Ranking Noir: Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther Series

Finishing Philip Kerr’s ​​Bernie Gunther series​​ in Berlin felt poetically fitting. The sixth entry, If the Dead Rise Not (2009), serves as a solid mid-tier installment. Its plot navigates pre-war Berlin—where ex-cop Gunther works at the iconic Adlon Hotel—and post-war Havana, weaving corruption around Nazi Olympics contracts and moral dilemmas about totalitarianism.

While not peak Gunther, it typifies Kerr’s genius: exploring justice in lawless regimes where historical figures collide with fiction.

​​Series Standouts​​
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: March Violets (1989), The Pale Criminal (1990), A German Requiem (1991) – concise masterpieces.
⭐⭐⭐⭐: The One from the Other (2006), A Quiet Flame (2008: exposes Perón’s Nazi ties), Prague Fatale (2011), A Man Without Breath (2013: darkest entry), Metropolis (2019: brilliant prequel).
​​Mid-Tier​​
⭐⭐⭐: Field Grey (2010), The Lady from Zagreb (2015: Goebbels’ reptilian portrayal), Greeks Bearing Gifts (2018).
​​Avoid​​
⭐: Prussian Blue (2017) – only unfinished book; The Other Side of Silence (2016) – severely dragged.

Series later entries suffered bloat, yet Kerr’s core thesis—investigating crime amidst tyranny—remains devastatingly potent.