 skaitytojai. I拧 prad啪i懦 gali b奴ti sunku patik臈ti (kalbu i拧 savo patirties), bet ra拧ytojas P. Kerr sugeb臈jo ne tik sukurti istorin寞 kontekst膮 ar tarp kitko, visos istorijos fone, pakalb臈ti apie Antr膮j寞 Pasaulin寞 kar膮, v臈liau - apie prasid臈jusius pokario metus, bet ir pa膷ias bylas, nusikaltimo motyvus susieti su istoriniais faktais, su kare dalyvavusiomis 拧alimis, su j懦 tarpusavio santykiais. 沤inokite, atrodo, lyg skaitytum tuo laikotarpiu i拧 ties懦 vykus寞 tyrim膮, o ne i拧galvot膮 - ra拧ytojo fantazijos vaisi懦, lyg b奴tum ne pa拧alinis asmuo, o tiesioginis jo dalyvis.
Skaitytojai, kurie yra skait臋 kitas 拧ios knyg懦 serijos dalis, jau puikiai 啪ino, kad tikr懦 tikriausia istorijos pa啪iba - pats privatus seklys B. Giunteris. Charizmati拧kas, nevengiantis laidyti savoti拧kus ir sarkasti拧kus juokelius, o taip pat protingas ir 寞siveliantis 寞 kvap膮 gniau啪ian膷ius ir mirtimi galin膷ius pasibaigti reikalus. Ta膷iau 拧ioje dalyje mano jausmai pagrindinio herojaus at啪vilgiu buvo dviprasmi拧ki. Vien膮 vertus, i拧 prad啪i懦 jo gail臈jausi d臈l 啪monos nederamo poelgio (i拧davyst臈s), bet, kit膮 vertus, v臈liau gaila nebebuvo - pats veik臈jas pasuko nederamu keliu.
B奴tent 拧i dalis, kaip man paku啪d臈jo 鈥炁繁τ槔肘€� program臈l臈, pirm膮 kart膮 buvo i拧leista 1991 metais. 艩is faktas, prisipa啪insiu, ne juokais nustebino, kadangi pats tekstas yra labai 拧iuolaiki拧kas, ri拧lus, turiningas, nenuobodus, nestokojantis humoro, o taip pat tem懦, kurios aktualios n奴dienoje. Kalbant apie pa膷ias temas, detektyvas palie膷ia ir nei拧tikimyb臈s aktualijas, ir kruop拧膷iai sukurptas melagystes, ir laisv臈s kain膮, ir karo pasekmes/拧e拧臈lius kasdienyb臈je, ir 拧ird寞 slegiant寞 jausm膮, padarius vienok寞 ar kitok寞 nusikaltim膮, ir mok臈jim膮 nutyl臈ti tai, k膮 vert臈t懦 i拧sakyti kuo garsiau.
Rekomenduoju, jeigu m臈gstate istorines knygas, o taip pat - detektyvus. Pastaruosius du dalykus m臈gstantiems skaitytojams Bernio Giunterio tyrimai yra idealus pasirinkimas, kadangi knygoje itin jau膷iamas skoningas 拧i懦 dviej懦 dalyk懦 kontrastas. Si奴lau, jeigu pasiilgote kokybi拧ko ir 寞traukian膷io detektyvo su kuriuo ilgas vasaros ar rudens vakaras tikrai neprailgs. Na, o tie, kurie 啪avisi i拧skirtiniais pagrindiniais veik臈jais, taip pat tur臈t懦 nepraleisti pro akis 拧io k奴rinio - B. Giunteris viena i拧 t懦 specifini懦 asmenybi懦, kuri i拧 vienos pus臈s norisi m臈gti, bet i拧 kitos pus臈s - peikti u啪 nederam膮 elges寞.
4/5猸�
Ech, kaip buvau pasiilgusi gero detektyvo, o 拧io pasirodymo - ypa膷 laukiau (po praeitos dalies 鈥濨eveidis nusikalt臈lis鈥�)! Romanai, tikros istorijos, dramos ir kiti pana拧奴s 啪anrai yra gerai, galima daug ko pasimokyti, gauti 寞kv臈pimo, bet kartais norisi ka啪ko tokio, kas pad臈t懦 pails臈ti nuo santyki懦 dilem懦 ir sukre膷ian膷i懦 istorij懦, o vietoj to - pad臈t懦 panirti 寞 ie拧kojim懦 ir m寞sli懦 trans膮. Bernio Giunterio tyrimai yra ta detektyvini懦 knyg懦 serija, kurios kiekvien膮 dal寞 skaitydamas net nepastebi, kaip greitai k奴rinys atsiduria fini拧o tiesiojoje ir visi ta拧kai byloje sud臈liojami ant 鈥瀒鈥�.
Neabejoju, kad kai kuriems gali pasirodyti, kad tai n臈ra lengvai skaitomas k奴rinys, kadangi esti ir istorinis kontekstas, ir ne vienas veik臈jas, kuris 膷ia vaidina svarbi膮 rol臋 (visus juos reikia 寞sid臈m臈ti ir nepasiklysti j懦 gausoje), o kur dar visi kiti aspektai, b奴dingi detektyvinio 啪anro istorijai. Omenyje turiu pat寞 vykdom膮 tyrim膮, 寞nirtingas nusikalt臈lio paie拧kas, kitas m寞sles ir siu啪et膮, kupin膮 netik臈t懦 staigmen懦. Tiems, kurie mano pana拧iai 寞 tai, k膮 寞vardijau anks膷iau, nor臈膷iau pasakyti: taip tikrai n臈ra - istorija skaitosi greitai, maloniai, su 拧ypsena veide (d臈l siu啪ete vyraujan膷ios charizmos) ir neleid啪ia atitraukti aki懦.
Kad a拧 jau膷iu silpnyb臋 istoriniams dalykams, 啪ino visi akylesni mano ap啪valg懦 skaitytojai. I拧 prad啪i懦 gali b奴ti sunku patik臈ti (kalbu i拧 savo patirties), bet ra拧ytojas P. Kerr sugeb臈jo ne tik sukurti istorin寞 kontekst膮 ar tarp kitko, visos istorijos fone, pakalb臈ti apie Antr膮j寞 Pasaulin寞 kar膮, v臈liau - apie prasid臈jusius pokario metus, bet ir pa膷ias bylas, nusikaltimo motyvus susieti su istoriniais faktais, su kare dalyvavusiomis 拧alimis, su j懦 tarpusavio santykiais. 沤inokite, atrodo, lyg skaitytum tuo laikotarpiu i拧 ties懦 vykus寞 tyrim膮, o ne i拧galvot膮 - ra拧ytojo fantazijos vaisi懦, lyg b奴tum ne pa拧alinis asmuo, o tiesioginis jo dalyvis.
Skaitytojai, kurie yra skait臋 kitas 拧ios knyg懦 serijos dalis, jau puikiai 啪ino, kad tikr懦 tikriausia istorijos pa啪iba - pats privatus seklys B. Giunteris. Charizmati拧kas, nevengiantis laidyti savoti拧kus ir sarkasti拧kus juokelius, o taip pat protingas ir 寞siveliantis 寞 kvap膮 gniau啪ian膷ius ir mirtimi galin膷ius pasibaigti reikalus. Ta膷iau 拧ioje dalyje mano jausmai pagrindinio herojaus at啪vilgiu buvo dviprasmi拧ki. Vien膮 vertus, i拧 prad啪i懦 jo gail臈jausi d臈l 啪monos nederamo poelgio (i拧davyst臈s), bet, kit膮 vertus, v臈liau gaila nebebuvo - pats veik臈jas pasuko nederamu keliu.
B奴tent 拧i dalis, kaip man paku啪d臈jo 鈥炁繁τ槔肘€� program臈l臈, pirm膮 kart膮 buvo i拧leista 1991 metais. 艩is faktas, prisipa啪insiu, ne juokais nustebino, kadangi pats tekstas yra labai 拧iuolaiki拧kas, ri拧lus, turiningas, nenuobodus, nestokojantis humoro, o taip pat tem懦, kurios aktualios n奴dienoje. Kalbant apie pa膷ias temas, detektyvas palie膷ia ir nei拧tikimyb臈s aktualijas, ir kruop拧膷iai sukurptas melagystes, ir laisv臈s kain膮, ir karo pasekmes/拧e拧臈lius kasdienyb臈je, ir 拧ird寞 slegiant寞 jausm膮, padarius vienok寞 ar kitok寞 nusikaltim膮, ir mok臈jim膮 nutyl臈ti tai, k膮 vert臈t懦 i拧sakyti kuo garsiau.
Rekomenduoju, jeigu m臈gstate istorines knygas, o taip pat - detektyvus. Pastaruosius du dalykus m臈gstantiems skaitytojams Bernio Giunterio tyrimai yra idealus pasirinkimas, kadangi knygoje itin jau膷iamas skoningas 拧i懦 dviej懦 dalyk懦 kontrastas. Si奴lau, jeigu pasiilgote kokybi拧ko ir 寞traukian膷io detektyvo su kuriuo ilgas vasaros ar rudens vakaras tikrai neprailgs. Na, o tie, kurie 啪avisi i拧skirtiniais pagrindiniais veik臈jais, taip pat tur臈t懦 nepraleisti pro akis 拧io k奴rinio - B. Giunteris viena i拧 t懦 specifini懦 asmenybi懦, kuri i拧 vienos pus臈s norisi m臈gti, bet i拧 kitos pus臈s - peikti u啪 nederam膮 elges寞.
4/5猸�
November 22, 2021
螘蠀魏慰位慰未喂维尾伪蟽蟿慰, 蟽魏慰蟿蔚喂谓蠈 谓慰蠀维蟻 渭蔚 蠁蠈谓蟿慰 蟿喂蟼 "伪蟺蔚位蔚蠀胃蔚蟻蠅渭苇谓蔚蟼" 蟺蠈位蔚喂蟼 蟿慰蠀 螔蔚蟻慰位委谓慰蠀 魏伪喂 蟿畏蟼 螔喂苇谓谓畏蟼 渭蔚蟿维 蟿畏 蟺蟿蠋蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 谓伪味喂蟽渭慰蠉. 螤蔚蟻委蟺位慰魏畏 蠀蟺蠈胃蔚蟽畏 渭蔚 蔚谓苇蟽蔚喂蟼 魏蠀谓喂蟽渭慰蠉 魏伪喂 蠂喂慰蠉渭慰蟻 蟽蔚 喂魏伪谓慰蟺慰喂畏蟿喂魏苇蟼 未蠈蟽蔚喂蟼. 螜蟽蟿慰蟻喂魏维 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 魏伪喂 渭蔚 苇谓伪 蟺蟻蠅蟿伪纬蠅谓喂蟽蟿萎 蟺慰蠀 伪纬伪蟺维蟼 谓伪 伪谓蟿喂蟺伪胃蔚委蟼.
7,5/10
7,5/10
July 17, 2017
It鈥檚 1947. Berlin is a shambles. The meager amount of food available is rationed, leaving the surviving German population on the verge of starvation while the occupying forces eat their fill. The city is sharply divided between the eastern, Soviet-occupied zone and the rest governed by the three Western Allies. In the western zone, German women known as 鈥渃hocoladies鈥� sell sex for food, cigarettes, and alcohol. In the east, rape by Russian soldiers is nearly inescapable. As Bernie Gunther reflects, 鈥淭hese days, if you are a German you spend your time in Purgatory before you die, in earthly suffering for all your country鈥檚 unpunished and unrepented sins, until the day when, with the aid of the prayers of the Powers鈥攐r three of them, anyway鈥擥ermany is finally purified. For now we live in fear. Mostly it is fear of the Ivans, matched only by the almost universal dread of venereal disease, which has become something of an epidemic, although both afflictions are generally held to be synonymous.鈥�
Berlin in the wake of World War II
These are the conditions under which former Berlin homicide detective Bernie Gunther and his wife Kirsten stagger from day to day. Though she was a schoolteacher in the past, she now works as a waitress in an American bar open only to servicemen. Because she frequently arrives home late he suspects she is sleeping with an American officer to obtain the coffee, butter, and chocolate that鈥檚 obviously from the American PX. To flee the unpleasantness, Bernie accepts a strange and lucrative job offered by a colonel in the Soviet MVD (precursor to the KGB), he agrees to accept it even though it will require him to travel to far-off Vienna and probably spend a long time there.
A treacherous assignment in post-War Vienna
On the surface, the job appears straightforward. A German black marketer, one of Bernie鈥檚 colleagues years earlier on the murder squad, has been imprisoned by the Americans on a charge of murdering one of their officers. But quickly the assignment proves to be anything but simple. As Bernie digs into the details of the case, he becomes convinced that the man is innocent of the crime he鈥檚 charged with, even though he has done a great many terrible things in his life. However, attempting to prove that leads Bernie into a tangled affair involving American counter-intelligence, the MVD, the recruitment of German intelligence officers by the USA, and an organized campaign to protect former SS war criminals from exposure. Two high-ranking, real-world Nazi war criminals鈥� Heinrich 鈥淕estapo鈥� M眉ller and Arthur Nebe鈥攑lay crucial roles in the tale. Like other novels in the Bernie Gunther series, Kerr skillfully builds suspense while digging deeply into Bernie鈥檚 complex personality.
Philip Kerr on "collective guilt"
Bernie has a great deal to answer for, having been dragooned from the Berlin homicide squad into the service of Josef Goebbels and later Heinrich Himmler and commissioned as an SS officer. He had refused to participate in the mass killing of Jews in Latvia, been reassigned to the Eastern Front, and was later imprisoned in a Soviet POW camp, never having stooped to the arrogance and cruelty of those he served with. But Bernie feels distinctly uneasy whenever he encounters cold, disdainful treatment at the hands of the Americans he encounters. Although 鈥渋t is certain that a nation cannot feel collective guilt,鈥� Bernie notes, 鈥渢hat each man must encounter it personally. Only now did I realize the nature of my own guilt鈥攁nd perhaps it was really not much different from that of many others: it was that I had not said anything, that I had not lifted my hand against the Nazis.鈥�
About Philip Kerr
In 1989-91, Philip Kerr wrote the first three novels in the Bernie Gunther series. A German Requiem concluded the trilogy. Fifteen years later he resumed the series, adding an additional ten novels to date (the last of which, Greeks Bearing Gifts, is scheduled for publication in 2018).
Berlin in the wake of World War II
These are the conditions under which former Berlin homicide detective Bernie Gunther and his wife Kirsten stagger from day to day. Though she was a schoolteacher in the past, she now works as a waitress in an American bar open only to servicemen. Because she frequently arrives home late he suspects she is sleeping with an American officer to obtain the coffee, butter, and chocolate that鈥檚 obviously from the American PX. To flee the unpleasantness, Bernie accepts a strange and lucrative job offered by a colonel in the Soviet MVD (precursor to the KGB), he agrees to accept it even though it will require him to travel to far-off Vienna and probably spend a long time there.
A treacherous assignment in post-War Vienna
On the surface, the job appears straightforward. A German black marketer, one of Bernie鈥檚 colleagues years earlier on the murder squad, has been imprisoned by the Americans on a charge of murdering one of their officers. But quickly the assignment proves to be anything but simple. As Bernie digs into the details of the case, he becomes convinced that the man is innocent of the crime he鈥檚 charged with, even though he has done a great many terrible things in his life. However, attempting to prove that leads Bernie into a tangled affair involving American counter-intelligence, the MVD, the recruitment of German intelligence officers by the USA, and an organized campaign to protect former SS war criminals from exposure. Two high-ranking, real-world Nazi war criminals鈥� Heinrich 鈥淕estapo鈥� M眉ller and Arthur Nebe鈥攑lay crucial roles in the tale. Like other novels in the Bernie Gunther series, Kerr skillfully builds suspense while digging deeply into Bernie鈥檚 complex personality.
Philip Kerr on "collective guilt"
Bernie has a great deal to answer for, having been dragooned from the Berlin homicide squad into the service of Josef Goebbels and later Heinrich Himmler and commissioned as an SS officer. He had refused to participate in the mass killing of Jews in Latvia, been reassigned to the Eastern Front, and was later imprisoned in a Soviet POW camp, never having stooped to the arrogance and cruelty of those he served with. But Bernie feels distinctly uneasy whenever he encounters cold, disdainful treatment at the hands of the Americans he encounters. Although 鈥渋t is certain that a nation cannot feel collective guilt,鈥� Bernie notes, 鈥渢hat each man must encounter it personally. Only now did I realize the nature of my own guilt鈥攁nd perhaps it was really not much different from that of many others: it was that I had not said anything, that I had not lifted my hand against the Nazis.鈥�
About Philip Kerr
In 1989-91, Philip Kerr wrote the first three novels in the Bernie Gunther series. A German Requiem concluded the trilogy. Fifteen years later he resumed the series, adding an additional ten novels to date (the last of which, Greeks Bearing Gifts, is scheduled for publication in 2018).
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