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A review by writtenbysime
The Other Side of Silence by Philip Kerr
4.0
Philip Kerr is a novelist who has mastered the art of blending fact and fiction, convincing the reader that the events taking place must be real. His mastery of place and dialogue is extraordinary and unrivalled. Every new Bernie Gunther novel is something to look forward to, and The Other Side of Silence ranks right up there with the series’ best, and a must-read for fans new and old.
The war has been over for more than a decade in Philip Kerr’s new book starring former German detective Bernie Gunther. But for a guy who survived that conflict – – who should perhaps be counting his blessings having lived through so much – – is exceptionally weary. In fact, when The Other Side if Silence begins, he is contemplating taking his own life; not that it’s really his life, because in 1956, Gunther is living under a pseudonym and working as a hotel concierge on the French Riviera. The life he knew is over. Now he spends his days trying to stay off the radar and keep out of trouble; purposefully boring and uneventful. But of course, for a man like Bernie Gunther, trouble is never far away, and this time, that trouble takes the form of Anne French, an English writer, and an old wartime acquaintance named Harold Henning, who was responsible for the death of thousands – including one of the loves of Bernie’s life. These two forces pull Gunther into a blackmail plot involving one of Britain’s most famous writers of the 20th century, W. Somerset Maugham, and the Cambridge Spies.
These ingredients make for one of Kerr’s best novels yet.
The war has been over for more than a decade in Philip Kerr’s new book starring former German detective Bernie Gunther. But for a guy who survived that conflict – – who should perhaps be counting his blessings having lived through so much – – is exceptionally weary. In fact, when The Other Side if Silence begins, he is contemplating taking his own life; not that it’s really his life, because in 1956, Gunther is living under a pseudonym and working as a hotel concierge on the French Riviera. The life he knew is over. Now he spends his days trying to stay off the radar and keep out of trouble; purposefully boring and uneventful. But of course, for a man like Bernie Gunther, trouble is never far away, and this time, that trouble takes the form of Anne French, an English writer, and an old wartime acquaintance named Harold Henning, who was responsible for the death of thousands – including one of the loves of Bernie’s life. These two forces pull Gunther into a blackmail plot involving one of Britain’s most famous writers of the 20th century, W. Somerset Maugham, and the Cambridge Spies.
These ingredients make for one of Kerr’s best novels yet.