by Philip Kerr
Part of Bernie Gunther, book 1
First published 2004
Bernie Gunther once walked the beat as a Berlin cop, but now he works private cases in a city transforming under Nazi rule. A wealthy industrialist summons him after thieves murder his daughter and son-in-law while stealing a valuable diamond necklace. Gunther expects a straightforward robbery case. Instead, his investigation pulls him into a web connecting Hitler's inner circle, including Goering and Himmler. His search for answers leads him through morgues filled with Nazi victims, Berlin's underground nightclubs, and the 1936 Olympics where Jesse Owens shatters Aryan supremacy myths. He encounters a famous actress, dodges Gestapo agents, and survives shootouts with various criminals. Bodies appear in places that surprise him. The case drags him deeper into Nazi corruption and violence, culminating at Dachau concentration camp. Gunther discovers that in this new Germany, every case connects to the regime's brutality, and survival means navigating a world where justice has been corrupted.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigation
Setting: Berlin, Dachau
Period: 1936 Olympics, Nazi Rule
245 pages · Paperback · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: violence