Scan barcode
A review by jacki_f
Metropolis by Philip Kerr
4.0
Reading this was a bittersweet experience. The latest instalment in probably my favourite series is also the final instalment after the death of author Philip Kerr last year. I'm sad that there will be no more episodes in Bernie Gunther's life. Given that Metropolis is actually the first chronologically (set in 1928, when Bernie is in the Berlin policeforce), I am tempted to immediately re-read all the rest of the books in order of when they are set - although the timeslip element in a few of them does make that slightly difficult.
Metropolis begins with Bernie Gunther's transfer from the Vice division to the Criminal division where he is immediately confronted with a serial killer who is targeting prostitutes. As in all the other books, real people and events are woven into the story, although in most cases they were less famous than the Nazi elite who pop up in the later books. However I always find it satisfying to look up photographs of the people and imagine them as he describes them.
While Bernie is a cynical character, here he is in his early 30s and "still capable of being shocked at human behaviour". He is heavily affected by his experiences fighting in the trenches during WW1 and more deferential to his superiors than in the later books.
The plot concerns Gunther's attempts to identify two serial killers whom he suspects are actually the same person. While the case is eventually resolved, it is in a classic Philip Kerr way, full of compromises and politics.
Ultimately I don't think this was the best in the series but it was still high quality. Philip Kerr, you are missed.
Metropolis begins with Bernie Gunther's transfer from the Vice division to the Criminal division where he is immediately confronted with a serial killer who is targeting prostitutes. As in all the other books, real people and events are woven into the story, although in most cases they were less famous than the Nazi elite who pop up in the later books. However I always find it satisfying to look up photographs of the people and imagine them as he describes them.
While Bernie is a cynical character, here he is in his early 30s and "still capable of being shocked at human behaviour". He is heavily affected by his experiences fighting in the trenches during WW1 and more deferential to his superiors than in the later books.
The plot concerns Gunther's attempts to identify two serial killers whom he suspects are actually the same person. While the case is eventually resolved, it is in a classic Philip Kerr way, full of compromises and politics.
Ultimately I don't think this was the best in the series but it was still high quality. Philip Kerr, you are missed.