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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
This was my favorite Bernard Gunther story to date! I loved the way Kerr seamlessly integrated two stories that were separated over a period of almost 20 years and the Atlantic Ocean. Both stories were fascinating and I enjoyed how they complemented each other. It helped to reveal a lot about Gunther, his past and his mindset. Anna was an interesting character and to be honest, I am actually happy with the ending.
This series is starting to blend together for me but I like it.
Such a great find.
Although this is the fifth book in this series, it's the first one for me by this author.
It's an excellent detective story, set mainly in 1950s Argentina, the refuge of so many German ex-SS/Gestapo from WW2. There are flashbacks to 1932 Berlin because our detective has an unsolved case from Germany that he reflects back on and it looks like the murderer is in Argentina.
So 1950 Argentina is filled with these German ex-officers plus refugees from war-torn Europe, and ruled of course by Juan and Evita Peron, who also figure in this story.
This is well written, smart, sassy and well researched.
A very good read.
Although this is the fifth book in this series, it's the first one for me by this author.
It's an excellent detective story, set mainly in 1950s Argentina, the refuge of so many German ex-SS/Gestapo from WW2. There are flashbacks to 1932 Berlin because our detective has an unsolved case from Germany that he reflects back on and it looks like the murderer is in Argentina.
So 1950 Argentina is filled with these German ex-officers plus refugees from war-torn Europe, and ruled of course by Juan and Evita Peron, who also figure in this story.
This is well written, smart, sassy and well researched.
A very good read.
Book 5: Bernie Gunther Goes To Argentina (and meets the rich and infamous along the way)
So Bernie's fifth outing followed quickly on the heels of the very excellent return to form of [b:The One from the Other|3248348|The One from the Other (Bernard Gunther, #4)|Philip Kerr|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347806824s/3248348.jpg|2987986] and ended up being the worst of the lot (so far.) This was a direct sequel to the fourth book, the only time that elapsed was the journey across the Atlantic, with Bernie arriving in Buenos Aires alongside his bunk mate Nazi War Criminal Eichmann in the opening chapter. This time he is investigating the horrors of National Socialism transposed to 1950 Argentina in a ludicrous "case" featuring murdered children.
Bernie, at his best, is a great character full of snappy one liners and smart observations but sadly those traits are few and far between in A Quiet Flame; their brief appearances garnering this book an extra star, rescuing it from a mediocre tale filled with [a:Dan Brown|630|Dan Brown|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1206553442p2/630.jpg]-esque endings to chapters such as the ever popular "if only it was that simple," "I think you're about to find out" and "as things turned out I should have stayed." This is not the intelligent thriller writer I've come to expect, what have you done with the real Philip Kerr?
He acknowledges his reading of [b:The Real Odessa|1043460|The Real Odessa|Uki Goni|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1180462133s/1043460.jpg|1029865] as the primary source for his information on Nazism in Argentina and whilst I have no doubts that it's a fascinating and disturbing read I don't think Kerr tried hard enough to turn it in to a Bernie Gunther thriller, disguising his research with a barely readable story filled with exposition and padding it out with a few tedious (and long) chapters of back story of an old murder case set in 1932 Berlin. These flashback scenes allowing Kerr to ladle on the anti-Nazi quips from Gunther, none of them particularly clever or funny and all of them very repetitive.
The use of famous Nazis in the background of Bernie's investigations is a staple of the series but in this one Kerr went too far, featuring prominent roles for 'Angel of Death' Josef Mengele and the Perons, the constant appearances of Evita and the effect of that awful Madonna song from the musical popping in to my head for pages at a time didn't help alleviate my bad feelings towards the book. All of it working in a way that intends to comfort the reader, allowing them a certain smugness in knowing about these 'celebrities' from recent history but for me it was just a cynical and completely unnecessary device; in the same way there was no need for him to basically scream HEY THAT HOLOCAUST THING WAS REALLY BAD, FEEL BAD ABOUT IT PEOPLE!, we know it's bad and by using the sequences he does he's making use of horrifying events from history purely as entertainment whereas in previous Gunther books it was written in such a way that it felt natural and actually horrifying.
Ahh hell maybe I'll take that third star away after all. Get well soon Bernie.
EDIT 14.1.2013: I started the sixth book in the series today and was immediately repulsed by the awful direction Philip Kerr's writing has taken. In the first page some clever German with amazing foresight tells us "mark my words that Hitler is determined to start another war with England and France" and a new low in the Bernie Gunther series is reached. Reading back on ths review I have come to the conclusion that I will read no more of these books, A Quiet Flame will be my last. Philip Kerr should have stayed out of the noir game if this is the best he can do after a 15 year break.
So Bernie's fifth outing followed quickly on the heels of the very excellent return to form of [b:The One from the Other|3248348|The One from the Other (Bernard Gunther, #4)|Philip Kerr|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347806824s/3248348.jpg|2987986] and ended up being the worst of the lot (so far.) This was a direct sequel to the fourth book, the only time that elapsed was the journey across the Atlantic, with Bernie arriving in Buenos Aires alongside his bunk mate Nazi War Criminal Eichmann in the opening chapter. This time he is investigating the horrors of National Socialism transposed to 1950 Argentina in a ludicrous "case" featuring murdered children.
Bernie, at his best, is a great character full of snappy one liners and smart observations but sadly those traits are few and far between in A Quiet Flame; their brief appearances garnering this book an extra star, rescuing it from a mediocre tale filled with [a:Dan Brown|630|Dan Brown|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1206553442p2/630.jpg]-esque endings to chapters such as the ever popular "if only it was that simple," "I think you're about to find out" and "as things turned out I should have stayed." This is not the intelligent thriller writer I've come to expect, what have you done with the real Philip Kerr?
He acknowledges his reading of [b:The Real Odessa|1043460|The Real Odessa|Uki Goni|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1180462133s/1043460.jpg|1029865] as the primary source for his information on Nazism in Argentina and whilst I have no doubts that it's a fascinating and disturbing read I don't think Kerr tried hard enough to turn it in to a Bernie Gunther thriller, disguising his research with a barely readable story filled with exposition and padding it out with a few tedious (and long) chapters of back story of an old murder case set in 1932 Berlin. These flashback scenes allowing Kerr to ladle on the anti-Nazi quips from Gunther, none of them particularly clever or funny and all of them very repetitive.
The use of famous Nazis in the background of Bernie's investigations is a staple of the series but in this one Kerr went too far, featuring prominent roles for 'Angel of Death' Josef Mengele and the Perons, the constant appearances of Evita and the effect of that awful Madonna song from the musical popping in to my head for pages at a time didn't help alleviate my bad feelings towards the book. All of it working in a way that intends to comfort the reader, allowing them a certain smugness in knowing about these 'celebrities' from recent history but for me it was just a cynical and completely unnecessary device; in the same way there was no need for him to basically scream HEY THAT HOLOCAUST THING WAS REALLY BAD, FEEL BAD ABOUT IT PEOPLE!, we know it's bad and by using the sequences he does he's making use of horrifying events from history purely as entertainment whereas in previous Gunther books it was written in such a way that it felt natural and actually horrifying.
Ahh hell maybe I'll take that third star away after all. Get well soon Bernie.
EDIT 14.1.2013: I started the sixth book in the series today and was immediately repulsed by the awful direction Philip Kerr's writing has taken. In the first page some clever German with amazing foresight tells us "mark my words that Hitler is determined to start another war with England and France" and a new low in the Bernie Gunther series is reached. Reading back on ths review I have come to the conclusion that I will read no more of these books, A Quiet Flame will be my last. Philip Kerr should have stayed out of the noir game if this is the best he can do after a 15 year break.
Loved this. Packed with snippets from a history unknown to me. Humour, mystery, suspense, action, romance & horror - its got it all!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Perhaps the weakest Bernie Gunther mystery to date. The flashback style felt especially forced, for some reason. A few good lines, but once again, the web that ensnares Bernie just seems far too convoluted. Maybe I'm just not subtle enough, but the long range goal seems so unlikely in hindsight that it bugs me.
In this one, Bernie has just got off the boat in Argentina, where he was bound at the end of the previous book. He meets the Perons, both Evita and Juan, gets involved in counter spying on other Germans and, most especially, other ex-SS agents. He also gets tangled up with more Jewish refugees, including romantically. There are a few close calls, and the main disappearance mystery is solved in the end.
Speaking of the main mystery's solution, I hated it. It was both vastly unlikely as well as far too neat. Usually there are many strands in a Bernie Gunther book, and while there were several here too, they got all tied up in a manner that made me think Kerr just got tired of writing.
There was also far too much anti-Nazi speechifying. Yes, we all know how horrific it was, and must have been. And we know Bernie wasn't a Nazi, but man, he got strident about it. Maybe Kerr was trying to draw some modern parallels, but I prefer my private eyes to be more cynical and less strident.
The ending seems to have left open the possibility of more, but much like [a:Lee Child|5091|Lee Child|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1205263586p2/5091.jpg]'s Reacher series, it all seems worn out by now. I hope Mr. Kerr stretches out again.
In this one, Bernie has just got off the boat in Argentina, where he was bound at the end of the previous book. He meets the Perons, both Evita and Juan, gets involved in counter spying on other Germans and, most especially, other ex-SS agents. He also gets tangled up with more Jewish refugees, including romantically. There are a few close calls, and the main disappearance mystery is solved in the end.
Speaking of the main mystery's solution, I hated it. It was both vastly unlikely as well as far too neat. Usually there are many strands in a Bernie Gunther book, and while there were several here too, they got all tied up in a manner that made me think Kerr just got tired of writing.
There was also far too much anti-Nazi speechifying. Yes, we all know how horrific it was, and must have been. And we know Bernie wasn't a Nazi, but man, he got strident about it. Maybe Kerr was trying to draw some modern parallels, but I prefer my private eyes to be more cynical and less strident.
The ending seems to have left open the possibility of more, but much like [a:Lee Child|5091|Lee Child|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1205263586p2/5091.jpg]'s Reacher series, it all seems worn out by now. I hope Mr. Kerr stretches out again.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I wan't sure I was going to like this book, since I thought it was all going to be in Argentina, but there were flashbacks to before the war in Germany to give us the back story on what Bernie gets tied up in in the "present day", so that was good. Once again, Bernie gets asked to investigate a few things that will of course get him into trouble, but that doesn't stop him. I did not realize that the Peron's had been such Nazi sympathizers and it makes me look at them in a totally different light (and it's not a good light). It looks like, if not in the next book, then the one following we will end up back in at least Europe (not sure if we get back to Germany), so I'm looking forward to getting the next book in this series.
Palpable in this Bernie Gunther book is the despair that permeates Bernie and his situation. 1950 Argentina is really only a warmer Germany. Food is available but who wants to eat. Warm air is available but Bernie can't feel it.
Certainly Bernie is weary, and certainly finding it hard to move on. Not sure if I want to read any more of these. Except that he is such a compelling writer.
No wonder George Pelecanos likes this writer.
Dark dark dark
Certainly Bernie is weary, and certainly finding it hard to move on. Not sure if I want to read any more of these. Except that he is such a compelling writer.
No wonder George Pelecanos likes this writer.
Dark dark dark