A German Requiem (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

This thriller offers a definite cut above the average mystery with its fascinating setting and masterful writing. "A German Requiem" is set in Berlin in the ruins of World War Two as the black market and prostitution jostle with soldiers and buildings in rubble. The book doesn't give long descriptive passages of the surroundings but weaves the feel of the destroyed city throughout the plot, with the action switching to Vienna as the mystery deepens.

Bernie Gunther, an ex-policeman, ex-SS officer, ex-Russian POW now a private investigator, has been hired to find the true killer of an American soldier. The man in custody didn't kill the soldier although he was involved in war crimes that Bernie has witnessed. Bernie is persuaded to try to find out what really happened and travels to Vienna to unravel the mystery. However there are more and more layers and he finds himself uncovering some significant information about the fates of some of the major war criminals. Bernie's safety, and that of the people who help him, becomes more and more at risk as the complexities of the situation become apparent.

Philip Kerr's writing style is excellent, painting vivid pictures without being wordy, with touches of humour in the midst of some very dark storytelling. Kerr's understanding of German nature and of the feelings of the German people in Berlin, in danger from the Russians and not really seeing a future, rang very true. This is an atmospheric novel in the Raymond Chandler mode with a complex plot; characterisation is good for Bernie but not so much for the other people in the story but the reader is carried along with Bernie as he discovers the dark secrets that the new powers in Germany hold and as the Russian hold on Berlin tightens. There are two previous books featuring Bernie but it's unnecessary to have read them to appreciate this novel. It is an excellent story, particularly because of the masterful way in which post-war Germany and Austria are described.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, www.curledup.com. © Helen Hancox 2007

A German Requiem is the third book in Philip Kerr's Berlin Noir trilogy featuring Bernie Gunther, a tough-talking, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, cynical ex-cop, now private detective. A German Requiem, which takes place in the wreckage of post-WW II Berlin and Vienna, has Gunther infiltrating a group of ex-Nazis to resolve a possible murder frame-up of an ex-colleague of his. Kerr excels in describing the atmosphere during this time period and has developed several multidimensional and, for the most part, interesting characters. With a faster-paced plot, I would have given A German Requiem a 4-4 1/2 star rating. However, the plot, while enjoyable, moved at too slow a pace for me to maintain a strong interest in its outcome; and consequently, resulted in my overall rating of 3 1/2 stars. Let me be clear that A German Requiem is a decent read and would likely be very appealing to readers of the first two books in Kerr's Berlin Noir trilogy as well as to fans of Raymond Chandler, Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe mysteries. However, at no time did the book have me on the edge of my seat to find out what happens next. If you decide to read A German Requiem I'd suggest you borrow it from the library rather than buying it.