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Series Review
Chasing Murderers in the Most Murderous Regime in History: Nazi-Occupied Europe
Berlin cop Bernie Gunther leaves the police force before the Nazi's can throw him out and sets up shop as a P.I. investigating missing persons, mainly Jews. In each of the nine novels in the Bernie Gunther Mystery Books series, Bernie finds himself in the middle of a well-known historical event including the Night of Long Knives, Kristalnacht, the 1936 Olympics and the post-war search for Adolf Eichmann.

Dark doings in a dark time written with noir flair and a keen eye for historical detail

An outstanding series of crime novels. Noir doesn't get blacker or better than this. Kerr writes extremely well. If you can stand the depravity and the violence, these are riveting tales of one man's attempt to survive a living nightmare and still retain a shred of decency. I can't put them down.

Series Guide
Read these mysteries in any order. For a "big" novel--spanning 20 years--choose Field Gray (#7).

Book Summaries
Below, a list of the Bernie Gunther crime novels, in order of publication:

March Violets (1989, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #1)
Bernie slogs through the depraved depths of Nazi culture from sex clubs to concentration camps.
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The Pale Criminal (1990, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #2)
In the days before Kristalnacht, Gunther tracks a killer of young girls in the ranks of the SS.
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A German Requiem (1991, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #3)
A Russian secret policeman sends Bernie on a search for a  murderer in post-war Berlin and Vienna.
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Berlin Noir (1993, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #1, #2 and #3)
Omnibus edition includes March Violets (#1), The Pale Criminal (#2) and A German Requiem (#3).
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The One from the Other (2006, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #4)
On the hunt for a former concentration camp commandant in post-war Munich
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A Quiet Flame (2008, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #5)
Falsely accused of war crimes, Bernie flees with Adolf Eichmann to Argentina and finds the same ruthlessness, venality and corruption he hoped to leave behind.
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If the Dead Rise Not (2009, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #6) 
It's 1954 and Bernie is living an uneventful life in Havana, Cuba--until he encounters a gangster he first met long ago in Nazi Germany.
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Field Gray (2010, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #7)
Bernie is in prison, first in Guantanamo, Cuba then in Germany, and tells the story of his horrific experiences on the Eastern front.
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Prague Fatale (2011, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #8)
In 1941, Bernie goes to Prague, Czechoslovakia at the behest of the odious Reinhard Heydrich who fears assassination.
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A Man Without Breath (2013, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #9)
1943. Bernie is sent to the Katyn Forest near Smolensk, Russia to investigate a possible war crime, one that the Nazis hope to turn into anti-Russian propaganda.
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Bernie Gunther Mysteries
by Philip Kerr
Historical Series Set in Nazi-Occupied Europe
Book Reviews
Bernie Gunther Series
(From newest to oldest; Dates refer to publication in the US in English;
# refers to series order)
Above, from top to bottom:  
Kripo Badge also known as the police beer token; Arthur Nebe, head of the Kripo and occasional character in the Bernie Gunther crime novels; Medallion with the symbol of the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Kripo Badge
Arthur Nebe
Symbol of 1936 Berlin Olympics
A Man Without Breath (2013, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #9)
by Philip Kerr
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Simply great story. Complex and powerful. There's a murderer, a mass murder and a political conspiracy to keep our increasingly cynical hero on edge as he fights to survive and maybe even deliver a small measure of justice.

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(Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Historical. Cops.  Set in Nazi-Occupied Europe.)
Prague Fatale (2011, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #8)
by Philip Kerr
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Terrific! Spies, terrorists, and a clever locked-room mystery. Another winner from Philip Kerr, a master of the historical mystery.

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(Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Historical. Cops.  Set in Nazi-Occupied Europe.)
Field Gray (2010, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #7)
by Philip Kerr
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FINALIST! 2012 Edgar Award for Best Mystery

Gripping! Kerr's (except for his other best!). Most ambitious mystery of the series, ranging from Bernie's post-war imprisonment as a possible war criminal to his past on the Eastern front as a reluctant participant in atrocities. 

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(Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Historical. Cops.  Set in Nazi-Occupied Europe.)
A Man Without Breath (2013, Bernie Gunther #9)  by Philip Kerr
Cliffhanger's 4 Heart Rating
Prague Fatale (2011, Bernie Gunther #8) by Philip Kerr
Cliffhanger's 4 Heart Rating
Field Gray (2010, Bernie Gunther #7) by Philip Kerr
Cliffhanger's 5 Heart Rating
If the Dead Rise Not (2009, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #6)
by Philip Kerr
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WINNER! 2009 Historical Dagger Award
WINNER! 2010 Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel FINALIST! 2011 Shamus Award for Best Novel
WINNER RBA International Prize for Crime Writing
One of the best in an outstanding series of mystery novels. Kerr is at the top of his game.

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(Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Historical. Cops.  Set in Cuba. )
Cliffhanger's 5 Heart Rating
A Quiet Flame (2008, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #5)
by Philip Kerr
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FINALIST! 2008 Historical Dagger Award

Don't miss this page turner, the fifth in the Bernie Gunther series of mystery novels. Kerr's crime writing and mastery of historical detail makes this crime novel a tour de force. 

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(Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Historical. Cops.  Set in Nazi-Occupied Europe.)
If the Dead Rise Not (2009, Bernie Gunther #6) by Philip Kerr
A Quiet Flame (2008, Bernie Gunther #5) by Philip Kerr
Cliffhanger's 4 Heart Rating
Noir aka Hardboiled
The One from the Other (2006, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #4)
by Philip Kerr
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FINALIST! 2007 Historical Dagger Award
Action-packed, violent mystery plunges Bernie into the unsavory lives of fleeing former Nazis, Allied spies, unrepentant sadists and gangsters of all stripes. Our hero is still good at heart but has suffered greatly during the war and it's immediate aftermath.

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(Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Historical. Cops.  Set in Nazi-Occupied Europe.)
Cliffhanger's 4 Heart Rating
The One from the Other (2006, Bernie Gunther #4) by Philip Kerr
Berlin Noir (1993, P.I. Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #1, #2 and #3; includes March Violets, The Pale Criminal,  A German Requiem)
by Philip Kerr
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A good deal--the first three crime novels in one book. If you're interested in the historical period (Nazi Germany) and great mysteries, you really can't go wrong with this. PLUS: A nice gift.

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(Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Historical. Cops.  Set in Nazi-Occupied Europe.)
Cliffhanger's 4 Heart Rating
Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr (1993, Bernie Gunther #1, #2 and #3, Includes March Violets, The Pale Criminal, A German Requiem)
A German Requiem (1991, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #3)
by Philip Kerr
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Riveting, suspenseful, scary crime novel set in the down and dirty world of post-war Berlin, Germany and Vienna, Austria. 

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(Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Historical. Cops.  Set in Nazi-Occupied Europe.)
Cliffhanger's 4 Heart Rating
A German Requiem (1991, Bernie Gunther #3) by Philip Kerr
The Pale Criminal (1990, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #2)
by Philip Kerr
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Couldn't put this mystery down. A satisfying detective story and Kerr's crime writing keeps getting better.

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(Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Historical. Cops.  Set in Nazi-Occupied Europe.)
Cliffhanger's 4 Heart Rating
The Pale Criminal (1990, Bernie Gunther #2)  Philip Kerr
March Violets (1989, Bernie Gunther Mystery Books #1)
by Philip Kerr
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FINALIST! 1989 New Blood Dagger Award
Engrossing. Suspenseful crime story and the kind of historical detail that makes even the minor characters vivid. Also, the very mean streets of Nazi Berlin are masterfully depicted.  Bernie Gunther is a great P.I.--complicated, obnoxious, loveable.

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(Bestsellers. Noir aka Hardboiled. Historical. Cops.  Set in Nazi-Occupied Europe.)
Cliffhanger's 4 Heart Rating
March Violets (1989, Bernie Gunther #1)by Philip Kerr
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