by Philip Kerr
Part of Bernie Gunther, book 14
First published 2019
Bernie Gunther receives a career-changing summons from Bernard Weiss, Chief of Berlin's Criminal Police, in 1928. Weiss recruits the young vice detective to join Criminal Inspection A, the elite unit overseeing all homicide cases. Bernie's first assignment involves four dead prostitutes at Silesian Station. Each victim suffered identical wounds: hammer blows to the head followed by scalping with a blade. The killings barely register with authorities until the fifth victim's father steps forward. He controls Berlin's largest criminal organization and vows brutal revenge against his daughter's killer. A second wave of murders begins targeting disabled war veterans who beg on city streets. Someone appears intent on eliminating anyone deemed imperfect from Berlin's population. The Weimar Republic crumbles around Bernie as Nazi voices grow louder and more threatening. In this decadent city where citizens embrace excess after years of wartime suffering, Bernie must solve both murder sprees before the killer strikes again.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, corrupt-system, political-intrigue
Setting: Berlin, Silesian Station
Period: 1928
368 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: violence