Metropolis: Bernie Gunther 14 - Tapa dura

A melancholic narrative, a reflective work that provokes deep thought in the reader as only a piece of high art can; because Philip Kerr's final novel is just that, narrative artistry * Shots Magazine * Metropolis is first-rate storytelling, deftly plotted and fiercely intelligent. I'm going to miss Bernie Gunther, because the wise cracking Marlowesque detective is peerless * New Books Magazine * A gritty, graphic picture of a city on the edge of a nervous breakdown ... Bernie, a truly great crime fiction character, goes out on a high * Sun * A book to read and relish... a fitting swan song for this intelligent and always thought-provoking series * Spectator * If you've yet to discover Bernie Gunther and love an intelligent thriller then you've got a world of joy waiting for you... Bernie remains a shining example of [Kerr's] unique and much-missed talent * Stylist Online * Told in the unique voice that Kerr's admirers will happily recognise * Sunday Times * Once again we are reminded of how wonderful were Kerr and his creation, the German detective Gunther * The Times * As vivid and pungent as anything he ever wrote * Financial Times *

Berlin detective Bernie Gunther bows out at last in the 14th and final book of the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling series. With an introduction by Ian Rankin. 'One of the greatest anti-heroes ever written' LEE CHILD 'One of the greatest master story-tellers in English' ALAN FURST Berlin, 1928, the dying days of the Weimar Republic shortly before Hitler and the Nazis came to power. It was a period of decadence and excess as Berliners - after the terrible slaughter of WWI and the hardships that followed - are enjoying their own version of Babylon. Bernie is a young detective working in Vice when he gets a summons from Bernard Weiss, Chief of Berlin's Criminal Police. He invites Bernie to join KIA - Criminal Inspection A - the supervisory body for all homicide investigation in Kripo. Bernie's first task is to investigate the Silesian Station killings - four prostitutes murdered in as many weeks. All of them have been hit over the head with a hammer and then scalped with a sharp knife. Bernie hardly has time to acquaint himself with the case files before another prostitute is murdered. Until now, no one has shown much interest in these victims - there are plenty in Berlin who'd like the streets washed clean of such degenerates. But this time the girl's father runs Berlin's foremost criminal ring, and he's prepared to go to extreme lengths to find his daughter's killer. Then a second series of murders begins - of crippled wartime veterans who beg in the city's streets. It seems that someone is determined to clean up Berlin of anyone less than perfect. The voice of Nazism is becoming a roar that threatens to drown out all others. But not Bernie Gunther's ...