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Bernie Gunther #9
A Man without Breath
It is winter, 1943. Bernie Gunther has left the Criminal Police and is working for the German War Crimes Bureau based in Berlin. Reports have been circulating of a mass grave hidden in a wood near Smolensk. The grave’s whereabouts are uncertain until, deep in the Katyn Forest, a wolf digs up some human remains. Rumour has it that the grave is full of Polish officers murdered by the Russians – a war crime that is perfect propaganda for Germany.
But it needs a detective of subtle skill to investigate this horrific discovery. Cue Bernie Gunther…
But it needs a detective of subtle skill to investigate this horrific discovery. Cue Bernie Gunther…
513 pages, Hardcover
First published March 13, 2013
433 people are currently reading
2890 people want to read
About the author
Philip Kerr
129 books1,993 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’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 542 reviews
July 6, 2013
A great fix for my addiction to this noir detective series featuring Bernie Gunther trying to forge some justice within Nazi Germany during the war. In my mind, noir fiction typically involves a cynical hero up against pervasive corruption that almost has a life of its own, almost to the point of evil become a force like in literature with magical realism. The detective is like a doctor who prescribes a healthier dose of reality, bringing evil down to a more human scale of simple greed and corruption. So for me, the brilliance of Kerr’s work lies in his ability to deflate the evil enigma of the Nazi social order with Gunther’s precious conscience, his unveiling of common criminal motives behind the monsters, and his brave taunting of the bullies with his sardonic wit.
This story, 9th in the series, is largely set in Smolensk in 1943 where Gunther is tasked by his current bosses in the Wehrmacht War Crimes Bureau to check out whether a mass grave in the Katyn Wood might be evidence of a slaughter perpetrated by the Soviet secret police (NKVD). He soon turns up evidence that the victims were Polish officers, but further investigation will have to wait for the ground to thaw. Unfortunately, there is a hurry because at this point, in the months after defeat in Stalingrad, the Soviet forces are quickly headed west. And there is danger for all involved if the massacre turns out to be another of the many perpetrated by the SS, such as the liquidation of residents of the nearby Jewish ghetto in Vitebsk after the German invasion.
If his suspicions are true about NKVD guilt, it would represent a major propaganda coup which could undermine the cohesion of the Allied Forces. Goebbels himself, head of the Ministry of Enlightenment and Propaganda, tasks Gunther with assuring the case is handled properly, and his life is on the line if he fails. Gunther suggests an international commission of forensic scientists under the neutral coordination of the Polish Red Cross. The latter is historical fact, and Bernie’s role makes for fascinating fiction.
While Gunther is in Smolensk, he gets asked for advice from the local police about a rape/murder case, which leads to implication of German soldiers who serve with the signals corps, i.e. the staff who deal with sensitive coded messages. Other murders occur, which if not resolved properly could end up scaring off the scientists working on the investigation. The shape of larger conspiracies begins to take form, and for the greater good, Gunther is forced to commit a violent crime against an innocent person himself. This may tarnish forever the heroic image some readers may hold for Bernie, while others (like me) would hold his action as a fitting end to a moral purity too implausible for these treacherous times.
There may be a little bit too much of Zelig in this book, with Gunther intersecting so many other historical figures and important events. Aside from the pervasive focus on the Katyn Forest Massacre that indeed executed about 4,000 Polish officers and police (among about 20,000 total in the campaign of 1940), Gunther’s work brings him in contact with several of the Prussian aristocrats in the military involved in plots to kill Hitler and with evidence related to major secrets that elucidate Hitler’s success in gaining power and staying in power. Kerr obviously couldn’t resist the excuse to bring these events to life, and I loved the forays despite their implausibility for Gunther being in the picture. I was compelled to keep a channel open to Wikipedia to ease my ignorance.
Consistent with the wonderful cover of the book, there is a love interest for Bernie in the book. She is Dr. Marianne Kramsta, a forensic specialist from Breslau in Silesia (now Wrocław in western Poland). Stepping off the plane in Smolensk, she catches Bernie’s attention:
“They’re legs,” she said. “A matching pair, last time I looked.”
“You say that like I was paying them too much attention.”
“Weren’t you?”
“Not in the least. If I see a nice pair of legs, then naturally I have to take a look at them. Darwin called it natural selection. You might have heard of that.”
She smiled.
“I should have listened to the pilot and put them safely away in a rifle case where they can’t do any harm.”
As I come to this book after finishing Grossman’s novel of Russia at war with Germany with a focus on Stalingrad and atrocities on both sides, I take comfort from the challenges in Gunther’s struggle for integrity and am moved by his frequent doubts over his success:
After almost twenty years in the Berlin police, I thought I knew all about corruption, but if you are not corrupt yourself, then I think you cannot ever know just how corrupt others can be in their pursuit of wealth and favor. I think then I must still have believed in things like honor and integrity and duty. Life had yet to teach me the hardest lesson of all, which is that in a corrupt world about the only thing you can rely on is corruption and then death and yet more corruption, and that honor and duty have little place in a world that has had a Hitler and a Stalin in it.
This book was provided by the publisher in the Goodreads Giveaway program.
This story, 9th in the series, is largely set in Smolensk in 1943 where Gunther is tasked by his current bosses in the Wehrmacht War Crimes Bureau to check out whether a mass grave in the Katyn Wood might be evidence of a slaughter perpetrated by the Soviet secret police (NKVD). He soon turns up evidence that the victims were Polish officers, but further investigation will have to wait for the ground to thaw. Unfortunately, there is a hurry because at this point, in the months after defeat in Stalingrad, the Soviet forces are quickly headed west. And there is danger for all involved if the massacre turns out to be another of the many perpetrated by the SS, such as the liquidation of residents of the nearby Jewish ghetto in Vitebsk after the German invasion.
If his suspicions are true about NKVD guilt, it would represent a major propaganda coup which could undermine the cohesion of the Allied Forces. Goebbels himself, head of the Ministry of Enlightenment and Propaganda, tasks Gunther with assuring the case is handled properly, and his life is on the line if he fails. Gunther suggests an international commission of forensic scientists under the neutral coordination of the Polish Red Cross. The latter is historical fact, and Bernie’s role makes for fascinating fiction.
While Gunther is in Smolensk, he gets asked for advice from the local police about a rape/murder case, which leads to implication of German soldiers who serve with the signals corps, i.e. the staff who deal with sensitive coded messages. Other murders occur, which if not resolved properly could end up scaring off the scientists working on the investigation. The shape of larger conspiracies begins to take form, and for the greater good, Gunther is forced to commit a violent crime against an innocent person himself. This may tarnish forever the heroic image some readers may hold for Bernie, while others (like me) would hold his action as a fitting end to a moral purity too implausible for these treacherous times.
There may be a little bit too much of Zelig in this book, with Gunther intersecting so many other historical figures and important events. Aside from the pervasive focus on the Katyn Forest Massacre that indeed executed about 4,000 Polish officers and police (among about 20,000 total in the campaign of 1940), Gunther’s work brings him in contact with several of the Prussian aristocrats in the military involved in plots to kill Hitler and with evidence related to major secrets that elucidate Hitler’s success in gaining power and staying in power. Kerr obviously couldn’t resist the excuse to bring these events to life, and I loved the forays despite their implausibility for Gunther being in the picture. I was compelled to keep a channel open to Wikipedia to ease my ignorance.
Consistent with the wonderful cover of the book, there is a love interest for Bernie in the book. She is Dr. Marianne Kramsta, a forensic specialist from Breslau in Silesia (now Wrocław in western Poland). Stepping off the plane in Smolensk, she catches Bernie’s attention:
“They’re legs,” she said. “A matching pair, last time I looked.”
“You say that like I was paying them too much attention.”
“Weren’t you?”
“Not in the least. If I see a nice pair of legs, then naturally I have to take a look at them. Darwin called it natural selection. You might have heard of that.”
She smiled.
“I should have listened to the pilot and put them safely away in a rifle case where they can’t do any harm.”
As I come to this book after finishing Grossman’s novel of Russia at war with Germany with a focus on Stalingrad and atrocities on both sides, I take comfort from the challenges in Gunther’s struggle for integrity and am moved by his frequent doubts over his success:
After almost twenty years in the Berlin police, I thought I knew all about corruption, but if you are not corrupt yourself, then I think you cannot ever know just how corrupt others can be in their pursuit of wealth and favor. I think then I must still have believed in things like honor and integrity and duty. Life had yet to teach me the hardest lesson of all, which is that in a corrupt world about the only thing you can rely on is corruption and then death and yet more corruption, and that honor and duty have little place in a world that has had a Hitler and a Stalin in it.
This book was provided by the publisher in the Goodreads Giveaway program.
December 24, 2015
4 <<χωρίς ανάσα>> αστεράκια για τον αγαπημένο Μπέρνι Γκούντερ. Υπόσχομαι αυτή τη φορά να μη σας κουράσω αναλύοντας με τις ώρες γιατί αγαπώ τον Philip Kerr και τα βιβλία του και θα μαι πιο συνοπτική σε αυτό που θέλω να σας πω (ενταξει ναι στην πραγματικότητα έχω φάει τόσα μελομακάρονα που μου χει ανέβει το ζάχαρο και συνάμα εμποδίζει το κατά τα αλλα πανέξυπνο μυαλό μου να συγκεντρωθεί να γράψει κριτική της προκοπής). Στον άνθρωπο χωρίς ανάσα λοιπόν το σκηνικό της ιστορίας μας στήνεται με φόντο τη σφαγή Πολωνών αξιωματικών. Πρωταγωνιστικό μάλιστα ρόλο στην εξέλιξη της ιστορίας έχει το αποτρόπαιο έγκλημα στο Κατίν εκεί όπου χιλιάδες Πολωνοί αξιωματικοί βρέθηκαν δολοφονημένοι. Το 1943 φτάνουν πληροφορίες για την ύπαρξη ομαδικού τάφου των Πολωνών αξιωματικών στο δάσος του Κατίν σε περιοχή δηλαδή κάτω από Γερμανική κατοχή. Η ύπαρξη του ομαδικού αυτού τάφου δίνει μιας πρώτης τάξεως ιδέα στον υπουργό προπαγάνδας της Γερμανίας Γκεμπελς να αποκαλύψει την ύπαρξη αυτού του τάφου προκειμένου να το χρησιμοποιήσει ως προπαγάνδα υπέρ των Ναζιστών με σκοπό τη διάσπαση των συμμαχικών δυνάμεων και την έκβαση του αποτελέσματος του πολέμου υπέρ της Γερμανίας. Έτσι για ακόμα μια φορά ο αγαπημένος μας Μπέρνι Γκούντερ ο οποίος εργάζεται πλέον στην ανεξάρτητη υπηρεσία της Βερμαχτ καλείται να εξιχνιάσει την υπόθεση όσο ειρωνικό και αν ακούγεται να συνεργάζεται κάποιος που αντιπαθεί τους Ναζί με αυτούς αλλά και να αποτελεί μέρος κατά κάποιο τρόπο της ιστορίας μάλλον μιας ολόκληρης περιόδου γεμάτη φρίκη και αποτροπιασμό.
Ο Κερρ για ακόμα μια φορά χρησιμοποιεί τα γεγονότα του Β Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου για να μεταφέρει τον ήρωα του και τον κύριο άξονα των γεγονότων ενώ για ακόμα μια φορά αποδεικνύεται μαέστρος σε τέτοιο βαθμό ώστε σε σημεία να μην είναι καν ευδιάκριτο να συνδυάσει έξοχα την ιστορία με την μυθοπλασία και καταφέρνει να μεταφέρει στον αναγνώστη άκρως παραστατικά την περίοδο της μάχης του Στάλινγκραντ που ουσιαστικά σήμανε και την αρχή του τέλους για την παντοδυναμία των Ναζί. Σε προηγούμενες κριτικές μου για βιβλία του Κερρ τόνιζα το πόσο θαυμάζω την ικανότητα του συγγραφέα να τοποθετεί στα βιβλία του την ιστορία εξυπηρετώντας έτσι τον μύθο. Στον άνθρωπο χωρίς ανάσα θέλω να εξυμνήσω το εντελώς αντίθετο το πώς δηλαδή η αστυνομική πλοκή εξυπηρετεί εύστοχα και άμεσα στην περιγραφή αριβώς αυτής της βαναυσότητας και φρικαλεότητας που συνόδευσε την περίοδο του Δευτέρου Παγκοσμίου πολέμου και της κυριαρχίας των Ναζί στην Ευρώπη. Παρότι θεωρώ ότι σα βιβλίο δεν είχε την ίδια ένταση με άλλα του βιβλία οι φαν του Κερρ θα το εκτιμήσετε και θα ζήσετε με απόλυτα ζωντανό και παραστατικό τρόπο τα γεγονότα μιας περιόδου που στιγμάτισαν ολόκληρη την ανθρωπότητα και ποιος καλύτερος αφηγητής από τον μοναδικό Μπέρνι Γκούντερ.
Ο Κερρ για ακόμα μια φορά χρησιμοποιεί τα γεγονότα του Β Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου για να μεταφέρει τον ήρωα του και τον κύριο άξονα των γεγονότων ενώ για ακόμα μια φορά αποδεικνύεται μαέστρος σε τέτοιο βαθμό ώστε σε σημεία να μην είναι καν ευδιάκριτο να συνδυάσει έξοχα την ιστορία με την μυθοπλασία και καταφέρνει να μεταφέρει στον αναγνώστη άκρως παραστατικά την περίοδο της μάχης του Στάλινγκραντ που ουσιαστικά σήμανε και την αρχή του τέλους για την παντοδυναμία των Ναζί. Σε προηγούμενες κριτικές μου για βιβλία του Κερρ τόνιζα το πόσο θαυμάζω την ικανότητα του συγγραφέα να τοποθετεί στα βιβλία του την ιστορία εξυπηρετώντας έτσι τον μύθο. Στον άνθρωπο χωρίς ανάσα θέλω να εξυμνήσω το εντελώς αντίθετο το πώς δηλαδή η αστυνομική πλοκή εξυπηρετεί εύστοχα και άμεσα στην περιγραφή αριβώς αυτής της βαναυσότητας και φρικαλεότητας που συνόδευσε την περίοδο του Δευτέρου Παγκοσμίου πολέμου και της κυριαρχίας των Ναζί στην Ευρώπη. Παρότι θεωρώ ότι σα βιβλίο δεν είχε την ίδια ένταση με άλλα του βιβλία οι φαν του Κερρ θα το εκτιμήσετε και θα ζήσετε με απόλυτα ζωντανό και παραστατικό τρόπο τα γεγονότα μιας περιόδου που στιγμάτισαν ολόκληρη την ανθρωπότητα και ποιος καλύτερος αφηγητής από τον μοναδικό Μπέρνι Γκούντερ.
February 19, 2018
Ακόμα μια 'χορταστική' ιστορία του Μπέρνι Γκούντερ.
Αυτή τη φορά η δράση μεταφέρεται στη Ρωσία, στο περιβόητο δάσος του Κατίν, όπου κατά τη διάρκεια του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου διαπράχθηκε ένα (ακόμα) φρικιαστικό έγκλημα κατά της ανθρωπότητας: περίπου 4.000 Πολωνοί εκτελέστηκαν και θάφτηκαν σε ομαδικούς τάφους, οι οποίοι ανακαλύφθηκαν το 1943.
Από αυτό το γεγονός δημιουργεί ο Philip Kerr μια καινούρια περιπέτεια για τον ήρωά του. Και δημιουργεί -όπως πάντα- ένα ολόκληρο και αληθοφανέστατο σκηνικό, που μας μεταφέρει χρονικά πίσω σ' εκείνες τις σκοτεινές εποχές. Μέσω της ταλαντούχας πένας του η Ιστορία συναντά τον μύθο, πραγματικά και φανταστικά πρόσωπα μπλέκονται σ' ένα αξεδιάλυτο γαϊτανάκι και ο αναγνώστης γίνεται για μια ακόμα φορά μάρτυρας του πού μπορεί να φτάσει η ανθρώπινη κακία, η λύσσα, ο φθόνος και η εμμονή.
Η αλήθεια είναι πως κάπου ψιλομπερδεύτηκα με τους πολλούς "φον", όμως η ίδια η ιστορία είναι σφιχτοδεμένη και "καθαρή", δεν κάνει πουθενά κοιλιά ούτε σε παραπλανεί. Και ο Μπέρνι είναι για άλλη μια φορά ο γνωστός Μπέρνι - ο είρωνας, ο γυναικάς, ο αντιναζί, ο τολμηρός, ο απερίσκεπτος, ο τυχεράκιας που τη γλιτώνει ακόμα και την τελευταία στιγμή.
Ειδικά για όσους έχουν διαβάσει τα βιβλία που ακολουθούν μετά από αυτό και τώρα διαβάζουν το συγκεκριμένο (όπως εγώ,για παράδειγμα) ο "Άνθρωπος χωρίς ανάσα" αποτελεί ένα ακόμα κεφάλαιο της ζωής του Γκούντερ, που τον επηρέασε πολύ - κάτι αυτό φαίνεται και στις επόμενες ιστορίες του. Άλλωστε, το κάθε βιβλίο αποτελεί ένα κομμάτι του παζλ της ζωής του ήρωα, και κάθε ένα από αυτά αποκαλύπτει και μια καινούρια πληγή που άφησαν τα γεγονότα εκείνης της εποχής (και) στην ψυχή του κεντρικού ήρωα των μυθιστορημάτων του Kerr, μια πληγή που τον ακολουθεί και στα χρόνια μετά το τέλος του πολέμου.
Αυτή τη φορά η δράση μεταφέρεται στη Ρωσία, στο περιβόητο δάσος του Κατίν, όπου κατά τη διάρκεια του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου διαπράχθηκε ένα (ακόμα) φρικιαστικό έγκλημα κατά της ανθρωπότητας: περίπου 4.000 Πολωνοί εκτελέστηκαν και θάφτηκαν σε ομαδικούς τάφους, οι οποίοι ανακαλύφθηκαν το 1943.
Από αυτό το γεγονός δημιουργεί ο Philip Kerr μια καινούρια περιπέτεια για τον ήρωά του. Και δημιουργεί -όπως πάντα- ένα ολόκληρο και αληθοφανέστατο σκηνικό, που μας μεταφέρει χρονικά πίσω σ' εκείνες τις σκοτεινές εποχές. Μέσω της ταλαντούχας πένας του η Ιστορία συναντά τον μύθο, πραγματικά και φανταστικά πρόσωπα μπλέκονται σ' ένα αξεδιάλυτο γαϊτανάκι και ο αναγνώστης γίνεται για μια ακόμα φορά μάρτυρας του πού μπορεί να φτάσει η ανθρώπινη κακία, η λύσσα, ο φθόνος και η εμμονή.
Η αλήθεια είναι πως κάπου ψιλομπερδεύτηκα με τους πολλούς "φον", όμως η ίδια η ιστορία είναι σφιχτοδεμένη και "καθαρή", δεν κάνει πουθενά κοιλιά ούτε σε παραπλανεί. Και ο Μπέρνι είναι για άλλη μια φορά ο γνωστός Μπέρνι - ο είρωνας, ο γυναικάς, ο αντιναζί, ο τολμηρός, ο απερίσκεπτος, ο τυχεράκιας που τη γλιτώνει ακόμα και την τελευταία στιγμή.
Ειδικά για όσους έχουν διαβάσει τα βιβλία που ακολουθούν μετά από αυτό και τώρα διαβάζουν το συγκεκριμένο (όπως εγώ,για παράδειγμα) ο "Άνθρωπος χωρίς ανάσα" αποτελεί ένα ακόμα κεφάλαιο της ζωής του Γκούντερ, που τον επηρέασε πολύ - κάτι αυτό φαίνεται και στις επόμενες ιστορίες του. Άλλωστε, το κάθε βιβλίο αποτελεί ένα κομμάτι του παζλ της ζωής του ήρωα, και κάθε ένα από αυτά αποκαλύπτει και μια καινούρια πληγή που άφησαν τα γεγονότα εκείνης της εποχής (και) στην ψυχή του κεντρικού ήρωα των μυθιστορημάτων του Kerr, μια πληγή που τον ακολουθεί και στα χρόνια μετά το τέλος του πολέμου.
April 4, 2013
Let Me Edit This Book!
I saw the latest Philip Kerr offering in a bookshop and bought it straightaway. His Bernie Gunther series is very good indeed, particularly the first three novels released as “Berlin Noir” and he has resurrected the series, set in and around the period of World War 2 Germany.
However, the later novels have had ups-and-downs, as Kerr squeezes the sponge dry, and this latest book is particularly uneven, following the ropey Prague Fatale and the outstanding Field Grey.
It starts very well. Gunther is witness to the Rosenstrasse protest and RAF bombing, before being diverted eastwards once again, at the behest of a cunning Joseph Goebbels. The Reichsminister has learned of the discovery of a Soviet atrocity site, at the Katyn Forest, and is keen to drive a wedge between the Poles and Soviets, with a propaganda coup. Gunther is sent, as a police and SD officer, to the location, to establish the investigation. Things go badly wrong, unsurprisingly, with a series of murderers and layers of conspiracy.
This is a book of two halves. The first half is chilling, atmospheric and intriguing. The second half is a mess. Gunther is an overly complex character and Kerr often loses control: some of the noir-ish wisecracks are contrived and there is a lot of Kerr in Gunther that should not be there, as the character ties himself in knots of conscience versus expediency and offers some unusually learned comments. There is at least one big WTF! Moment and a completely unconvincing and incidental romance, with a woman falling over a person who is – after all - an aging World War One veteran. The end of the novel is abrupt, with an unconvincing deus-ex-machina conclusion. There is a lot of fact in this novel, but one chunk looks as if it has been lifted word from word from Wikipedia: “an admiral, two generals, 24 colonels, 79 lieutenant colonels, 258 majors, 654 captains, 17 naval captains...” (the roll of the murdered at Katyn). I know it hasn’t (Kerr will have used the reference source) but it should have been tweaked to remove this impression, and I suspect this knowledge was retrospectively pieced together by the historian rather than capable of being memorized by a participant at the time.
Kerr churns out an admirable book a year. His publishers should slow down and focus more on quality than quantity.
I saw the latest Philip Kerr offering in a bookshop and bought it straightaway. His Bernie Gunther series is very good indeed, particularly the first three novels released as “Berlin Noir” and he has resurrected the series, set in and around the period of World War 2 Germany.
However, the later novels have had ups-and-downs, as Kerr squeezes the sponge dry, and this latest book is particularly uneven, following the ropey Prague Fatale and the outstanding Field Grey.
It starts very well. Gunther is witness to the Rosenstrasse protest and RAF bombing, before being diverted eastwards once again, at the behest of a cunning Joseph Goebbels. The Reichsminister has learned of the discovery of a Soviet atrocity site, at the Katyn Forest, and is keen to drive a wedge between the Poles and Soviets, with a propaganda coup. Gunther is sent, as a police and SD officer, to the location, to establish the investigation. Things go badly wrong, unsurprisingly, with a series of murderers and layers of conspiracy.
This is a book of two halves. The first half is chilling, atmospheric and intriguing. The second half is a mess. Gunther is an overly complex character and Kerr often loses control: some of the noir-ish wisecracks are contrived and there is a lot of Kerr in Gunther that should not be there, as the character ties himself in knots of conscience versus expediency and offers some unusually learned comments. There is at least one big WTF! Moment and a completely unconvincing and incidental romance, with a woman falling over a person who is – after all - an aging World War One veteran. The end of the novel is abrupt, with an unconvincing deus-ex-machina conclusion. There is a lot of fact in this novel, but one chunk looks as if it has been lifted word from word from Wikipedia: “an admiral, two generals, 24 colonels, 79 lieutenant colonels, 258 majors, 654 captains, 17 naval captains...” (the roll of the murdered at Katyn). I know it hasn’t (Kerr will have used the reference source) but it should have been tweaked to remove this impression, and I suspect this knowledge was retrospectively pieced together by the historian rather than capable of being memorized by a participant at the time.
Kerr churns out an admirable book a year. His publishers should slow down and focus more on quality than quantity.
April 3, 2013
I’m a great fan of the Bernie Gunther series. I’ve read all nine books, buying the last few in the first weeks of release. A Man Without Breath is a solid enough addition to Bernie’s story, though it is by no means Kerr’s best work. Kerr writes with a very strong and engaging hardboiled voice. His characters are vivid, the historical and social contextualisation and sense of place are excellent. And so it is with A Man Without Breath. There are three issues with the story, however, that undermine its telling somewhat. The first is Kerr has tried to cram in too many plotlines and incidents - the Katyn woods massacre and subsequent German propaganda, the plot to kill Hitler by Wehrmacht officers, the Rosenstrasse demonstration by German wives at the arrest of their Jewish husbands, the Gleiwitz incident that started the Second World War, Spanish Fascist experiments on Republican prisoners, several murders that occur whilst Gunther investigates the Katyn massacre, and a love affair. Any two of these would have been sufficient hooks for a strong, tight plot, but the combination of all of them leads to a bit of a muddle. Second, the book is overly long (over 500 pages in hardback) and not just because of the plotlines -- several passages could have been tightened up or deleted as they were largely redundant to the plot. Third, Kerr has Gunther murder a relatively innocent character in cold blood when there were other solutions. Bernie is no saint, but his appeal is that he has a strong moral compass in a corrupt regime and the people he tangles with are mostly monsters; he witnesses, investigates and avenges war crimes, but he doesn’t commit them. The action bumped me firmly out of the story and changed my whole view of the character. The effect of these three issues were to deaden the read, which was a shame, as given the place, time and themes of the book this had the potential to be excellent. Regardless, it’s an interesting and mostly enjoyable read and I look forward to the next instalment in Bernie’s adventures.
October 20, 2021
Ο Γκούντερ σε νέες περιπέτειες… αυτή τη φορά στη Σοβιετική Ένωση, λίγο πριν οι Σοβιετικοί πάρουν φαλάγγι τους Γερμανούς εν έτει 1943… μετά από εντολή του Γκέμπελς, ο Γκούντερ βρίσκεται στο Κατίν για να ξεδιαλύνει ένα από τα μεγαλύτερα εγκλήματα του Β’ Π.Π., την εκτέλεση 14.000 περίπου Πολωνών αξιωματικών και υπαξιωματικών από τους Σοβιετικούς… αν και πολλοί φιλοκομμουνιστές επιμένουν πως το έγκλημα έγινε από τους ναζί… τώρα ποιος το έκανε το έγκλημα δεν ξέρω εάν έχει και πολύ σημασία, 14.000 άνθρωποι είδαν τα ραδίκια ανάσκελα σε ομαδικούς τάφους και οι δικοί τους δεν ξέρω κι αν το έμαθαν και ποτέ…
Μετά από τόσο Γκούντερ που έχω διαβάσει, μπορώ να ομολογήσω ανερυθρίαστα πως ο ήρωας μου «πάει»… κυνικός μέχρι εκεί που δεν παίρνει, ένα black humour, αντιφα, σημασία έχει να την βγάλουμε κι απόψε ζωντανοί, μια χαρά ο τυπάκος… ο Kerr πάλι ως συγγραφέας δεν μου πάει και πολύ… για να φτάσει στο ζητούμενο, κάνει απίστευτους κύκλους… και μαζί με κύκλους κι απίστευτες τεθλασμένες… από δω από κει που ώρες – ώρες ξεχνάς από που ξεκίνησε ο Γκούντερ και που πηγαίνει…
Στο συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, εάν εξαιρέσεις τη σφαγή του Κατίν που δεν γνώριζα, δεν βρήκα και τίποτα άλλο ιδιαίτερο… μπερδεμένα γεγονότα, φόνοι, απόπειρες φόνων, βιασμοί, κρεμάλες, προδοσίες, μια essence φράνκικης Ισπανίας που δεν κατάλαβα τον λόγο, όλα ατάκτως ειρημένα που με αποσυντόνισαν… το δε name dropping απίστευτα κουραστικό… ιδίως αυτοί οι Φον… πόσους Φον έχουν – είχαν εκεί στη Γερμανία;;; Δεν τους συμμάζευε κανείς;;;
Με κούρασε, δεν με κράτησε, δεν το θεωρώ από τα δυνατά του Kerr….
Μετά από τόσο Γκούντερ που έχω διαβάσει, μπορώ να ομολογήσω ανερυθρίαστα πως ο ήρωας μου «πάει»… κυνικός μέχρι εκεί που δεν παίρνει, ένα black humour, αντιφα, σημασία έχει να την βγάλουμε κι απόψε ζωντανοί, μια χαρά ο τυπάκος… ο Kerr πάλι ως συγγραφέας δεν μου πάει και πολύ… για να φτάσει στο ζητούμενο, κάνει απίστευτους κύκλους… και μαζί με κύκλους κι απίστευτες τεθλασμένες… από δω από κει που ώρες – ώρες ξεχνάς από που ξεκίνησε ο Γκούντερ και που πηγαίνει…
Στο συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, εάν εξαιρέσεις τη σφαγή του Κατίν που δεν γνώριζα, δεν βρήκα και τίποτα άλλο ιδιαίτερο… μπερδεμένα γεγονότα, φόνοι, απόπειρες φόνων, βιασμοί, κρεμάλες, προδοσίες, μια essence φράνκικης Ισπανίας που δεν κατάλαβα τον λόγο, όλα ατάκτως ειρημένα που με αποσυντόνισαν… το δε name dropping απίστευτα κουραστικό… ιδίως αυτοί οι Φον… πόσους Φον έχουν – είχαν εκεί στη Γερμανία;;; Δεν τους συμμάζευε κανείς;;;
Με κούρασε, δεν με κράτησε, δεν το θεωρώ από τα δυνατά του Kerr….
July 25, 2013
Much to my regret, Philip Kerr is falling into the trap of formula writing. This is not surprising, seeing that a new Bernie book is whipped out every year. Nevertheless, I hate to see it, as I am not a big thriller reader, but always loved the Bernie books. While 'Field Grey' was still an excellent read, 'Prague Fatal' was quite unrealistic and over the top and lacked the usual Bernie wise-cracks. In essence, Bernie investigating the notorious Katyn Massacre in 'A Man without Breath' could have made a terrific story, but it did not work for me. I felt that Bernie was quite out of character. Perhaps Mr. Kerr should lay off writing another Bernie book for a while. I am sure that Bernie fans would not mind waiting a bit longer than a year if that would guarantee that we get the quality of the older Bernie books back. See also the reviews of Iain and Rob Kitchin of April 2013 hereunder. These reviews reflect my feelings exactly.
March 23, 2013
Like I've said before, these are a guilty pleasure of the highest quality, so managing to get my hands on an advance reading copy is kind of the equivalent of Bernie Gunther getting some good smokes or booze while stationed near the russian front during WWII. If you like detective fiction and WWII, it gets no better than the Bernie Gunther novels.
August 24, 2020
Kerro ciklą apie Bernie Guntherį mėgstu, tai visai smagu, kad pagaliau kažką turime ir lietuvių kalba. Tiesa, pasirinkta kažin kodėl devintoji ciklo knyga ir anonsuojama dar viena – dvyliktoji. Kita vertus, ciklą juk galėtum rikiuoti ne parašymo tvarka, o vidinės chronologijos. Bet ir tada „Bedvasis“ niekaip nebūtų pirmas. Tačiau iš esmės kiekviena knyga visai skaitoma, kaip atskiras kūrinys, tai labiau stebiuosi tokiu pasirinkimu, nei įžvelgiu tame didelę bėdą.
1943-ieji, vokiečiai ką tik gavo gerą sprigtą į nosį prie Stalingrado. Guntheris, buvęs Kripo policininkas, buvęs privatus seklys, dabar darbuojasi karo nusikaltimų skyriuje. Kaip ironiškai tai beskambėtų, bet vokiečiai irgi tyrė karo nusikaltimus, tiesa, ne savus. Stengėsi atkapstyti britų arba rusų nuodėmes. Ir štai, visai atsitiktinai, Katynės miške kai ką tiesiogine to žodžio prasme atkapstė.
Ir štai Guntheris skrenda į Smolenską, kur privalo užtikrinti, kad visas siaubingo sovietų nusikaltimo baisumas būtų atskleistas sklandžiai. Sava ironija slepiasi tame, kad, kol ekshumuojamos masinės kapavietės, jam kur kas labiau rūpi atskleisti dvigubą žmogžudystę, už kurią jau netgi pakarti šeši po ranka pasitaikę rusai. Bet Bernie įsitikinęs, kad žudikas – kažkas iš savų. Tyrimai persipina ir mes jau turime dvi linijas – detektyvą, kur Guntheriui tenka labai atsargiai ir kartais priimant sunkius sprendimus, bandyti išsiaiškinti tiesą, ir pačios Katynės tragedijos tyrimą, kuris po truputį virsta fonu. Sunkiu, niūriu fonu.
Romanas kažkiek kitoks, nei iki tol skaitytos ciklo knygos. Nors tuo pat metu panašus. Bernie, nors ir nėra šimtu procentu teigiamas herojus (oi, toli gražu), bet jo pozicija suvokiama. Žmogus, kuris suvokia nacių veiksmų siaubingumą ir beprotiškumą, bet nesiryždamas atvirai konfrontacijai, stengiasi išsaugoti savo principų likučius. Stengiasi išlikti žmogumi, kai tai neįmanoma. Ir pats tai suvokia. „Esu toks pat. Nė kiek ne geresnis. Ir nedarau klaidos manydamas, kad nors vienas iš mūsų yra padorus. Mes esame nieko verti. Visi mes esame nieko verti.“
Už tat knyga tikrai šio to verta. Stiprūs keturi iš penkių.
1943-ieji, vokiečiai ką tik gavo gerą sprigtą į nosį prie Stalingrado. Guntheris, buvęs Kripo policininkas, buvęs privatus seklys, dabar darbuojasi karo nusikaltimų skyriuje. Kaip ironiškai tai beskambėtų, bet vokiečiai irgi tyrė karo nusikaltimus, tiesa, ne savus. Stengėsi atkapstyti britų arba rusų nuodėmes. Ir štai, visai atsitiktinai, Katynės miške kai ką tiesiogine to žodžio prasme atkapstė.
Ir štai Guntheris skrenda į Smolenską, kur privalo užtikrinti, kad visas siaubingo sovietų nusikaltimo baisumas būtų atskleistas sklandžiai. Sava ironija slepiasi tame, kad, kol ekshumuojamos masinės kapavietės, jam kur kas labiau rūpi atskleisti dvigubą žmogžudystę, už kurią jau netgi pakarti šeši po ranka pasitaikę rusai. Bet Bernie įsitikinęs, kad žudikas – kažkas iš savų. Tyrimai persipina ir mes jau turime dvi linijas – detektyvą, kur Guntheriui tenka labai atsargiai ir kartais priimant sunkius sprendimus, bandyti išsiaiškinti tiesą, ir pačios Katynės tragedijos tyrimą, kuris po truputį virsta fonu. Sunkiu, niūriu fonu.
Romanas kažkiek kitoks, nei iki tol skaitytos ciklo knygos. Nors tuo pat metu panašus. Bernie, nors ir nėra šimtu procentu teigiamas herojus (oi, toli gražu), bet jo pozicija suvokiama. Žmogus, kuris suvokia nacių veiksmų siaubingumą ir beprotiškumą, bet nesiryždamas atvirai konfrontacijai, stengiasi išsaugoti savo principų likučius. Stengiasi išlikti žmogumi, kai tai neįmanoma. Ir pats tai suvokia. „Esu toks pat. Nė kiek ne geresnis. Ir nedarau klaidos manydamas, kad nors vienas iš mūsų yra padorus. Mes esame nieko verti. Visi mes esame nieko verti.“
Už tat knyga tikrai šio to verta. Stiprūs keturi iš penkių.
May 17, 2018
I really enjoyed this. Despite knowing already a little of the history of the Katyn Massacre upon which this novel is based, this didn't spoil for me an involving and tense crime thriller set in Nazi-occupied Eastern Front territory in the early 1940s. A lot of this was due to the likeably witty and gritty central protagonist - sharp and smart like some of my favourite police detectives in other series' (but never becoming irritatingly wise-ass).
It's a compelling read, I thought - the right mix of factual basis and fictional embroidery to make it realistic yet dramatic, soap opera interpersonal stuff never got too long-winded, and I thought a lot of the way in which the relationships between people of different nationalities, political sympathies and social classes was particularly well handled. I will keep an eye out for others in the series, as here I have jumped in at #9 I think (not that this proved impediment to enjoying the novel).
Addendum - oh, I just found out that between me buying the book 'on a punt' in an Edinburgh charity shop this January, and reading it this May, Philip Kerr has died. Sad.
It's a compelling read, I thought - the right mix of factual basis and fictional embroidery to make it realistic yet dramatic, soap opera interpersonal stuff never got too long-winded, and I thought a lot of the way in which the relationships between people of different nationalities, political sympathies and social classes was particularly well handled. I will keep an eye out for others in the series, as here I have jumped in at #9 I think (not that this proved impediment to enjoying the novel).
Addendum - oh, I just found out that between me buying the book 'on a punt' in an Edinburgh charity shop this January, and reading it this May, Philip Kerr has died. Sad.
October 31, 2015
Κλασικά πράματα,κλασικός Kerr.Μέσα από τα βιβλία του δεν διαβάζουμε απλά την ιστορία του Β Παγκόσμιου πολέμου.Τη ζούμε από πρώτο χέρι.Αυτά.
March 21, 2022
Αλλη μια περιπέτεια με τον γνωστό αστυνομικό Γκουντερ.
March 30, 2018
Yet another excellent Gunther novel by Philip Kerr who deftly crafts his novel around the infamous Katyn Woods massacre.
1943, near Smolensk, Russia. Bernie Gunther is supervising the excavation of the burial site where thousands of polish officers were shot to death by the NKVD in 1940.
When two german soldiers are found dead with their throats cut Gunther finds his old policeman's reflexes back and starts to investigate. What he'll discover will be much bigger than he thought.
Lots of characters in this book. Real characters like Goebbles, Klugge, Von Tresckow and others less famous involved at various levels. The actual events have been once again thoroughly researched and as a miltary history buff I'll say it's a real pleasure to read these kind of stories when the author knows the topic and it feels accurate.
The first part is great. Taking place in winter it presents a chilly and bleak Russia. Stalingrad was lost by the Germans a few weeks ago and the Red Army is massing near Koursk, a few hundred miles away. Everybody (but Hitler) seems to know the next move of the German Army will be westward. Add a double murder and the settings are just as grim as they should.
The second part is a bit weaker. A contrived romance, new murders and subplots. There was a moment where I had the impression that maybe Kerr had bit a more than he could chew and wanted too much of his researches to be included in the book. Which doesn't diminish the main plot and his final resolution. Kerr astutely closes his story while respecting History.
Another point of contention could be Gunther's half-depressive introspective moments, counterbalanced by his snappy remarks. As fun as they are they seem incompatible with survival in Nazi Germany and in a way seem very British.
But what the heck! That's the Gunther I like.
The lousy coincidence of the week was that I learned of Kerr's passing at 62 while I was reading this book. It saddens me to know we have lost such a great crime writer who managed to create an endearing character, certainly not the most original ever, but brilliantly used in historical contexts and situations that put him above the common lot.
1943, near Smolensk, Russia. Bernie Gunther is supervising the excavation of the burial site where thousands of polish officers were shot to death by the NKVD in 1940.
When two german soldiers are found dead with their throats cut Gunther finds his old policeman's reflexes back and starts to investigate. What he'll discover will be much bigger than he thought.
Lots of characters in this book. Real characters like Goebbles, Klugge, Von Tresckow and others less famous involved at various levels. The actual events have been once again thoroughly researched and as a miltary history buff I'll say it's a real pleasure to read these kind of stories when the author knows the topic and it feels accurate.
The first part is great. Taking place in winter it presents a chilly and bleak Russia. Stalingrad was lost by the Germans a few weeks ago and the Red Army is massing near Koursk, a few hundred miles away. Everybody (but Hitler) seems to know the next move of the German Army will be westward. Add a double murder and the settings are just as grim as they should.
The second part is a bit weaker. A contrived romance, new murders and subplots. There was a moment where I had the impression that maybe Kerr had bit a more than he could chew and wanted too much of his researches to be included in the book. Which doesn't diminish the main plot and his final resolution. Kerr astutely closes his story while respecting History.
Another point of contention could be Gunther's half-depressive introspective moments, counterbalanced by his snappy remarks. As fun as they are they seem incompatible with survival in Nazi Germany and in a way seem very British.
But what the heck! That's the Gunther I like.
The lousy coincidence of the week was that I learned of Kerr's passing at 62 while I was reading this book. It saddens me to know we have lost such a great crime writer who managed to create an endearing character, certainly not the most original ever, but brilliantly used in historical contexts and situations that put him above the common lot.
December 15, 2016
In this, the ninth instalment of the highly addictive and engrossing Bernie Gunther series, it is 1943 and a month after the Wehrmacht’s surrender at Stalingrad.
At the behest of an old friend Bernie is working in the Wehrmacht’s War Crimes Bureau. Unsurprisingly the bureau has nothing to do with crimes against civilians or POWs. Word has reached Berlin of mass graves in the Smolensk region: Polish army officers bound, shot, and buried in the Katyn Forest. If the War Crimes Bureau can prove definitively that it was the work of the Russians, then Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels hopes it might destroy the Western Alliance, thereby giving Germany a chance to reverse its losses and win the war. Bernie is dispatched to Smolensk to investigate.
As usual there is plenty of drama, and some great twists. Bernie’s already sky high levels of self-disgust and cynicism reach new heights in this book. As with previous books in the series, 'A Man without Breath’ is a good detective story but an even better slice of historical fiction. Philip Kerr’s research is as impressive as ever and I was soon engrossed. Whilst not right up there with the very best of the series, 'A Man without Breath’ is another splendid Gunther book. I will be starting 'The Lady from Zagreb' (Bernard Gunther 10), the next in the series, almost immediately.
4/5
At the behest of an old friend Bernie is working in the Wehrmacht’s War Crimes Bureau. Unsurprisingly the bureau has nothing to do with crimes against civilians or POWs. Word has reached Berlin of mass graves in the Smolensk region: Polish army officers bound, shot, and buried in the Katyn Forest. If the War Crimes Bureau can prove definitively that it was the work of the Russians, then Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels hopes it might destroy the Western Alliance, thereby giving Germany a chance to reverse its losses and win the war. Bernie is dispatched to Smolensk to investigate.
As usual there is plenty of drama, and some great twists. Bernie’s already sky high levels of self-disgust and cynicism reach new heights in this book. As with previous books in the series, 'A Man without Breath’ is a good detective story but an even better slice of historical fiction. Philip Kerr’s research is as impressive as ever and I was soon engrossed. Whilst not right up there with the very best of the series, 'A Man without Breath’ is another splendid Gunther book. I will be starting 'The Lady from Zagreb' (Bernard Gunther 10), the next in the series, almost immediately.
4/5
June 8, 2018
Kerr is hitting on all cylinders here. Bernie is sent to the Katyn Forest to document the murder of thousands of Polish officers by Stalin's NKVD, the purpose being to create a propaganda victory that will drive a wedge between the Polish government in exile and the USSR, and wishfully make the U.S. reconsider its alliance with Stalin. Bernie encounters other contemporary murders--are they related to the discovery of the mass graves? Beautiful history, memorable characters, and a clever mystery. Kerr gets better every novel.
May 7, 2024
I love it, but with a tinge of disappointment.
The reach
In that respect, it was fortunate for Goebbels and Germany and the Katyn investigation that Gerhard Buhtz was a highly competent forensic scientist—much more competent than I or Judge Conrad had anticipated.
I was about to discover just how competent he really was.
I am not a noir guy, so anything I claim should be taken with a kilogram of salt. However, it appears uncontentious that the Bernie Gunther series have elements of noir – his first trilogy is collected as Berlin Noir after all. Regardless of terminology, there are consistencies to Kerr’s novels – with a gloomy world of moral greys, brightened only by the quick wit of the protagonist and a technicolour character that forms the role of a “woman”.
Yet for the most of A Man Without Breath I felt I was reading a book that simultaneously embodied Kerr’s style while managing to transcend it. It is hard to express exactly how, but the quips continue to drive the characters while also feeling sparser and less forced, the gloom pervading the scene is better set up with the twin disasters of the bombing of Berlin and the defeat at Stalingrad, and the elements of the plot thread more organically to the final denouement. There are threats to Bernie Gunther that loom rather than passing in and out of set pieces, such as the forensic doctor or von Kluge.
This is not to deny the improbabilities that appear in the story, right up to the very end, but so much of A Man Without Breath feels real, rather than a stage piece for Kerr to write some clever lines for. It’s noir in that there is so much corruption, decay, moral greyness and a detective who’s seen too much etc etc, but it is more than that. There are multiple scenes where Gunther really tests the reasonableness of his actions with dire consequences for (relatively) innocent parties:
I felt very little for the dead man—it’s difficult to feel sorry for a fool—but I did feel half a pang of regret that I’d been forced to kill one damned fool for the sake of several others.
…and it is brilliant. I also love the interactions Gunther has and the relationships he forms, such as the bomb plotter that runs as a thread through the story, or the body disposal expert... ...that does not.
So five stars, eh?
The Grasp
Towards the end of a book, a “major” female character enters the scene, and the tonal shift is jarring. Gunther comes straight out of the gate with pick up lines, as though the more quickly your spout risqué or outright explicit statement to a woman, the more quickly she will like you. The description of her proceeds in a similar vein:
Underneath a little black-beaded cloche her hair was red but not as red as her mouth, which was as full as a bowl of ripe cherries. Her chest was no less full, and for some reason I was reminded of the two churches on either side of Gendarmenmarkt—the French Church and the New Church, with their perfect matching domes. I narrowed my eyes and gave her a sideways, blurry look, but no matter how many times I did this and actively tried my best to make her look ugly, she still came out looking beautiful. She knew it, of course, and while in most women this would be a demerit, she knew that I knew that she knew it and somehow that seemed to make it just fine.
There’s nothing that Kerr writes that is any different to his other stories. My problem is the way Kerr handles it reminds me that we are watching a show, where Kerr is demonstrating every rhetorical trick his characters can make, regardless of the setting they inhabit. It is funny how quickly Kerr offloads Dr Kramsta from the story. It is as though he had to have a female character in the story, no matter how haltingly developed, and once done, he could shuffle her off.
It was one of the saddest sights I’d ever seen and I felt a strong sense of shame—the same kind of shame I felt the first time I came to Russia and witnessed what happened to the Jews in Minsk.
My impression is that A Man Without Breath is a classic noir, albeit with a military-historical focus. It is an incredibly enjoyable read because Kerr is a superb writer. But for quite a few moments I thought it might be something else, something truly great, which make me judge it more harshly. The reach was further than its grasp.
The reach
In that respect, it was fortunate for Goebbels and Germany and the Katyn investigation that Gerhard Buhtz was a highly competent forensic scientist—much more competent than I or Judge Conrad had anticipated.
I was about to discover just how competent he really was.
I am not a noir guy, so anything I claim should be taken with a kilogram of salt. However, it appears uncontentious that the Bernie Gunther series have elements of noir – his first trilogy is collected as Berlin Noir after all. Regardless of terminology, there are consistencies to Kerr’s novels – with a gloomy world of moral greys, brightened only by the quick wit of the protagonist and a technicolour character that forms the role of a “woman”.
Yet for the most of A Man Without Breath I felt I was reading a book that simultaneously embodied Kerr’s style while managing to transcend it. It is hard to express exactly how, but the quips continue to drive the characters while also feeling sparser and less forced, the gloom pervading the scene is better set up with the twin disasters of the bombing of Berlin and the defeat at Stalingrad, and the elements of the plot thread more organically to the final denouement. There are threats to Bernie Gunther that loom rather than passing in and out of set pieces, such as the forensic doctor or von Kluge.
This is not to deny the improbabilities that appear in the story, right up to the very end, but so much of A Man Without Breath feels real, rather than a stage piece for Kerr to write some clever lines for. It’s noir in that there is so much corruption, decay, moral greyness and a detective who’s seen too much etc etc, but it is more than that. There are multiple scenes where Gunther really tests the reasonableness of his actions with dire consequences for (relatively) innocent parties:
I felt very little for the dead man—it’s difficult to feel sorry for a fool—but I did feel half a pang of regret that I’d been forced to kill one damned fool for the sake of several others.
…and it is brilliant. I also love the interactions Gunther has and the relationships he forms, such as the bomb plotter that runs as a thread through the story, or the body disposal expert... ...that does not.
So five stars, eh?
The Grasp
Towards the end of a book, a “major” female character enters the scene, and the tonal shift is jarring. Gunther comes straight out of the gate with pick up lines, as though the more quickly your spout risqué or outright explicit statement to a woman, the more quickly she will like you. The description of her proceeds in a similar vein:
Underneath a little black-beaded cloche her hair was red but not as red as her mouth, which was as full as a bowl of ripe cherries. Her chest was no less full, and for some reason I was reminded of the two churches on either side of Gendarmenmarkt—the French Church and the New Church, with their perfect matching domes. I narrowed my eyes and gave her a sideways, blurry look, but no matter how many times I did this and actively tried my best to make her look ugly, she still came out looking beautiful. She knew it, of course, and while in most women this would be a demerit, she knew that I knew that she knew it and somehow that seemed to make it just fine.
There’s nothing that Kerr writes that is any different to his other stories. My problem is the way Kerr handles it reminds me that we are watching a show, where Kerr is demonstrating every rhetorical trick his characters can make, regardless of the setting they inhabit. It is funny how quickly Kerr offloads Dr Kramsta from the story. It is as though he had to have a female character in the story, no matter how haltingly developed, and once done, he could shuffle her off.
It was one of the saddest sights I’d ever seen and I felt a strong sense of shame—the same kind of shame I felt the first time I came to Russia and witnessed what happened to the Jews in Minsk.
My impression is that A Man Without Breath is a classic noir, albeit with a military-historical focus. It is an incredibly enjoyable read because Kerr is a superb writer. But for quite a few moments I thought it might be something else, something truly great, which make me judge it more harshly. The reach was further than its grasp.
Read
May 21, 2018Το πρώτο βιβλίο του Philip Kerr που διαβάζω και, αν στην αρχή ήμουν αρκετά αρνητική, τελικά το συνέχισα και το τέλειωσα. Το τέλειωσα γιατί ο Kerr με κέρδισε με τη γραφή του και την αστυνομική ιστορία που έπλασε στο μυαλό του βασισμένη, πάνω κάτω, σε πραγματικά ιστορικά γεγονότα.
Η ιστορία εκτυλίσσεται το 1943. Ξεκινάει από το Βερολίνο και συνεχίζει στο Σμολένσκ της Ρωσίας όπου έχει βρεθεί τυχαία ένας ομαδικός τάφος Πολωνών αξιωματικών. Ο ήρωας του βιβλίου, Μπέρνι Γκούντερ, έχει κληθεί για να αποκαλύψει ποιος ευθύνεται για το θάνατο χιλιάδων ανθρώπων. Όλο αυτό είναι λίγο δίκοπο μαχαίρι εν καιρώ πολέμου και οι κινήσεις του πρέπει να είναι προσεκτικές έτσι ώστε να μη δυσαρεστήσει τους Γερμανούς αξιωματούχους και τη Γκεστάπο. Παράλληλα έχει να διαλευκάνει και τον φόνο δύο Γερμανών διαβιβαστών, οι οποίοι δολοφονήθηκαν ένα βράδυ έξω από ένα παλιό ξενοδοχείο που πλέον χρησιμοποιείται ως οίκος ανοχής. Άραγε η δολοφονία των δύο διαβιβαστών σχετίζεται με τον ομαδικό τάφο στο δάσος και ποια είναι η σχέση τους;
Διαβάστε περισσότερα: Book Tales
Η ιστορία εκτυλίσσεται το 1943. Ξεκινάει από το Βερολίνο και συνεχίζει στο Σμολένσκ της Ρωσίας όπου έχει βρεθεί τυχαία ένας ομαδικός τάφος Πολωνών αξιωματικών. Ο ήρωας του βιβλίου, Μπέρνι Γκούντερ, έχει κληθεί για να αποκαλύψει ποιος ευθύνεται για το θάνατο χιλιάδων ανθρώπων. Όλο αυτό είναι λίγο δίκοπο μαχαίρι εν καιρώ πολέμου και οι κινήσεις του πρέπει να είναι προσεκτικές έτσι ώστε να μη δυσαρεστήσει τους Γερμανούς αξιωματούχους και τη Γκεστάπο. Παράλληλα έχει να διαλευκάνει και τον φόνο δύο Γερμανών διαβιβαστών, οι οποίοι δολοφονήθηκαν ένα βράδυ έξω από ένα παλιό ξενοδοχείο που πλέον χρησιμοποιείται ως οίκος ανοχής. Άραγε η δολοφονία των δύο διαβιβαστών σχετίζεται με τον ομαδικό τάφο στο δάσος και ποια είναι η σχέση τους;
Διαβάστε περισσότερα: Book Tales
January 8, 2014
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD), the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. This is the real historical background where Bernie Gunther in his 9th book gets anchored in the real world.
Bernie Gunther works in this book for the Warcrimes bureau, now there was a surprise to me as I never expected such an organisation in Nazi Germany in 1943.
Gunther gets send to Smolensk where a massgrave is suspected of Polish military officers. His job is to find out if the remains found are in fact Polish and not some of the handiwork of the Germans themselves. Upon arrival Bernie finds out that the world he is dropped in does not welcome him especially when it comes to his job. He even gets pulled into the murder investigation of two German soldiers. His conclusions as a former berlin detective are largly ignored as they serve no purpose to the German army.
When Gunther returns to Berlin with his conclusions towards a Polish Massgrave he gets a meeting in which a certain Minister of Propaganda sees the existance of a massgrave as an excellent opportunity to hurt the diplomatic connections between the allies and the Russians. And thus Bernie gets send back to Smolensk to spearhead an international comitee that will look into the massgrave of the Polish soldiers.
It is from this moment he and the reader gets a real dose of the madness of the undertaking. Germans looking into the war crimes of the Russians. As a reader you will be left speechless by the horrors and goals and the way to achieve them by the Russians, Germans & even the Spanish (during their civil war in which both Fascists & Communists played their part). The sheer lunacy and inhumanity of all parties involved leaves a reader probably with many questions and a feeling of shame. The story also tells about the aristocracy and their part in the war on the German side, which gives you some unbelieveable insight in a war I never had read about before.
Bernie gets involved in quite a few murders and its solution comes almost at the end, for an avid mystery reader perhaps not quite unexpected but logical nonetheless.
This book is less about Bernie Gunther and more about the big picture when it comes to the orders that have been given in various Armies, which seem to be started by very bigoted or opportunistic reasons. Were in previous books Bernie played a more major part this time he is the catalyst to tell about some horrible chapters about the more darker historic moments by man all done in the name of politics and power.
This book in the Bernie Gunther series is easily the darkest yet, but gives a great insight in the madness and choices ordinary people get confronted with.
A very confrontational read.
for more information on the Katyn massacre, and it will shock you how long this particular dark episode has not found a conclusion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyn_ma...
Bernie Gunther works in this book for the Warcrimes bureau, now there was a surprise to me as I never expected such an organisation in Nazi Germany in 1943.
Gunther gets send to Smolensk where a massgrave is suspected of Polish military officers. His job is to find out if the remains found are in fact Polish and not some of the handiwork of the Germans themselves. Upon arrival Bernie finds out that the world he is dropped in does not welcome him especially when it comes to his job. He even gets pulled into the murder investigation of two German soldiers. His conclusions as a former berlin detective are largly ignored as they serve no purpose to the German army.
When Gunther returns to Berlin with his conclusions towards a Polish Massgrave he gets a meeting in which a certain Minister of Propaganda sees the existance of a massgrave as an excellent opportunity to hurt the diplomatic connections between the allies and the Russians. And thus Bernie gets send back to Smolensk to spearhead an international comitee that will look into the massgrave of the Polish soldiers.
It is from this moment he and the reader gets a real dose of the madness of the undertaking. Germans looking into the war crimes of the Russians. As a reader you will be left speechless by the horrors and goals and the way to achieve them by the Russians, Germans & even the Spanish (during their civil war in which both Fascists & Communists played their part). The sheer lunacy and inhumanity of all parties involved leaves a reader probably with many questions and a feeling of shame. The story also tells about the aristocracy and their part in the war on the German side, which gives you some unbelieveable insight in a war I never had read about before.
Bernie gets involved in quite a few murders and its solution comes almost at the end, for an avid mystery reader perhaps not quite unexpected but logical nonetheless.
This book is less about Bernie Gunther and more about the big picture when it comes to the orders that have been given in various Armies, which seem to be started by very bigoted or opportunistic reasons. Were in previous books Bernie played a more major part this time he is the catalyst to tell about some horrible chapters about the more darker historic moments by man all done in the name of politics and power.
This book in the Bernie Gunther series is easily the darkest yet, but gives a great insight in the madness and choices ordinary people get confronted with.
A very confrontational read.
for more information on the Katyn massacre, and it will shock you how long this particular dark episode has not found a conclusion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyn_ma...
May 30, 2018
Not one of the best in this series. An over complicated plot, and some lazy characterisation. There could have been a good book which had the backdrop of the use of propaganda during the war. Using the backdrop of the Katyn murders makes the events of this book look silly and trivial by comparison. The author was keen to use the Katyn murders as the backdrop to one of these books but sadly it stylistically isn't like a Gunther book.
There are just too many characters and sub plots. And the theme of posh Germans who had a distaste for Hitler - whilst being an interesting issue - is overplayed.
Somehow, unlike the best of these books, there are no believable characters in this.
There are just too many characters and sub plots. And the theme of posh Germans who had a distaste for Hitler - whilst being an interesting issue - is overplayed.
Somehow, unlike the best of these books, there are no believable characters in this.
March 18, 2013
Bernie Gunther, former Berlin homicide cop, is now an investigator for the Wehrmacht War Crimes Bureau. Bernie, with all the cynicism of a Berliner, is keenly aware of the absurdity of the agency's practice of turning a blind eye to the systematic torture and murder of Jews, Gypsies, communists, Slavs, homosexuals and other designated enemies, while preserving German honor by investigating and punishing one-off criminal acts.
Bernie is sent to Smolensk, then precariously held by the Germans, when corpses are discovered buried in the nearby Katyn Forest. Those bodies turn out to be Polish army officers, executed by a shot in the back of the head, and the more the local soldiers dig, the more bodies they find.
Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels (whom Bernie likes to call "Mahatma Propagandhi") spots a potential propaganda coup: show the world that this massacre was perpetrated by the Soviets and drive a wedge between the democratic allies and the USSR. Goebbels orders Bernie to coordinate an international commission's visit to Smolensk to help the publicity along.
Bernie's homicide detective skills are put to work more directly when two German soldiers are brutally murdered after a visit to a local brothel in Smolensk, and other murders follow. Bernie is a highly skilled investigator, but, as usual, he's almost his own worst enemy. He refuses to show any deference to the aristocratic officer class stationed in Smolensk, and his nonstop insubordination makes the local command less than cooperative with his investigation.
As one member of the visiting committee says, "Trouble is what defines you, Gunther. Without trouble you have no meaning." True, but I like Gunther's own view of himself: "[F]or the last ten years[,] [t]here's hardly been a day when I haven't asked myself if I could live under a regime I neither understood nor desired. . . . For now, being a policeman seems like the only right thing I can do."
This is what the Bernie Gunther series is all about. Philip Kerr is a master at portraying the flawed hero doing the best he can in a corrupt and perverted time and place. And you sure can't get much more corrupt and perverted than Nazi Germany and World War II.
During this now nine-volume series, Kerr puts Bernie at ground zero at some of the notorious landmarks of the time. In this book, there are several, including the discovery of the Katyn Forest Massacre, a real event in which the USSR killed over 14,000 Polish military officers as part of its "decapitation" policy, which obliterated those who might lead resistance against them, including aristocrats, intellectuals and military elites. Kerr also includes references to the Gleiwitz Incident, the faked Polish attack on a German radio station that the Nazis devised to justify their 1939 invasion of Poland; the Rosenstrasse demonstration, which I describe in a historical note below; some of the officer class's attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler; and the horrific medical experiments on communists carried out by fascist doctors in Civil War-era Spain.
I read a lot of World War II fiction, and a common mistake is for the author to put every bit of his or her research on the page, which often kills the pace and flavor of the story. Having read all of the Bernie Gunther series, I can say that Philip Kerr never makes that mistake. His knowledge of World War II history is prodigious, and he works it seamlessly into his compelling fictional stories. Just read the Author's Note at the end of this book and marvel at all the real events and characters he's blended into this story without the least scent of a musty textbook creeping in.
I recommend A Man Without Breath to anyone who enjoys World War II fiction or books about characters trapped in morally compromising circumstances.
Historical Note: An intriguing event Kerr describes is the Rosenstrasse demonstration. In March, 1943, the Nazis rounded up the last 10,000 Jews left in Berlin, with the intent to transport them to death camps. About 1700 of these, the ones who were married to Aryans, were separated and placed in temporary holding in the Jewish community center building on Rosenstrasse. For a week, the wives and families of the Rosenstrasse prisoners (nearly all of the prisoners were men) demonstrated outside, demanding the release of their loved ones, despite SS soldiers' threats to arrest and even shoot the demonstrators. Amazingly, at the end of the week the prisoners were released, by order of Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, and nearly all of them survived the war.
This event shows the sensitivity of the regime to bad publicity and forces us to ask what horrors might have been avoided if only the German people had risen up against Nazi actions earlier and consistently. For a thorough and fascinating history of the Rosenstrasse demonstration, I recommend Nathan Stoltzfus's Resistance of the Heart: Intermarriage and the Rosenstrasse Protest in Nazi Germany.
Bernie is sent to Smolensk, then precariously held by the Germans, when corpses are discovered buried in the nearby Katyn Forest. Those bodies turn out to be Polish army officers, executed by a shot in the back of the head, and the more the local soldiers dig, the more bodies they find.
Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels (whom Bernie likes to call "Mahatma Propagandhi") spots a potential propaganda coup: show the world that this massacre was perpetrated by the Soviets and drive a wedge between the democratic allies and the USSR. Goebbels orders Bernie to coordinate an international commission's visit to Smolensk to help the publicity along.
Bernie's homicide detective skills are put to work more directly when two German soldiers are brutally murdered after a visit to a local brothel in Smolensk, and other murders follow. Bernie is a highly skilled investigator, but, as usual, he's almost his own worst enemy. He refuses to show any deference to the aristocratic officer class stationed in Smolensk, and his nonstop insubordination makes the local command less than cooperative with his investigation.
As one member of the visiting committee says, "Trouble is what defines you, Gunther. Without trouble you have no meaning." True, but I like Gunther's own view of himself: "[F]or the last ten years[,] [t]here's hardly been a day when I haven't asked myself if I could live under a regime I neither understood nor desired. . . . For now, being a policeman seems like the only right thing I can do."
This is what the Bernie Gunther series is all about. Philip Kerr is a master at portraying the flawed hero doing the best he can in a corrupt and perverted time and place. And you sure can't get much more corrupt and perverted than Nazi Germany and World War II.
During this now nine-volume series, Kerr puts Bernie at ground zero at some of the notorious landmarks of the time. In this book, there are several, including the discovery of the Katyn Forest Massacre, a real event in which the USSR killed over 14,000 Polish military officers as part of its "decapitation" policy, which obliterated those who might lead resistance against them, including aristocrats, intellectuals and military elites. Kerr also includes references to the Gleiwitz Incident, the faked Polish attack on a German radio station that the Nazis devised to justify their 1939 invasion of Poland; the Rosenstrasse demonstration, which I describe in a historical note below; some of the officer class's attempts to assassinate Adolf Hitler; and the horrific medical experiments on communists carried out by fascist doctors in Civil War-era Spain.
I read a lot of World War II fiction, and a common mistake is for the author to put every bit of his or her research on the page, which often kills the pace and flavor of the story. Having read all of the Bernie Gunther series, I can say that Philip Kerr never makes that mistake. His knowledge of World War II history is prodigious, and he works it seamlessly into his compelling fictional stories. Just read the Author's Note at the end of this book and marvel at all the real events and characters he's blended into this story without the least scent of a musty textbook creeping in.
I recommend A Man Without Breath to anyone who enjoys World War II fiction or books about characters trapped in morally compromising circumstances.
Historical Note: An intriguing event Kerr describes is the Rosenstrasse demonstration. In March, 1943, the Nazis rounded up the last 10,000 Jews left in Berlin, with the intent to transport them to death camps. About 1700 of these, the ones who were married to Aryans, were separated and placed in temporary holding in the Jewish community center building on Rosenstrasse. For a week, the wives and families of the Rosenstrasse prisoners (nearly all of the prisoners were men) demonstrated outside, demanding the release of their loved ones, despite SS soldiers' threats to arrest and even shoot the demonstrators. Amazingly, at the end of the week the prisoners were released, by order of Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, and nearly all of them survived the war.
This event shows the sensitivity of the regime to bad publicity and forces us to ask what horrors might have been avoided if only the German people had risen up against Nazi actions earlier and consistently. For a thorough and fascinating history of the Rosenstrasse demonstration, I recommend Nathan Stoltzfus's Resistance of the Heart: Intermarriage and the Rosenstrasse Protest in Nazi Germany.
April 1, 2013
If you think it's hard for a detective to find a killer today in a city like New York or Los Angeles, imagine what it would be like for an investigator in the German Army in the middle of World War II deep in Nazi occupied Russia. A large portion of the German Army has been crushed by Russian troops at Stalingrad. Tens of thousands are dying on both sides of the war as Bernie Gunther, ex-cop from Berlin, now working for the Army, is called in to investigate the mass murder of over 4,000 Polish officers, who were once prisoners of the Russians near Smolensk. If the Germans can prove the Russian Communist forces have ruthlessly executed these men, it may provide a badly needed public relations coup for the Nazi's, glossing over some of their crimes. Gunther is a loyal German, but not a member of the Nazi party. He has to walk a tightrope between the facts and the results that his superiors want. Any facts are hard to come by as everyone involved, both German and Russian, are looking out for themselves. More often than not lying to keep themselves out of trouble and trying to stay alive. This includes Gunther, who has gotten in trouble before over his less than enthusiastic views of the Nazi's. As if this weren't enough, two German soldiers have been murdered. Their throats sliced open with surgical precision. Gunther is the only competent investigating officer, in the middle of the on going international incident, available to track down their murderer. This is a good blend of fact and fiction, full of action and suspense. Author Philip Kerr's series on the Berlin cop, Bernie Gunther, is a great addition to detective fiction. Highly recommended for those who enjoy hard hitting detective fiction with a touch of noir. Book provided for review by the well read folks at Putnam.
April 23, 2013
Philip Kerr’s latest Bernie Gunther novel, A MAN WITHOUT BREATH is set in the Smolensk region of the Soviet Union in the spring of 1943. The ninth in the Gunther series the story involves the usual twists and turns of Kerr’s approach to the World War II noir, this time using the Soviet massacre of Polish officers in 1940 at the Katyn Forest as background. Kerr weaves in the NKVD, Abwehr, and German SD. Many of the characters are historical figures such as Joseph Goebbels and Admiral Wilhelm Canaris. The historical background is accurate as Kerr weaves in a love interest for Gunther and a number of other subplots. On the whole the book is a good read, though not up to Kerr’s usual quality. The snappy and sarcastic Gunther is ever present, but this time is a bit too preachy. The story is believable, that an NKVD agent has wormed his way into the good offices of Field Marshall Guenther Hans von Klug and tries to block the investigation of the Katyn massacre and provide intelligence for the Soviet Union as the Battle of Kursk was about to begin. The story revolves around a series of murder investigations and if you are a fan of this series I think you will enjoy it.
February 26, 2019
Terrific World War II historical noir. Bernie is a great storyteller and his persona just gets stronger as this series continues. Great writing by the late, great Philip Kerr.
October 2, 2020
This book is historical fiction, as are all of Kerr’s “Bernie Gunther” novels. This one investigates the Katyn Wood massacre where over 4,000 Polish officers were methodicaly liquidated by the Soviets in the Second World War. Bernie Gunther, former police officer, former detective, former SS officer, never a Nazi, yet always a wise-cracker, finds himself now working for the German War Crimes investigation branch, a convenient place for Nazi highbrows to store their useful but reluctant investigator. The irony... a German war crimes unit.
Tasked by his latest unwelcomed advocate, propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, Gunther sets off to Poland on a fairly long and dangerous job of forensic detective work with the unenviable job of proving the culprits are of the hammer and sickle variety. This evidence will, of course, make the Soviets look like the barbarian monsters they were.
Along the way, a few murder mysteries add to the intrigue, and a spy becomes evident. But exposing the meddling spy will also expose corruption in high places among senior Nazis, including the Leader himself. Being no Nazi, Gunther walks a fine and dangerous line. As always with Gunther, Kerr writes his character as a hard boiled detective with a cynical and broody persona, carried along against his will and better judgment into a number of impossibly sticky situations. Only by shrewd wit and a skillful sense of self-preservation does Bernie manage to escape the traps in which he finds himself so often snared. Often, these snares are nearly deadly.
Gunther is a relatable character. Despite the fact he works with, and for, some of the most dastardly people in the 20th century, he's the likeable fellow, a victim of circumstance, an unfortunate cynic with a do-good ethic. Kerr’s now common formula (this is the ninth of 14 novels in the series) of placing Gunther in the thick of historical waypoints, rubbing shoulders and sharing Schnapps with the primary historical figures of any given era may seem a bit far-fetched, but still the series works.
One of my complaints is not the author, but the publisher. G.P. Putnam's Sons series feature a cover with a sultry, noir-style 1930s or 40s femme fatale on the cover. The problem is, almost every Gunther book has a woman or two in it, but they are rarely a main character in he story, or are actually substantial ad intelligent women, or have nothing to do with the person pictured on the cover. They are certainly not simply dumb sex symbols as Hollywood would have presented in those days. The covers, while overall well-designed, seem like deceptive advertising sleight of hand. Show a seductive woman, but deliver something different. It is distasteful to try that old cheap marketing scam.
Almost all of the books in the Bernie Gunther stories are good introductions to intermediate-level history topics and serve to prompt deeper historical research. I’ve read a handful of books referenced in the author’s historical notes as further study. It’s hard to go wrong with a book that serves as an exciting detective/spy story as well as a history lesson.
Tasked by his latest unwelcomed advocate, propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, Gunther sets off to Poland on a fairly long and dangerous job of forensic detective work with the unenviable job of proving the culprits are of the hammer and sickle variety. This evidence will, of course, make the Soviets look like the barbarian monsters they were.
Along the way, a few murder mysteries add to the intrigue, and a spy becomes evident. But exposing the meddling spy will also expose corruption in high places among senior Nazis, including the Leader himself. Being no Nazi, Gunther walks a fine and dangerous line. As always with Gunther, Kerr writes his character as a hard boiled detective with a cynical and broody persona, carried along against his will and better judgment into a number of impossibly sticky situations. Only by shrewd wit and a skillful sense of self-preservation does Bernie manage to escape the traps in which he finds himself so often snared. Often, these snares are nearly deadly.
Gunther is a relatable character. Despite the fact he works with, and for, some of the most dastardly people in the 20th century, he's the likeable fellow, a victim of circumstance, an unfortunate cynic with a do-good ethic. Kerr’s now common formula (this is the ninth of 14 novels in the series) of placing Gunther in the thick of historical waypoints, rubbing shoulders and sharing Schnapps with the primary historical figures of any given era may seem a bit far-fetched, but still the series works.
One of my complaints is not the author, but the publisher. G.P. Putnam's Sons series feature a cover with a sultry, noir-style 1930s or 40s femme fatale on the cover. The problem is, almost every Gunther book has a woman or two in it, but they are rarely a main character in he story, or are actually substantial ad intelligent women, or have nothing to do with the person pictured on the cover. They are certainly not simply dumb sex symbols as Hollywood would have presented in those days. The covers, while overall well-designed, seem like deceptive advertising sleight of hand. Show a seductive woman, but deliver something different. It is distasteful to try that old cheap marketing scam.
Almost all of the books in the Bernie Gunther stories are good introductions to intermediate-level history topics and serve to prompt deeper historical research. I’ve read a handful of books referenced in the author’s historical notes as further study. It’s hard to go wrong with a book that serves as an exciting detective/spy story as well as a history lesson.
May 6, 2018
It really does go without saying that this is another quite superb novel from the man who can't put a foot, or a word, wrong. The plot is of course superb, but maybe less obviously so than the incomparable Field Grey partly because it is to do a different job.
The Katyn massacre was a "they did it!""No, we did it!" tennis ball hit back and forth from the Second World War onwards, until the...well, let's just say until the fall of the Berlin Wall, shall we? Bernie Gunther's depression brought-on irony, goes into overdrive. He is sent sent to Poland as a representative of the German War Crimes Bureau (a misnomer). He is of course tasked by the German authorities, with investigating a murder, or several murders, in 1943, in Eastern Europe, and pinning the blame on someone else, no Nazi. He is an ex-Policeman, and ex-Private Investigator, used to investigating murders, but usually one at a time. So, now he begins to wonder, how many murders does it take to warrant an investigation? Which murders do we actually want 'solved'? Who do 'we' want taking the blame for the murder that we're not sure we want to admit happened, until we find the culprit we have decided is guilty? You see? Coupled with his knowledge of what went on in the East in the early days of the invasion of Poland, Ukraine and then Russia, and the smell - it's a wonder he can remain sane. Luckily for us, he can and, of all places to fall in love, he falls in love in Katyn. Another more personal, poignant mirror held up to the tragedy.
That Philip Kerr constantly puts his Bernie Gunther in situations where he witnesses or even takes part in, some of the low points of the German part in World War II, has troubled me a little. But I've come to terms with it. Of course, PK wants to discuss some of these incidents and events. Constantly putting BG there, might risk seeming a trifle contrived. "What a coincidence?!" it might be easy to be cynical and suggest that PK is manipulating us/Bernie/the series, beyond what is likely (to have been real), if - as a writer - he's still trying to make real, relevant points about what you're discussing. However, Philip Kerr builds a picture of the Germans, through Bernie, to answer ideas about their post-WWII actions, even where they are today I guess, and look at the question of that having sprung from us wondering how much the average German knew of what was done in their name? How much did the German armed forces - those not privy to the motivations and operations of the SD, SS, etc, - know of what was being done? In the East, the Army went in and pushed onwards and onwards, the SS and Einsatzgruppen and SS followed in afterwards, but much of their actions were known, both to the men further forward and to those back in Germany where of course they returned on leave. So I've given up worrying and started thinking. I'm not going to say 'enjoying' given the subject matter, maybe appreciating a master of his craft at his best.
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The Katyn massacre was a "they did it!""No, we did it!" tennis ball hit back and forth from the Second World War onwards, until the...well, let's just say until the fall of the Berlin Wall, shall we? Bernie Gunther's depression brought-on irony, goes into overdrive. He is sent sent to Poland as a representative of the German War Crimes Bureau (a misnomer). He is of course tasked by the German authorities, with investigating a murder, or several murders, in 1943, in Eastern Europe, and pinning the blame on someone else, no Nazi. He is an ex-Policeman, and ex-Private Investigator, used to investigating murders, but usually one at a time. So, now he begins to wonder, how many murders does it take to warrant an investigation? Which murders do we actually want 'solved'? Who do 'we' want taking the blame for the murder that we're not sure we want to admit happened, until we find the culprit we have decided is guilty? You see? Coupled with his knowledge of what went on in the East in the early days of the invasion of Poland, Ukraine and then Russia, and the smell - it's a wonder he can remain sane. Luckily for us, he can and, of all places to fall in love, he falls in love in Katyn. Another more personal, poignant mirror held up to the tragedy.
That Philip Kerr constantly puts his Bernie Gunther in situations where he witnesses or even takes part in, some of the low points of the German part in World War II, has troubled me a little. But I've come to terms with it. Of course, PK wants to discuss some of these incidents and events. Constantly putting BG there, might risk seeming a trifle contrived. "What a coincidence?!" it might be easy to be cynical and suggest that PK is manipulating us/Bernie/the series, beyond what is likely (to have been real), if - as a writer - he's still trying to make real, relevant points about what you're discussing. However, Philip Kerr builds a picture of the Germans, through Bernie, to answer ideas about their post-WWII actions, even where they are today I guess, and look at the question of that having sprung from us wondering how much the average German knew of what was done in their name? How much did the German armed forces - those not privy to the motivations and operations of the SD, SS, etc, - know of what was being done? In the East, the Army went in and pushed onwards and onwards, the SS and Einsatzgruppen and SS followed in afterwards, but much of their actions were known, both to the men further forward and to those back in Germany where of course they returned on leave. So I've given up worrying and started thinking. I'm not going to say 'enjoying' given the subject matter, maybe appreciating a master of his craft at his best.
Read the blog : Speesh Reads
Or the Facebook Page : "https://www.facebook.com/SpeeshReads/... Reads
April 3, 2018
RIP Philip Kerr.
A few years ago, my wife and I returned from our honeymoon in Berlin and I discovered the Berlin Noir trilogy. I binged on it and all of Kerr's Bernard Gunther books up to that point, enjoying them at first but eventually getting burnt out of the repetitious coincidences and damsels in distress. The last one I read, Prague Fatale, was probably his best up to that point because it was self-contained instead of spanning decades. Nevertheless, I got a job and discovered other writers and put Kerr's work to the side for a bit.
Then when I heard about Kerr's unexpected death last week, I remembered that I had this book on iBooks and decided to pour into it. It was like meeting up with a long lost friend.
The extended break I took from Kerr's work was good because I found returning to it refreshing. Kerr has a great sense of history and walks a delicate line of ambiguity with his main character. After all, it is impossible to write about a participant in Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht as a good guy and Kerr knows better. Gunther is still presented as a man who has to make difficult decisions to try and do what can be considered the right thing. He doesn't always do it but it's the way he labors that makes these books compelling.
There are still some obnoxious tics. Kerr has never been great at writing women and this one here, existing solely as a love interest for Gunther and nothing more, is weak even by his standards. There's also a bit of a deus ex machina ending of which I was not a big fan of.
But on the whole, I was deeply immersed in this and I'm glad to have rediscovered the series. I look forward to checking out the rest of it, as there is sadly a finite number on how many Gunther books are left.
A few years ago, my wife and I returned from our honeymoon in Berlin and I discovered the Berlin Noir trilogy. I binged on it and all of Kerr's Bernard Gunther books up to that point, enjoying them at first but eventually getting burnt out of the repetitious coincidences and damsels in distress. The last one I read, Prague Fatale, was probably his best up to that point because it was self-contained instead of spanning decades. Nevertheless, I got a job and discovered other writers and put Kerr's work to the side for a bit.
Then when I heard about Kerr's unexpected death last week, I remembered that I had this book on iBooks and decided to pour into it. It was like meeting up with a long lost friend.
The extended break I took from Kerr's work was good because I found returning to it refreshing. Kerr has a great sense of history and walks a delicate line of ambiguity with his main character. After all, it is impossible to write about a participant in Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht as a good guy and Kerr knows better. Gunther is still presented as a man who has to make difficult decisions to try and do what can be considered the right thing. He doesn't always do it but it's the way he labors that makes these books compelling.
There are still some obnoxious tics. Kerr has never been great at writing women and this one here, existing solely as a love interest for Gunther and nothing more, is weak even by his standards. There's also a bit of a deus ex machina ending of which I was not a big fan of.
But on the whole, I was deeply immersed in this and I'm glad to have rediscovered the series. I look forward to checking out the rest of it, as there is sadly a finite number on how many Gunther books are left.
January 25, 2019
I’m a big fan of the Bernie Gunther series, it’s been awhile since I have read one of these books, “A Man Without Breath” is right in the middle of the overall saga it takes place just as the winds of war are turning against the Germans. Being a Bernie Gunther story it’s a classic hard-boiled novel this one having a larger body count than normal, the old school tough detective is placed on the Russian Front in Smolensk just a couple of months before the battle of Kursk. Bernie is investigating the massacre of thousands of Polish troops by the Soviets. In the best enemy against an enemy is another enemy sort of way Gunther tries to find out who among a wide variety of suspects is killing off so many witnesses. As the plot unfolds bodies pop-up all around the area somehow they all tie together with dark twisty connections. Russians, Germans, General Staff officers, Russian Secret Police killers, plots to kill Hitler and of course a beautiful femme fatale who may or may not be one of the main suspects. Captain Gunther manage to survive more than a few attempts on his life all the way up till the very end of the book your not sure how he’s going to get out of this one but of course he manages by less than an hour to survive yet again.
It’s not one of my favorite one of this series but it was an enjoyable read and of course the research and historical fiction is excellent as usual. Four stars a good dark detective noir story.
It’s not one of my favorite one of this series but it was an enjoyable read and of course the research and historical fiction is excellent as usual. Four stars a good dark detective noir story.
January 30, 2020
Another masterpiece from Kerr. I came away from this book feeling that it was probably one of the least "heavy" books in the series. Upon reflection, there is absolutely no reason for that given the setting (Smolensk), the plot (investigating a mass murder of Polish prisoners of war) and the background (from a conscripted German policeman's perspective in Germany during WWII).
There is also an interesting subplot around the displaced German aristocracy's role in fomenting the rise of National Socialism and their opposition to it during the war.
Anyway, at the risk of sounding like a recording, this is great piece of writing and I heartily recommend it.
There is also an interesting subplot around the displaced German aristocracy's role in fomenting the rise of National Socialism and their opposition to it during the war.
Anyway, at the risk of sounding like a recording, this is great piece of writing and I heartily recommend it.
August 8, 2021
The late Philip Kerr was so brilliant in his historical fiction writing and spot-on with the historical events of Bernie Gunther’s investigations. Kerr always tells us in the author’s notes at the end of each story the truth behind his stories. In this one, Gunter is sent to Smolensk, Russia, which was German-occupied in early 1943. You and I know that eventually the Nazis will be turned back by the Ivans in the fall of that year, but in the meantime there are some strange murders happening around the city - and, by the way, a mass grave of around 4,000 Polish officers has been unearthed nearby. This story was a little long but wrapped up well in the last 50 pages or so.
October 30, 2018
I love a book that is entertaining, but also informative. Set in World War II, Kerr's work is at times more historical fiction, than murder mystery. In this installment, Detective Gunther works for the German War Crimes Bureau and is sent on a jaunt to Smolensk, Russia. True to WWII this book has a record number of murders that Gunther has to solve. This is the first Bernie Gunther book I've read in the series--and it did not require a prerequisite reading of Kerr's prior novels. (Those just got put on my "want to read" list.) Would highly recommend.
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