Book Review: Field Gray by Philip Kerr

Title: Field Gray
Author: Philip Kerr
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Publication Date: April 14, 2011
Hardcover: 448 pages
ISBN: 9978-0399157417
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Thriller

From the Publisher:

Striding across Europe through the killing fields of three decades-from riot-torn Berlin in 1931 to Adenauer’s Germany in 1954, awash in duplicitous “allies” busily undermining one another-Field Gray reveals a world based on expediency, where the ends justify the means and no one can be trusted. It brings us a hero who is sardonic, tough- talking, and cynical, but who does have a rough sense of humor and a rougher sense of right and wrong. He’s Bernie Gunther. He drinks too much and smokes excessively and is somewhat overweight (but a Russian prisoner-of-war camp will take care of those bad habits). He’s Bernie Gunther-a brave man, because when there is nothing left to lose, honor rules.

My Review:

Field Gray by Philip Kerr is the seventh book in Kerr’s Bernie Gunther thriller series and the first that I have read. Based on how much I enjoyed reading Field Gray, it is evident I shall be reading the previous six books to catch up. Kerr’s protagonist, Bernie Gunther, is deep, dark, mysterious and slightly disturbed, just how I prefer my protagonists in mysteries. While I thoroughly enjoyed Field Gray, it was quite evident I had missed several books as much of Gunther’s past is alluded to in the seventh installment. Kerr has not only created an extremely complex character that the reader is certain to enjoy, but also has created an elaborate backdrop to WWII Germany and its aftermath, and to the Russian gulag system and the innate instinct to survive. Kerr sets up the atmosphere so well the reader will not struggle to feel as though they are there, sixty years ago, along side Gunther as he does what he must, as repulsive as he many find it, to survive the Nazi Regime, the Communists and the French. Kerr will take the reader through several decades, each intricately woven, highly detailed, and action packed. Field Gray is a fast paced thriller that keeps the reader fully engaged from the first word until the very end. Until the release of Kerr’s next book, I shall be reading backwards to get fully caught up in Bernie Gunther’s life. I highly recommend Field Gray to all readers who enjoy historical fiction, blended into a suspenseful thriller.

About the Author:

Philip Kerr is the author of many novels, but perhaps most important are the five featuring Bernie Gunther—A Quiet Flame, The One from the Other, and the Berlin Noir trilogy (March Violets, The Pale Criminal, and A German Requiem). He lives in London and Cornwall, England, with his family.

I received a complimentary ARC of Field Gray by Philip Kerr from Putnam to offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

Be Sociable, Share!

•