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    The Lady from Zagreb: A Bernie Gunther Novel
    Unavailable
    The Lady from Zagreb: A Bernie Gunther Novel
    Unavailable
    The Lady from Zagreb: A Bernie Gunther Novel
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Lady from Zagreb: A Bernie Gunther Novel

    Written by Philip Kerr

    Narrated by Jeff Harding

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In 1942, there are worse places to be than Zurich and detective Bernie Gunther has seen his fair share of them. So when a superior asks him to track down a glamorous German actress believed to be hiding in Zurich, he takes the job. The actress, it emerges, is the daughter of a fanatical Croatian fascist, the sadistic commandant of a notorious concentration camp and Bernie finds himself involved in something much more sinister.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Audio
    Release dateMay 7, 2015
    ISBN9781471292781
    Unavailable
    The Lady from Zagreb: A Bernie Gunther Novel
    Author

    Philip Kerr

    Philip Kerr is the bestselling author of the Bernie Gunther thrillers, for which he received a CWA Dagger Award. Born in Edinburgh, he now lives in London. He is a life-long supporter of Arsenal. Follow @theScottManson on Twitter.

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    Reviews for The Lady from Zagreb

    4/5

    159 ratings16 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A darkly humorous and at times harrowing trip through Nazi Germany and its satellites with a detective that is a cross between Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade with a German accent.
    • 2/5
      I have been a great fan of Bernie's, but this last one was not anywhere near as good as the others. It felt like a mishmash of a number of different stories, none of which could the author decide upon to be the main storyline of the book. Normally, I cannot put a book in this series down. Unfortunately with this one I had to drag myself to the end.
    • 4/5
      Bernie Gunther, working for Joseph Goebbels, is sent to Croatia to find the father of a film star whom he wants for a film that is about to start shooting, but he needs to find her father before she will agree to do it.Bernie is in top form, trying to remain above the fray of atrocities that permeate the landscape, while letting everyone know what he really thinks about the Nazi regime.
    • 3/5
      Kerr has used his criminal detective Bernie Gunther to illuminate the German condition during WW II. Vigorously anti-Nazi, Bernie survives only by being an astute detective, and counter-intuitively by being excessively forthright with his evil bosses, Heydrich and Goebbels. In this rather horrifying volume of the series, Bernie is asked to carry a letter from an actress (a Goebbels' mistress) to her father, now a Croat colonel and ex-priest, who joyously runs a concentration camp for Serbs and dissidents, i.e. anyone opposed to Croatian nationalism, killing as many as possible. The portrayal of the Ustase (it's handy to have access to Wikipedia while reading) is explicit and sickening. [ For those unfamiliar with the group, it was an odd combination of ultranationalism, Catholicism and fascism employing terror that enjoyed killing Jews, Serbs, and Roma. Very Roman Catholic, they condemned orthodox Christianity, the main religion of the Serbs, but did not oppose Islam which they considered nationalist and true Croatian where it was celebrated mostly in Bosnia and Herzegovinia. The religious aspect was downplayed in favor of nationalist Croatia.] It's rather amazing to me that Tito managed to hold Yugoslavia together as long as he did given the truly horrific slaughters that occurred between the Serbs and Croats, encouraged by the Nazis. This is the 10th novel in the series of 11.I've read a lot of Kerr's Bernie Gunther series. This one was OK but not as good as the original three volumes of Berlin Noir. The plot in this one was too unbelievable and the coincidences just too convenient. Still good compared to many others, just not up to his best. Perhaps the lackluster reading by John Lee, whom I usually like, had something to do with it.
    • 5/5
      This is another great Bernie Gunther story, one of the best in the series. It's set in 1942 and Bernie is once again interacting with the higher echelons of the Nazis, Josef Goebbels in particular. There's some particularly gruesome scenes of the ethnic cleansing in the Balkans -- the author seems able to mix the gritty side of things into Bernie's stories. -- and that's an educational/informational element in the book. It's also interesting how the author weaves historical figures into the plot; in this case Kurt Waldheim has a cameo. Of course, Goebbels is brought to life as his interaction with Bernie is detailed.There's an ironic twist in the epilogue at the end of the book when Bernie encounters one of the minor characters from 1942 in 1956. One is left wondering whether Bernie will accept the job offer.Recommended.
    • 3/5
      Readers who aren’t familiar with Bernie Gunther have missed out on a classically cynical detective living in a time and place where there is much to be cynical about. Those who have read Philip Kerr’s engaging series know that, if nothing else, Gunther serves as an engaging tour guide to life in Germany during the years that the Nazi party was in power. While I marvel at the longevity of someone so quick with a snappy comeback when facing Gestapo interrogators, I have always been fascinated with Kerr’s gumshoe-eye view of Berlin and environs in the war years.The 10th Bernie Gunther adventure opens in 1942 in Berlin where the former policeman has recently returned from the Eastern Front severely shaken by brutality that he has witnessed (see Field Gray, Prague Fatale & A Man Without Breath). Gunther’s steadfast avoidance of the political has given him a reputation for independence which is hard to come by and he soon is engaged in several seemingly unrelated cases including one by the Nazi propaganda chief himself, Joseph Goebbels. Our war-weary hero is smart enough to doubt the assurances of the Minister of Truth and Propaganda that “the job will not be without its pleasures” but it ends up involving horrors that even his jaded mind couldn’t imagine. Sent to Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia) to deliver a letter to an actress’s long-lost father, Gunther finds himself in the middle of a killing field of ethnic cleansing on such a scale that even the SS officers assigned to the region had pulled out. He manages to keep his mouth shut just long enough to do his job and get back to Berlin where he is immediately sent to Switzerland. In Zurich he has an unpleasant encounter with Allen Dulles (one of several real people cameos found in the book) and some of his OSS agents, whom Gunther describes as “thugs – Gestapo types with better haircuts and nicer breath.” I really like Bernie Gunther’s character. He provides a refreshing counterpoint to the super-intelligent detective who sees what normal humans can’t and solves cases using only his superior intellect. Bernie is an everyday Fritz who is more likely to solve a case by sheer luck than to dazzle the reader with his brilliance. As is the case with all good gumshoes, he does on occasion manage to come up with poignant insights into the human condition, insights which, considering the setting, are often more melancholy than most other detectives’. Sometimes he delves into the ironic, such as when he is considering how much more realistic his life is compared to fictional detectives. Kerr also is not above throwing a little homage into his dialogue, especially with this line, late in the book; “She’s going to forget all about you, Gunther. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, as time goes by…”I am also very impressed with the way that Kerr can describe wartime Berlin in such a way that I can almost see it. What I found less than impressive in “The Lady from Zagreb” is how the story tended to wander. It reached a point where I no longer cared whether the different cases ultimately linked together or not. In the end, Kerr was able to surprise me and I have to give him credit for that so I will more than likely continue to read of Bernie Gunther’s adventures.*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review book was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.
    • 5/5
      I wish I had read this book sooner, a really great story. It really seemed to incorporate all elements of the Nazi world as far as I have read and heard from the people I know who were there. Realistic and a fictional mystery which combine to create an exciting and enlightening reading experience. I strongly recommend this book.
    • 5/5
      It’s a wonder Bernie Gunther is still alive. The ex-detective from Berlin, who was transitioned into the SD after the Nazis took over Germany, has never been one to control his tongue. He has learned some hard lessons since the start of World War II. Although he has managed to avoid being a member of the death squads sent throughout Eastern Europe to carry out the German High Command’s orders, Gunther has seen first hand the terrible results of their work. Once, Bernie was a top detective proud to track down murderers in the streets of Berlin. Now, some days, he wonders how the death of one individual even matters when his countrymen are murdering people by the tens of thousands. Still, Gunther’s reputation as a crack detective does not go unnoticed by his superiors, Joseph Goebbels, in particular. He has a special assignment for Gunther. Goebbels has his eye on a beautiful actress, but she is refusing to work on films or cooperate with Goebbels in any way, until she can find her long missing father. Gunther’s job is to find this man, who was once a priest and may now be a ruthless killer in Yugoslavia, where the Serbs and the Croats are killing each other even faster than the Nazi war machine. Bernie would love to refuse this assignment, but no one refuses a request from Goebbels. On the other hand, the actress is young, beautiful, and seems to have taken a liking to Bernie and his outspoken manner. Gunther could lose his life any day in Yugoslavia, in Berlin, or back at the Russian front. Helping a damsel in distress is as good a way to go as any other, especially when the damsel is as beautiful as the Lady from Zagreb. Book provided for review by Amazon Vine.
    • 4/5
      Its less a novel that a pair of linked stories. They work better separately than together. Plus the series has worked the war years about to death. Its a decent read but the writer's fatigue with keeping continuity is showing.
    • 3/5
      Kerr admits in an afterword to this tenth volume in the Bernie Gunther series that he had planned to retire his Kripo/SD detective after nine books. He also admits there is another volume to follow this one, The Other Side of Silence (which is on the TBR)… And it seems there’s going to be a twelfth volume too, Prussian Blue, according to Wikipedia. Not that I’m complaining. These are superior detective novels, and Kerr’s research and level of historical detail is impressive. It is, of course, getting harder to stitch stories into Gunther’s life, but that’s hardly surprising – and while inconsistencies might pop up when reading the series from start to finish, I’ve not noticed any in my intermittent, albeit chronological, read of the books. The Lady from Zagreb opens in the 1950s. Gunther is a house detective for a hotel on the Riviera. He goes into a cinema and watches a film starring 1940s German star Dalia Dresner… with whom he was romantically involved back in 1942. Which is where the story abruptly shoots back to. It’s a fairly standard plot, perhaps even a noir staple, but by setting it in Nazi Germany during World War II, and framing it around the events of earlier novel, A Man Without Breath, but following on from Prague Fatale, Kerr gives the story an added dimension. Basically, Dresner gets Goebbels to task Gunther with tracking down her Croatian father, currently a monk in Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia. Except things are not as clear-cut as they seem, including Dresner’s own marriage in neutral Switzerland. One day, someone should make a TV series of these books. They’re really very good.
    • 4/5
      Bernie reflects on his time with a beautiful young actress in wartime Europe. As bad as Berlin is; he finds that Ustase in Romania are capable of horrific acts that are equal and beyond those of the Gestapo. Sent to Switzerland, by Joey Goebbels, to convince the actress to star in one one his movies. Saved from the SS by the CIA, who are set to execute him when he turns the tables and escapes. Used as a pawn by his boss, Bernie sorts it out and survives.
    • 4/5
      Well-written, engrossing and excellent context. Kerr certainly does his homework!
    • 4/5
      This is another Bernie Gunther story but this time he is working with Joseph Goebells in nazi Germany, 1942-1943. The story is well told and the black humour that Bernie exhibits is in full force. Goebells is producing films which star his favourite actress Dalia Dresner. At Goebell's request, Gunther travels to Bosnia to locate Dalia's father, who seems to have returned to the priesthood after his failed marriage to Dalia'smother. Gunther's trip reminded me of Heart of Darkness where the worst of mankind is found. the father is now referred to asColonel Drogan and he is not a nice man.Of course, Gunther falls for Dalia and the become lovers which further complicates the plot as Dalia leaves Berlin for Zurich to be with ther husband. There are many plot twists and many Nazis figure prominently in the story. Good book
    • 5/5
      The Lady From Zagreb by Philip Kerr is the tenth in his Bernard Gunther series and while the book is positively brilliant on its own, I suggest reading the previous books in the series and Bernard is a fascinating gumshoe with a unique view of Nazi Germany. Bernie used to work in Berlin Homicide, but due to rising Nazi power he is now forced to do what Joseph Goebbels requests of him under the direct authority of the Propaganda Minister and this time, the request is a personal favor, which takes Bernie to the killing fields of Ustashe controlled Croatia, where everything is dangerous, nothing is as it appears, and everyone has a hidden agenda. The Lady From Zagreb begins with a flashback and Kerr works wonders with an ever-shifting time line and characters. His plot twists are impeccable and unpredictable and his characters are brilliantly portrayed. Heavily atmospheric and historic, the Lady From Zagreb may be my favorite Philip Kerr book to date. I would not hesitate to recommend The Lady From Zagreb to readers who not only enjoy a cynical gumshoe, but a brilliantly casted historical fiction suspense novel rich in atmosphere and not at all predictable.
    • 3/5
      One good and moving thing is the knowledge of Bernie's wife in this book, and the long-ago book that starts off with him and this wife in her father's hotel in Dachau - I must find that one and re-read.

      Hmm, sorry to say not at all one his best. If you're going to read it anyway, then, spoils ... .


      I found the love affair ridiculous, unbelievable, and never well-written; the murder at the lake, the father, that whole story basically uninteresting, lacking finesse, hugely forced. The scenes with "Joey," uninteresting, unimaginative, unfulfilling. Ah, well.
    • 4/5
      Further adventures of Kerr's Bernie Gunther, a detective in Weimar and Nazi Germany. This series went on for a while, and had its ups and downs. While I don't think the last few ever reached the heights of the first few in terms of creating an atmosphere from a time and place that we might find hard to imagine. But certainly Kerr found his form again by this point in the series. Definitely worthwhile.