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lucinda_rose3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
belanna2's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.75
sardinetin's review against another edition
3.0
It's tricky starting a series so far into it- however, luckily this book stands alone as a case for Bernie Gunther, so it wasn't a problem that I hadn't read any of the previous novels.
It's certainly an interesting concept that the hero is a policeman in Nazi Germany.I also enjoyed the historical details. For me, however, the plot didn't quite work, which was a shame. I am, however, intrigued, and will definitely attempt another of the Bernie Gunther novels.
It's certainly an interesting concept that the hero is a policeman in Nazi Germany.I also enjoyed the historical details. For me, however, the plot didn't quite work, which was a shame. I am, however, intrigued, and will definitely attempt another of the Bernie Gunther novels.
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
This is the ninth book in Philip Kerr's wonderful series featuring Bernie Gunther, a jaded and policeman in wartime Berlin who despises the Nazi regime. However the series jumps about in sequence, so this outing - set in March and April 1943 - is actually the sixth in chronological order.
The story opens with Gunther living in Berlin and working for the German War Crimes Bureau. After a body is discovered buried in the Katyn forest near Smolensk in German-occupied Russia, he is tasked with investigating whose body it is and whether it constitutes a war crime. Should the body be a Russian soldier or a Jew, it need not be investigated further, but if it turns out to be a Pole then it is almost certainly a Russian who did the killing and is therefore worth pursuing as a war crime. This is based on an actual event: the "Katyn massacre" when Russian troops executed approximately 22,000 Polish soldiers in 1940. Goebbels senses an opportunity for some pro-German propaganda and therefore tasks Gunther with managing the excavation of the bodies.
When Gunther (reluctantly) arrives in Smolensk, he discovers that the city is in a state of tension, awaiting the seemingly inevitable recapture by the Russians. There are a spate of murders and it appears that someone is trying to prevent him from finding out the truth about what actually took place. There is also a sub-plot about a group of German aristocrats who are desperate to assassinate Hitler (again, based on real events).
Gunther is a terrific character and as usual, Philip Kerr has integrated real life people and events into the books so that it feels almost real - although I do feel that Gunther is starting to become a Forrest Gumpish character who seems to have interacted with almost anyone who was anyone in the Nazi party. I liked the setting in Smolensk and the feeling of cold that permeates the book. I also noted and liked the way that Gunther seems tired - still cynical, but almost beaten down by the war rather than the fiesty critic that he was in the earlier days of the Third Reich.
This is not the best in the series - it drags in parts - but it's still very good.
The story opens with Gunther living in Berlin and working for the German War Crimes Bureau. After a body is discovered buried in the Katyn forest near Smolensk in German-occupied Russia, he is tasked with investigating whose body it is and whether it constitutes a war crime. Should the body be a Russian soldier or a Jew, it need not be investigated further, but if it turns out to be a Pole then it is almost certainly a Russian who did the killing and is therefore worth pursuing as a war crime. This is based on an actual event: the "Katyn massacre" when Russian troops executed approximately 22,000 Polish soldiers in 1940. Goebbels senses an opportunity for some pro-German propaganda and therefore tasks Gunther with managing the excavation of the bodies.
When Gunther (reluctantly) arrives in Smolensk, he discovers that the city is in a state of tension, awaiting the seemingly inevitable recapture by the Russians. There are a spate of murders and it appears that someone is trying to prevent him from finding out the truth about what actually took place. There is also a sub-plot about a group of German aristocrats who are desperate to assassinate Hitler (again, based on real events).
Gunther is a terrific character and as usual, Philip Kerr has integrated real life people and events into the books so that it feels almost real - although I do feel that Gunther is starting to become a Forrest Gumpish character who seems to have interacted with almost anyone who was anyone in the Nazi party. I liked the setting in Smolensk and the feeling of cold that permeates the book. I also noted and liked the way that Gunther seems tired - still cynical, but almost beaten down by the war rather than the fiesty critic that he was in the earlier days of the Third Reich.
This is not the best in the series - it drags in parts - but it's still very good.
didactylos's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Aside from the 'romantic' interlude (pretty risdiculous really) this is probably his best in the series.
paul_gibson's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first Bernie Gunther novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it - gripping detective thriller based during the Second World War. Appreciate I have not started the series from the beginning but this was a very good standalone novel in its own right. The storyline was cleverly interlaced with historical facts, very well written. I will definitely be reading more of the series.
jimmypat's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing and bloated; Kerr tries to stuff too much into this book and it’s overly convoluted. The editor clearly failed to do his job on this one.
jefecarpenter's review against another edition
2.0
It is impressive that Kerr can amass all the detail of the Nazi era. It has led to good things in the past.
I read this with great hope.
But I got bogged down.
Halfway through, there was suddenly Dr. Batov and a plot to get him to safety in exchange for the proof Kerr had been hoping that we'd desire.....that we should have desired.
Human interest!
Finally! Someone to care about...!
OK, now I can see a reason to be reading this.
And then, a few pages later, Batov is killed off.
And we're back to the drudgery of plodding through this ordeal in Smolensk, a city we never get to know.
I read this with great hope.
But I got bogged down.
Halfway through, there was suddenly Dr. Batov and a plot to get him to safety in exchange for the proof Kerr had been hoping that we'd desire.....that we should have desired.
Human interest!
Finally! Someone to care about...!
OK, now I can see a reason to be reading this.
And then, a few pages later, Batov is killed off.
And we're back to the drudgery of plodding through this ordeal in Smolensk, a city we never get to know.
tuomosuominen's review against another edition
3.0
Philip Kerr's splendid Bernie Gunther series avoided the WWII years for a very long time, until the recent "Prague Fatale" and "A Man Without Breath", set in 1941 and 1943. Given these years, both books manage to mostly disregard the war, which seems especially strange in "A Man Without Breath" which is set almost on the front in Russia. There are only point references to events, e.g. the Warsaw uprising, the upcoming Kursk battle. Both books feature large numbers of more or less forcibly intertwined plot lines, in which Gunther ends up investigating murders in country-estate-like headquarter settings. Also, Gunther's character seems to have suffered in these recent books, with less of the sarcastic humor and more ranting. The facts are there, Kerr obviously has once again done solid research, but unfortunately there's some magic missing. An annoying detail: the plotline of the supposedly revealing Polish intelligence report on the Gleiwitz incident was simply shut down with Gunther disposing of the document. I was disappointed in this book, but I wonder whether Kerr will fill the gap in the Bernie Gunther timeline between 1943-1947? I'd buy an end of the war story set in 1945.
Paul Hecht does an excellent reading (this was the Audible audiobook version).
While I wasn't too pleased with these two WWII books, I'm sure there are lots of excellent Bernie Gunther moments in store for me, as I've been reading the series in an order based on the year they're set in. I started with "If the Dead Rise Not" (book #6, set in 1934) but saved the latter half (set in 1954) for later. Next, "March Violets" (#1, set in 1936), "The Pale Criminal" (#2, 1938), "Prague Fatale" (#8, 1941) and now "A Man Without Breath" (#9, 1943). Now I'll be returning to the original trilogy with "A German Requiem" (#3, 1947), then "The One From the Other" (#4, 1949), "A Quiet Flame" (#5, 1950), "Field Gray" (#7, 1954) and finally the second half of "If the Dead Rise Not" (#6, 1954).
Paul Hecht does an excellent reading (this was the Audible audiobook version).
While I wasn't too pleased with these two WWII books, I'm sure there are lots of excellent Bernie Gunther moments in store for me, as I've been reading the series in an order based on the year they're set in. I started with "If the Dead Rise Not" (book #6, set in 1934) but saved the latter half (set in 1954) for later. Next, "March Violets" (#1, set in 1936), "The Pale Criminal" (#2, 1938), "Prague Fatale" (#8, 1941) and now "A Man Without Breath" (#9, 1943). Now I'll be returning to the original trilogy with "A German Requiem" (#3, 1947), then "The One From the Other" (#4, 1949), "A Quiet Flame" (#5, 1950), "Field Gray" (#7, 1954) and finally the second half of "If the Dead Rise Not" (#6, 1954).
zipperhead's review against another edition
5.0
Another great historical fiction story by Philip Kerr. It has been very interesting reading the Bernard Gunther books and learning about the atrocities of the SS and the Third Reich before and during World War II. I enjoyed the way Bernard Gunther would poke fun at some of the worst men in history.