Berlin Noir - Philip Kerr

This book is actually 3 books in a single volume, evidently the first books in the Bernie Gunther series. This 800+ page paperback book has sat on my shelves for far too long, and as usual, I am sorry that I didn't start reading it sooner, as once I started I couldn't put it down. These 3 books really were each like a film noir translated onto the page, complete with a hard-boiled detective, twisty plots, and cagey dames. The 1930s Berlin setting helps the first two books; the feeling of dread that is taking over Germany and Europe is palpable and adds to the noir feeling. The last of the three takes place after World War II, and the destruction that war wrought on lives as well as the landscape play a part as well.

I will say that the first book, March Violets, takes a turn at the end that I did not see coming and that is not really referred to again; maybe it shouldn't be, but it seemed strange that it wasn't. And although we hear summaries of some of the events that occur between the second book, The Pale Criminal, and the third book, A German Requiem, I would love to hear more about these things. With all that said, there are evidently more books about Herr Gunther, and I will definitely read them if I can get my existing TBR pile under control.

I am claiming this book for the "green" category of the Color-Coded Reading Challenge, as despite the title, the fantastic cover is tinted green, as shown below.