Customer Reviews

Berlin Noir: March Violets; The Pale Criminal; A German Requiem

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been teaching detective fiction for a decade, and I have a book on the topic coming out from Macmillan this year. For my money (as I say in my book, "The Post-Colonial Detective"), the "Berlin Noir" trilogy is the finest work of hard-boiled detection ever published (based on distinguished writing, terrific plot, and fascinating characters and setting.) I've taught all three of these novels, and the students are crazy about them. I loaned them to a friend who teaches Nazi history, and he thought they were extremely accurate. If you can get hold of a map of pre-war Berlin (the Britannica has one that is adequate), you can follow along from street to street and building to building. Kerr's novel "A Philosophical Investigation" is future detection with the philosopher Wittgenstein as an important plot element, and virtual reality murders and serial killings and a woman detective. I thought my students would hate it, but they were crazy about it, too. Read Kerr, and spread the news.

It's been awhile since I've read a mystery series that has grabbed me with the intensity of Phillip Kerr's Berlin trilogy. Right from the start, his writing reminds you of Raymond Chandler, though more vivid and descriptive. But Phillip Marlowe never had to worry about ending up in a concentration camp and that threat gives the first two novels in this series even more of an edge. Kerr creates a dead on accurate feel for what it was like to live in Nazi Germany before the outbreak of the war. Like all good historical fiction, famous names grace the pages as minor characters, including Goering and Renhard Heydrich. Their appearances give the books weight, but Kerr is careful not to overdo it. Fans of Caleb Carr's superb novel "The Alienist" in particular should love this series as well as anyone with an interest in Nazi Germany.

Phillip Kerr writes in the clearest of prose and is certainly one of the most gifted of our modern thriller/mystery writers. It is a sincere pleasure to read a well-written book, in this case a compilation of three books that seamlessly span the Nazi Germany years.

This volume captures his three Bernie Gunther novels, each a gem on its own. They are rich in the atomosphere of those strange, terrible years of Nazi Germany. These novels dare to set forth true police procedurals in the upside down world of a truly lawless society. Few of us can ever image how everyday life would be in a totalitarian society. These novels get the job done with a realistic, human hero. It is a pleasure to have a story unfold through the eyes of a rare, truly brave person with human frailities, not the more common super-hero that unfortunately litters most thrillers. It is thought-provoking to remember that many members of pre-war German society were ethical, moral people that felt outrage at a society with no rule of law. Further, we contemplate why there were not enough Bernie Gunther's left to opose and strive.

I hope that Phillip Kerr gives us another installment of this wonderful Bernie Gunther mini-series.

I read this trilogy almost three years ago, yet it regularly comes to mind as one of the most enjoyable books I've read. As someone who reads primarily non-fiction or fiction by "great" writers, I ventured to read something different with Berlin Noir. Three years later, I am still searching for a comparable novel in this genre. Kerr's presentation matures throughout these novels. The hackneyed detective that he presents in March Violets, transforms slowly into a fuller, more entertaining character. Bernie Gunther loses his overuse of trite, detective-style similes by the end of the first story. By then, the reader is enveloped in a dark world of mystery and political barbarity. Kerr's portrait of Berlin is enticingly eerie. His characters are cut from typical molds, but are presented with enough freshness to keep the reader very interested. And using the different backdrops of pre-war, war-time, and post-war Germany, Kerr was able to modify the setting but maintain the same dark intensity.

I was sorry to finish this trilogy. It is fantastic escapist literature. I have read a couple of the J. Robert Janes novels, although neither the plots, nor the characters compare favorably to Berlin Noir.

Berlin Noir contains the three novels in Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther trilogy. The first two are set in pre war Nazi Germany the third in post war Berlin and Vienna. Bernie Gunther is an ex Kripo (The German Police's Detective Division) officer, who has left the force, before the Nazis threw him out, and is now a private eye. Hardbitten and cynical, Gunther,whose main job is tracking down missing Jews for their families, becomes embroiled with historical figures like Goering and Heydrich.

Kerr's idea is take Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe and set him down in Nazi Germany. The idea works and Kerr can follow it through with good writing and plotting. He creates a believable pre and post war Berlin and although I am not sure how accurate his Berlin slang is, it does not matter as you believe it to be true.

The first novel, March Violets, also features the Rings, German criminal organisations which controlled crime in pre war Berlin. Smashed by bigger and more murderous criminals, that is the Nazis, the Rings also feature in the film M.

All in all an good idea and a good read. More Bernie Gunther please Mr Kerr.

I am a big Alan Furst fan because of his ability to weave good-to-great spy stories against an intricately illustrated background of one of the most fascinating periods of history, Europe during the first half of the Twentieth Century -- the period of "Isms". I can't get enough of an author who can portray the feeling of that period well. That is how I came to Mr. Kerr and Berlin Noir, and I was not disappointed. Through a most mundane and less than perfect character, Gunther, Kerr exposes us to both excellent stories and a well researched, well portrayed background that gives you the sense of "being there". The only reasons I give 4 and not 5 stars is because at times Kerr's writing style and hyperbole is a bit too heavy and amatuerish (albeit, moreso in the first volume) and his story line goes a bit far in terms of Gunther's omniscience and coincidence. All in all, though, definitely worth the read. Don't let the fact that this is a "three novel in one volume" scare you off -- this is quality storytelling through and through!

Does anybody know whether Gunther is retired forever? I would love to see one or two novels squeezed out of his character in early Cold War Central Europe (Kerr has clearly left the loose ends to do so).

This trilogy is intriguing because I have several complaints about Kerr's style, yet I really did enjoy these books. First the complaints: 1) Way too many cliches. It's as if Kerr is trying to write a parody of thirties detective stories, except it isn't supposed to be funny. He's trying too hard to get the reader to see Bernie as a "seen too much", jaded character. 2) Kerr's description of Bernies sexual adventures is overdone and quite frankly the prose is laughable. It's like he took it straight from "Penthouse Forum".

On the other hand, I thought the storytelling was very good, and the plot lines were solid. And Kerr, to his credit, is capable of coming up with phrases that stick with you instantly.

An enjoyable and worthwhile read, but Alan Furst is a much better example of the genre.

I have only read 'March violets' so far, but have to say that I was engrossed by the way Kerr captured the time period. Detective/Noir is not really my thing, and I bought this as more of a historical fiction read. Phrases such as the term U-Boat for Jews and others hiding from the Nazi machine, and Kerr's way of giving readers the sense of 'A Nazi behind every corner' under which the people of Berlin lived was vivid. Good use of historical characters as well. Very good, and thought provoking beyond the mystery genre.

In Philip Kerr's three-novels-in-one-book collection, Berlin Noir, the plots are straight out of the private eye story handbook: in one story, the hero is hired to find some missing jewels; in another, he is recruited to track down a serial killer; in the third, he is employed to try and prove a man innocent of murder. These may be standard plots, but it is the setting - Berlin and Vienna around the time of World War II - that makes these books stand out.

Berlin Noir is an omnibus of three individual novels narrated by Bernie Gunther, an ex-cop turned private eye in 1930s Germany. Like the typical hard-boiled p.i. in the Philip Marlowe/Sam Spade mold, Gunther is a hard-drinking, chain-smoking guy who is always getting hit over the head and being seduced or betrayed by beautiful women. He cracks wise, but is generally a good guy, out for justice in a time and place where the evils of Nazism make ethical behavior often difficult.

The first novel, March Violets is set against the backdrop of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Gunther is hired by a wealthy industrialist to track down some valuable jewels. These jewels belonged to the industrialist's daughter, who was recently murdered along with her husband. Soon enough, there are more bodies in the morgue and Gunther finds himself tangled up with Nazi bigwigs Goering and Heydrich. Besides the threats from common crooks, Gunther is aware that people who cross these Nazi leaders tend to disappear or get sent off to concentration camps.

In the second novel, The Pale Criminal, Gunther is forced by Heydrich in 1938 to rejoin the police to track down a killer who is murdering teenage girls. Gunther is also involved with stopping a blackmailer who threatens exposure of homosexuals (who are not treated very kindly in Nazi Germany). The two cases are intertwined, and Gunther must contend with various SS fiends, a con artist posing as a clairvoyant and an evil psychotherapist.

The third novel, A German Requiem, takes place in 1947. Berlin is in a shambles and Gunther, trying to rebuild his life after time as a POW, is hired by an old acquaintance who is arrested on a murder charge in Vienna. Although the Nazis are not the danger they once were, Gunther must face new challenges from occupying forces, particularly the Americans and the Russians. As always, the investigation doesn't run smoothly, and as more and more stones get unturned, the perils grow greater.

Kerr is a really good writer. He is able to take the typical private eye stories that have been - both excellently and poorly - told before. Bernie Gunther is a likable character, and his narration makes the stories move well. As either WWII-era literature or as mystery stories, all three parts of Berlin Noir succeed superbly.

I devoured this trilogy in just under 10 days, I thought it was fantastic. I really enjoyed how Kerr managed to naturally weave in the historical facts with his fictional characters. I particularly liked the first section "March Violets" the best - it was a real page-turner which I found hard to set down once I started. The second, "The Pale Criminal" was good, but had several parts which dragged a bit and the third portion entitled "A German Requiem" picked it up a bit with a refreshing change of scenery and a fast-paced plot line. Kerr's writing is phenomenal and witty and the superb and complete way the characters are developed is very unique.

The reason I did not give it 5 stars is that in certain places (especially when romantic situations and physical relationships are described) the dialogue and occurences aren't believable and can be laughable in parts....seems out of place with Kerr's otherwise sparkling writing. Also, at the ends of the individual books, there are a few loose ends - I was on the edge of my seat waiting for them to be clarified, but to no avail....sometimes this quality is a plus, attesting to skill of the writer to pull you in, but I felt abandoned by the text, as if I'd been loyal to the construction but was tricked out of the satisfaction of seeing the final product.

However, overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it extremely favorably, especially to those who have a special interest in this time period of WWII and Nazi Germany. Even if you don't, you won't regret putting in the time to get to know these characters as well as Kerr's writing style. Enjoy!