Help me find this mistery book
October 26, 2024 5:36 PM Subscribe
A friend of mine asked me recently about a book he saw at an airport shop around 2017. It seems to be a detective (possibly Gestapo) novel, set in Berlin during WWII, which was published probably in the early years of the last decade, and certainly not later than 2017.
I now, this is vague and we do not have any more information, but I've seen great results among the Mefite Community. Do you think we can help him out? Thanks in advance!
Yeah, the most recent Bernie Gunther might possibly show up in an airport bookstore; or maybe it was one of David Downing's "Station" novels.
posted by Rash at 6:13 PM on October 26
posted by Rash at 6:13 PM on October 26
I'd ditto the Bernie Gunther as likeliest. As an outside shot, some editions of A Small Death in Lisbon have a swastika on the cover even though only half of it (it's a dual timeline kind of thing) is set in the appropriate milieu.
posted by juv3nal at 7:02 PM on October 26 [1 favorite]
posted by juv3nal at 7:02 PM on October 26 [1 favorite]
Could it be one of Alan Furst’s books?
They don’t perfectly fit your friend’s description but given they read it a while ago, I’m putting it here just in case.
posted by sciencegeek at 7:06 PM on October 26
They don’t perfectly fit your friend’s description but given they read it a while ago, I’m putting it here just in case.
posted by sciencegeek at 7:06 PM on October 26
Another vote for it most likely being one the Bernie Gunther novels by Philip Kerr or one of the "Station" novels by David Downing. Otherwise it could be one of the Gregor Reinhardt novels by Luke McCallin.
posted by paper scissors sock at 10:54 PM on October 26
posted by paper scissors sock at 10:54 PM on October 26
Oh, and if it's possible that the book was set in Berlin during the Third Reich but before the war, it could be one of the Gereon Rath novels by Volker Kutscher.
posted by paper scissors sock at 10:57 PM on October 26
posted by paper scissors sock at 10:57 PM on October 26
Rebecca Cantrell's series about journalist Hanna Vogel, beginning in the Weimar Republic with A Trace of Smoke where she investigates the murder of her brother Ernst, a cross-dressing cabaret singer, after seeing a photograph of his body posted in The Hall of the Unnamed Dead.
A Trace of Smoke came out in 2009 and is set in 1931; the last book, A City of Broken Glass came out in 2012 and is set in 1938 just after Kristallnacht. The entire series is full of the Gestapo because they are crime novels set in Germany during the rise of the Nazis, and the protagonist is very much not a Nazi.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:05 AM on October 27
A Trace of Smoke came out in 2009 and is set in 1931; the last book, A City of Broken Glass came out in 2012 and is set in 1938 just after Kristallnacht. The entire series is full of the Gestapo because they are crime novels set in Germany during the rise of the Nazis, and the protagonist is very much not a Nazi.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:05 AM on October 27
Could it be one of Alan Furst’s books?
In this case, probably not. If it were Paris instead of Berlin, then, no question; but Furst's characters are seldom inside Germany, much less all the way to Berlin.
posted by Rash at 9:50 AM on October 27
In this case, probably not. If it were Paris instead of Berlin, then, no question; but Furst's characters are seldom inside Germany, much less all the way to Berlin.
posted by Rash at 9:50 AM on October 27
Response by poster: Thanks all! I just sent my friend the info. Let's see if any of the suggestions rings a bell. I will report back.
posted by Matrod at 2:26 PM on October 27
posted by Matrod at 2:26 PM on October 27
Ben Pastor's The Night of Shooting Stars [set in Berlin] was published in English in 2020, but it's one of a series [set in other locations] released throughout the 2010s.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 9:20 PM on October 27
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 9:20 PM on October 27
Response by poster: As promised, reporting back after sharing the information with my friend. Unfortunately, none of the suggestions were able to unveil the mystery. His next step would be to use an AI search engine to see if he can get more clues. Thanks again for your help. And of course, if you have more suggestions, please post them here.
posted by Matrod at 6:26 AM on November 3
posted by Matrod at 6:26 AM on November 3
One more detective in Berlin series, set before, not during WWII, first published 2010: the Willi Kraus stories of Paul Grossman. The first one was The Sleepwalkers.
posted by Rash at 9:07 AM on November 3
posted by Rash at 9:07 AM on November 3
Another possibility: Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada. Berlin, during the war; Gestapo detective (although he's not the protagonist); English translation first published 2009. Alan Furst liked it:
posted by Rash at 6:27 AM on November 4
Hans Fallada's Every Man Dies Alone is one of the most extraordinary and compelling novels ever written about World War II. Ever. Fallada lived through the Nazi hell, so every word rings true–this is who they really were: the Gestapo monsters, the petty informers, the few who dared to resist. Please, do not miss this.Really amazing book.
posted by Rash at 6:27 AM on November 4
Response by poster: Thanks a lot! Just shared them with my friend. Will report back.
posted by Matrod at 7:25 PM on November 5
posted by Matrod at 7:25 PM on November 5
Response by poster: No luck unfortunately. I hope we do not run out of ideas. Thanks again.
posted by Matrod at 3:49 PM on November 6
posted by Matrod at 3:49 PM on November 6
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posted by brookeb at 5:39 PM on October 26 [2 favorites]