I’ve just finished reading the last Bernie Gunther novel by Philip Kerr and feel bereft. Such a great character and a brilliant series of books - noir thrillers set around WW2 with all the fascinating stories and murky morality that suggests. They get deeper and more complex as the series goes on. - ThreadSky

mattgreencomedy.com • 58 days ago

I’ve just finished reading the last Bernie Gunther novel by Philip Kerr and feel bereft. Such a great character and a brilliant series of books - noir thrillers set around WW2 with all the fascinating stories and murky morality that suggests. They get deeper and more complex as the series goes on.

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franparry.bsky.social•58 days ago

Fabulous books. Really draw one into the time and place.

buckmcw.bsky.social•11 days ago

So I took a screen shot of this post to remind me to look for books by Philip Kerr based on your recommendation here. Finally found “Metropolis “ last week at the library and finished it a few minutes ago. Spectacular read, thanks so much for the heads up on this fantastic author and Gunther!!

mattgreencomedy.com•11 days ago

Oh good! That was actually his final book although chronologically the first Bernie story. The whole series is available for the ludicrously low price of £3.99 on Kindle.

buckmcw.bsky.social•11 days ago

Excellent! Thanks for the heads up

buckmcw.bsky.social•58 days ago

Not familiar but thanks for the heads up on those books

nkrowe.bsky.social•58 days ago

I remember reading a couple of his ages ago - Gridiron & Five Year Plan. Wasn't aware of this series & I've just found out he died in 2018 😞
Simon Scarrow's Blackout series (on my to read list) which might be something that might appeal?

grannywren.bsky.social•13 days ago

Thank you for this.

sucramk.bsky.social•58 days ago

That's exactly how I felt, my copy of March Violets might need re-reading again 🙂. I've always found myself torn between wanting to see those characters on screen and feeling that it would be so hard to live up to the source material.

mattgreencomedy.com•58 days ago

I read that Tom Hanks was involved at one point. He’d be an interesting Bernie. Probably too old now though. They would be great for TV/film but I can see how the murky morality and humour would be hard to pull off

sucramk.bsky.social•58 days ago

I'm sure I read somewhere that Woody Harrelson named it as the role that would tempt him back to HBO. Age would be an issue there too but I liked the Idea. The moral side is why I think it's better left in our imaginations, although well executed nuanced characters are more important than ever.

mattgreencomedy.com•58 days ago

I’ve just had a look and it seems that you can get the whole series of 14 books on Kindle for just £3.99! That’s an insanely good deal if true. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philip-Kerr-Complete-Bernie-Gunther-ebook/dp/B0BT4JMJBM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.D1jYtp-f9V27XAB8br6oe01WBtRUvWG8ydR9NKhXh6wzx1SOkzndow1Vs0ll37LvaWJuF_PrOq2esa-Dr_T3i-89_QgOzGO4uR2SeKtOJ1Jt_t03ubVIy-AJCPCn7iW0Xt87udyfv__tGm8b34X6tmTDe0h9jSRTQqfKJD0FMC2AeU_tmmZBLELa4G3qv5r8rGbl61CE-bkkDI-J33v4hw.Mc7MtcpnvpROTPj6f2R7mtUUaFvOUMf_h3JiBc7zCw8&dib_tag=se&keywords=philip+kerr&qid=1735815564&sr=8-1

rupertstubbs.bsky.social•58 days ago

That’s amazing. Tell everyone!

kasaubon.bsky.social•58 days ago

Okay, that's another 6000 pages on my To Read List...

mattgreencomedy.com•58 days ago

It is true - I’ve just downloaded them all so I have them all to hand. I read most of the books as physical copies but it’s nice to have them all in one place now. I’m sure I’ll read them all again at some point.

sharon74.bsky.social•58 days ago

Great tip. Have bought them.
Have read most of them but will be great to read them in order

alanshopp.bsky.social•58 days ago

Same astonishing deal on Apple Books

https://books.apple.com/gb/book/philip-kerr-the-complete-bernie-gunther-novels/id6445522688

jncie6.net•58 days ago

Thank you!

melindahaunton.bsky.social•58 days ago

Oh, that's brilliant to know, thank you. I read a lot of the early ones as library books, and I've only got patchy ownership of the series. Still got a couple of the last ones to read as I've been eking them out rather.

johnnield2.bsky.social•58 days ago

Same here. Just bought the lot thanks to your tip

chrisg43.bsky.social•58 days ago

Done. A reread of a lot of them but that’s okay.

mjtplantbiology.bsky.social•58 days ago

Thanks for the recommendation!

macpsych.bsky.social•58 days ago

Thanks for the heads up. Just bought the entire collection!

kipitflying.bsky.social•58 days ago

Inspired by, Ludwig Wietgenstien Carl Jung's 'Synchronicity Theory' I've searching for John Le Ca's Spy Novels all over Leicester Oxfam etc. Not one. It's akin to understanding how, George Smiley keeps so cool?

wailuku.bsky.social•58 days ago

I've read them all...not a clunker in the bunch.

dawnd66.bsky.social•58 days ago

Huge Philip Kerr fan too, have a look at The Murderer in Ruins by Cay Redemacher set in Hamburg 1948 sadly only three in the series but all great reads.

slipmahoney.bsky.social•57 days ago

Kerr was good but Alan Furst was better.

mattgreencomedy.com•57 days ago

Not heard of him. Will check him out.

tombb.bsky.social•58 days ago

Me too. Just finished "Prussian Blue" (I've been reading them out of sync). I'm now scrabbling around to find a copy of Esau and Dead Meat. Have you read Hitler's Peace? I liked it almost as much as the Gunther books.

mattgreencomedy.com•58 days ago

I have it on my shelf so will read it soon!

tombb.bsky.social•58 days ago

I liked "The Shot" as well, though I fear I maybe in a minority with that one.

deadlinedemocracy.bsky.social•58 days ago

WWII novels and historical fiction are my favorite. I am fascinated by the Resistance groups and their courage. I will definitely check out these. Thank you.

wheresmekeys.bsky.social•58 days ago

One of my favourite characters.
If Raymond Chandler was German, and grew up a bit…

jennykr.bsky.social•58 days ago

Oh they are great! Philip Kerr is terrific

tom.redoubt22.net•58 days ago

i read 'A Philosophical Investigation' many many years ago and never really realised he had so many other books out there - no idea if i'll like them but at 3.99 definitely worth a punt. thanks.

junkyardjack.bsky.social•33 days ago

I am on the third one as a result of your post. They are great! Thank you.

mattgreencomedy.com•33 days ago

Oh great! I’m pleased.

junkyardjack.bsky.social•58 days ago

Thanks! I’ll try one.

anninthemidlands.bsky.social•58 days ago

I didn’t know this author…but he’s on my list now…thank you for the recommendation! (And also for all those vignettes of yours that make me laugh out loud!)

hieke.bsky.social•58 days ago

Thanks, Matt. I’ve not read any before but now have the entire collection… looking forward to making a start!

terryd53.bsky.social•52 days ago

I wanted to get back to you and say how much I’m enjoying March Violets - terrific.

mattgreencomedy.com•52 days ago

Oh good! I think they get even better as the series goes along too

terryd53.bsky.social•58 days ago

Appreciate the tip, thanks

fascinatorfun.bsky.social•58 days ago

They are terrific, aren’t they? Read the lot.

alannfylde.bsky.social•58 days ago

I listened to the audio books, so well read... excellent stuff

fjgartist.bsky.social•58 days ago

Thanks have to give a try.

dianajspencer.bsky.social•57 days ago

I bought the last one then metaphorically sat on it for three years to postpone the inevitable goodbye. On finishing, I reflected on “BG as man of morals but who was in danger of looking to peer into the abyss … the pathos of his relationships, always ending, always wrong place/wrong time”.

mattgreencomedy.com•57 days ago

Yes he’s a classic noir hero in that he’s too moral for immoral times and his relationships are always compromised by his work. To be able to tread the line of taste and decency with the situations he finds himself in is quite a remarkable feat.

ceebegeeby.bsky.social•58 days ago

Amazing books,do not share the lazy assumption that all Germans were Nazis.

timmorton2.bsky.social•58 days ago

Yes that was a sad day for me too.

dingdingdave.bsky.social•58 days ago

Philip's Bernie Gunther novels are indeed, different class. Have you read his soccer novels? Definitely worth a read 📚

mandycheevers.bsky.social•58 days ago

Such a brilliant series. That he wrote Metropolis after he was diagnosed with cancer, knowing it was terminal, is astonishing. My one annoyance is they changed the cover design on the books so midway through my set stopped matching. I've started re-reading Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano books.

gwencampbell.bsky.social•58 days ago

📌

charliegorgon.bsky.social•58 days ago

A great series of books. Thanks for the tip on the Kindle collection Matt. I have hard copies of most, but nice to have them accessible when I'm travelling.

nickren.bsky.social•58 days ago

Book grief is definitely its own weird thing. I’m only just getting round to reading the last few Discworld books because when Terry was diagnosed I couldn’t bear the thought of having no more of them to read.

mattgreencomedy.com•58 days ago

I’ve just realised there is one more book for me to read - but it was published after Kerr’s death so I still feel like I’ve read the last “real” one. Such a shame. He died quite young and there is that feeling that there was more great stuff to come.

howlinghawkband.bsky.social•58 days ago

First, big thanks for the 3.99 heads up!

There was talk ten years ago or so of adapting the movies with Tom hanks but he’s probably too old now. Who’d be dream casting?

mattgreencomedy.com•58 days ago

Probably a brilliant German actor we’ve never heard of! Christoph Waltz would have been good but again too old now. Maybe Samuel Theis from Anatomy of a Fall or Christian Friedel from Zone of Interest. Maybe even Alexander Skarsgad

howlinghawkband.bsky.social•58 days ago

Skarsgard is a great shout!

mattgreencomedy.com•58 days ago

He’s probably too old too really but he looks very youthful!

deekypod.bsky.social•58 days ago

Ditto… in the middle of Raising Steam rn … can’t believe one of the passages actually read like the Tories’/Republicans’ ethos today…

nickren.bsky.social•55 days ago

I was reading Monstrous Regiment and there were a couple of passages that made me check the publishing date and I was like “Yep this is the Iraq War”

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