The End (Or Is It?)
What if Philip Marlowe had lived in Berlin in the 1930s instead of LA? Novelist Philip Kerr explored the question in a trio of novels written in the late 80s, with his Marlowe stand-in Bernie Gunther. The Berlin Noir trilogy achieved cult status over the years. My copy of the Penguin omnibus has been read and re-read. As far as anyone knew, Gunther's adventures had ended. Then, fifteen years later, Kerr started adding to the series. With the most recent release, Prague Fatale, he has added five more books to the series, bringing the total to eight. I'm a big fan of these books. The series is well worth following.
When readers ask me about the future of the Roland March series, Berlin Noir is what comes to mind. The three novels in print -- Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide -- complete the original contract signed with the publisher. They can be read as a trilogy, but they weren't written to end that way. I have plans for future installments, assuming another publisher is willing to take the series on. If people want to see more of March, they will. It's up to the readers.
In the meantime, I'm looking forward to more from Kerr. If you haven't checked out these books yet, you really should:
