The Lady from Zagreb (2015)

by Philip Kerr

Series: Bernie Gunther (1944⎪10)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
538	23	43,133	(3.88)	25
"From New York Times-bestselling author Philip Kerr, the much-anticipated return of Bernie Gunther in a series hailed by Malcolm Forbes as "the best crime novels around today." A beautiful actress, a rising star of the giant German film company UFA, now controlled by the Propaganda Ministry. The very clever, very dangerous Propaganda Minister-close confidant of Hitler, an ambitious schemer and flagrant libertine. And Bernie Gunther, former Berlin homicide bull, now forced to do favors for Joseph Goebbels at the Propaganda Minister's command. This time, the favor is personal. And this time, nothing is what it seems. Set down amid the killing fields of Ustashe-controlled Croatia, Bernie finds himself in a world of mindless brutality where everyone has a hidden agenda. Perfect territory for a true cynic whose instinct is to trust no one"-- "The tenth installment of the Bernie Gunther series by the author of PRAGUE FATALE and A MAN WITHOUT BREATH"--… (more)

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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. (

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ehines | Nov 20, 2020 |

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. (

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tmph | Sep 13, 2020 |

Philip Kerr has set a high standard with his previous novels featuring Bernie Gunther, the ex-Berlin detective and this one is no different and is possibly one of the best. ‘The lady from Zagreb’ finds him in 1942 in the Sicherheitsdienst in Germany and he comes to work for Joseph Goebbels in the Ministry of Truth and Propaganda. As before, Kerr’s taut writing evokes the fraught atmosphere of Berlin at the time as jealousy and plotting among the Nazi leaders leads to permanent suspicion. In a story that contains many unexpected twists and turns, Bernie, for all his anti-Nazi feelings and contempt for their beliefs and actions, must look out for his own life while trying to retain at least some self-respect. Altogether the plot and the atmosphere make for a terrifically readable tale, with the added bonus that Bernie doesn’t always get it right. Finally, look out for the tribute to Michael Curtiz’s classic film ‘Casablanca’.

camharlow2 | Apr 8, 2020 |

The first few Bernie Gunther books were absolute classics - atmospheric, detailed, darkly humorous and able to keep the reader hungry for every detail Philip Kerr could lace through the prose.

Unfortunately the magic has largely gone. This one, whilst offering flashes of the earlier stories, left me largely cold. For instance, did we need fluffy dialogue between Bernie and his squeeze? In the earlier stories the story developed with genuine emotion and tension a la masculine silence and action rather than soppy interaction.

Suits some folks perhaps - but if you're looking for engaging, genuinely entertaining stories set in pre and World War II Germany, then try the earlier releases. (

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Jawin | Dec 29, 2019 |

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. (

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charlie68 | Feb 8, 2019 |

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Bernie Gunther (1944⎪10)

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Edgar Award (Nominee – Novel – 2016)

Macavity Award (Nominee – Sue Feder Memorial Award for Best Historical Mystery – 2016)

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Canonical title

The Lady from Zagreb

Original title

The Lady from Zagreb

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2015

People/Characters

Paul Meyer-Schwertenbach

Important places

Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

Zagreb, Croatia

Berlin, Germany

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Herbert Mehlhorn

Philip Kerr

▾Book descriptions

"From New York Times-bestselling author Philip Kerr, the much-anticipated return of Bernie Gunther in a series hailed by Malcolm Forbes as "the best crime novels around today." A beautiful actress, a rising star of the giant German film company UFA, now controlled by the Propaganda Ministry. The very clever, very dangerous Propaganda Minister-close confidant of Hitler, an ambitious schemer and flagrant libertine. And Bernie Gunther, former Berlin homicide bull, now forced to do favors for Joseph Goebbels at the Propaganda Minister's command. This time, the favor is personal. And this time, nothing is what it seems. Set down amid the killing fields of Ustashe-controlled Croatia, Bernie finds himself in a world of mindless brutality where everyone has a hidden agenda. Perfect territory for a true cynic whose instinct is to trust no one"-- "The tenth installment of the Bernie Gunther series by the author of PRAGUE FATALE and A MAN WITHOUT BREATH"--

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