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A Quiet Flame
A Quiet Flame
A Quiet Flame
Audiobook13 hours

A Quiet Flame

Written by Philip Kerr

Narrated by Paul Hecht

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

Philip Kerr's intricate novels featuring former Berlin homicide detective Bernie Gunther have earned a hallowed place in the hearts of mystery fans. It's 1950, and Bernie has arrived in Argentina seeking asylum after being falsely identified as a Nazi war criminal. There he investigates the murder of a wealthy banker's daughter in a case reminiscent of one he worked in Germany 18 years before.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 27, 2012
ISBN9781456122768
A Quiet Flame
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 A Quiet Flame

Rating: 3.9848992214765104 out of 5 stars
4/5

298 ratings18 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I have to confess right up front that I like Bernie Gunther. I like to think that he would like me back, but I don't really believe it. Bernie would tolerate my liberal, university educated views of the world and perhaps appreciate my taste in beers, whiskies, and food, and might even regret that I am completely inadequate at chess - but he would when he could go his own way just as he does in each of the novels by Philip Kerr that recount the adventures of one of literature's true survivors. I am very glad that Bernie is a survivor because he is all too often more than eyebrow deep in situations and circumstances that have cost both braver and less brave people their lives (literary or otherwise). And I'm glad that he's a survivor because I look forward to his continuing adventures.Author Philip Kerr has given us an interesting character set against interesting backgrounds (especially to those historically minded), and then has him interact with an interesting set of characters both historical and fictional (though historically based). His mysteries are never easily solved (at least not by Bernie)but these are not the real focus of the stories but instead provide the mechanism that allows us to move through the historical events and settings with Bernie's narration and explanation of the sites, sounds, and characters that populate the experience. There is also a versimilitude or realism in Bernie's adventures - he doesn't always succeed in solving the mystery, people still die despite his efforts, and almost never are their problems (including Bernie's) left neatily tied up in nifty little all is explained packages. After all, life is messy. I look forward to many years more of following Bernier Gunther around Berlin, Munich, Cairo, Buenos Aires, and the world - hoping that he gets smarter and faster but knowing that he probably will not but will remain just smart and quick enough to survive for the next round.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Gunther in Argentina messing around with ex-pat Nazis and the Perons. I'm earning more history than I did in school.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An excellent work. Brilliant writing with very creative imagery
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Switch of venue for Bernie. First thriller I've read about ARgentina after WW II. I love Kerr's writing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "A Quiet Flame" is the fifth title in Philip Kerr's series based on the character of Bernie Gunther, sometime Berlin homicide detective, incorporated into the SD (Gestapo) when the police were merged into the SD and later during World War II drafted into the SS. This novel picks up where "The One from the Other " leaves off. Having been framed as a war criminal based on his close resemblance to the actual criminal, Gunther finds himself aboard the SS Giovanni disembarking in Argentina along with fellow emigres / escapees including one Adolf Eichmann. Upon landing Gunther is spirited away by organs of state security and driven to a face to face meeting with Juan Peron who is interested in Gunther's professional services as Dr. Carlos Hausner., Gunther's cover name. Gunther is forced to confess his real identity which apparently cools Peron's interest, but inspires Bernie's escort, one Colonel Montalban to offer Bernie a position within the SIAD, the Argentine Security and Intelligence Directorate. His mission is to track down the whereabouts of a teean-age daughter of Kurt von Bader, friend of the Perons and director of the Banco Germanico in Buenos Aires. As part of the deal with Montalban, Bernie is provided access to all of his old case files from his detective days in Berlin. Among the files are the records of his investigation into a missing persons / murder investigation which bears a striking similarity to his new assignment in Argentina.The action of the novel shifts from chapter to chapter from Buenos Aires in 1950 to Berlin in 1932-1933. As is the case with all of the Gunther novels the cast of characters is a mix of primarily fictitious persons and real life historical actors. In this installment the latter category id populated by Eichmann, Juan and Evita Peron, and Dr. Joseph Mengele. I won't divulge more of the action of the plot as I don't to be a spoiler. I willl only observe that Gunther is drawn into a maze of characters in which he struggles to untangle a seemingly infinite series of knots to understand who is really, what is their real stake in the results of his investigation and whose side they're on.As is the case in all of his adventures featuring Bernie Gunther, Kerr's wit is given full rein and is razor sharp and simultaneously wielded as a blunt instrument on his characters. This is the ninth book in the series that I have read and as was the case with the previous eight I recommend "A Quiet Flame" to all lovers of detective fiction and historical fiction.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Quite wide-ranging; linked murders from 1932 Berlin to 1950 Argentina. Works. Some goofy Raymond Chandler hard-boiled-private-eye dialog with beautiful young woman, but still a good handful of very moving vignettes, and wholly satisfying story. (I'm taking a break before moving on to #6.)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Even though it is several books into a series it was an easy introduction. The story bookends the series so far, with the main action taking place in 1950 Argentina with flashbacks to the very end of the Weimar days in 1932-33 Germany. The history is very cleverly worked into the story and so it feels almost as if you are reading a first person account of the period rather than a work of fiction.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A Quiet Flame is the 5th book in Philip Kerr's terrific "Bernie Gunther" Berlin noir series. The stories take place, mostly, in Berlin during the days just before and just after World War II. The first two books were pre-war, post-Nazi takeover Germany. The third was post-war Vienna. The fourth took us back to Germany in the late 40s, with flashbacks to fill in what happened to Gunther during the war. Throughout, Gunther's disgust with all things Nazi, and his ever-present sense of dread and regret, keeps him on thin ice, even while he's working with some of the top level villains of the era, as Kerr is not shy about working famous real-life characters into his fiction. In this fifth installment, it is 1950, and Gunther, falsely accused of being a war criminal, has had to join the large numbers of Nazis in flight to Argentina. Soon, of course, Gunther is involved in crime-solving in Buenes Aires. However, the case soon gives Kerr occasion to provide fascinating flashbacks to Berlin during the final days of the Wiemar Republic, amidst the ever-growing street violence between Nazis and Communists and ever-growing anti-Semitism, as well. History and atmosphere aside, the mystery itself, and the plotting, is very good. I love this series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The novel opens with Bernhard Gunther's arrival in 1950 Argentina, in the company of Adolf Eichmann. Eichmann actually plays no part in the plot but seems to be there as a reminder of how many former Nazi's made their way to Argentina after the war. Falsely tagged as a war criminal, Bernie's on his way to Argentina under an assumed name to reap the rewards of the Peron government's promise of a new life. Shortly after arrival, Bernie is recruited by an Argentinian policeman, Colonel Montalban, who as a young man studied law in Berlin and was then fascinated by what he learned of some of Gunther's cases. Now he draws his attention to a murder that in style and method seems to bear a close resemblance to the unsolved murder of a young girl in Berlin in 1932. Is it possible, he suggests, that the man Gunther was looking for then may be among the Nazis now living in Argentina?

    A Quiet Flame moves back and forth between Argentina in the fifties and Berlin in 1932 and we become involved in murder investigations by both the 1950s Bernie and the 1932 younger, policeman, Bernie. Both of them adopt a world-weary demeanor to protect themselves. A Quiet Flame offers a disturbing portrait of Juan and Evita Perón, shameless opportunists and exploiters who enriched themselves by taking money from the Nazis who, in turn, stole it from the millions whom they slaughtered.

    The book is full of twists and turns, intrigues and revelations, and is a wholly satisfying read. Bernie Gunther is a hard-bitten cop, but his character shines through the book, as he searches for justice for the memory of the dead girls of both countries. It's written with a dazzling style. The author uses the dark and twisted proceedings with a dose of laugh-out-loud black humor and biting sarcasm. Bernie cannot help being a smart ass, even when he is threatened with torture. This novel has fully realized characters, a suspenseful and mesmerizing plot, and even a touch of romance, all blended together seamlessly in a beautiful crafted work of noir fiction.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It's a while since I read any Bernie Gunther, and I'd forgotten - or is this new? - the sub-sub-Chandler hard-boiled 'wit'. When it's good, it's not very good; when it's bad, it's awful.

    That off my chest, this is another excellent novel from Philip Kerr. The plot concerns an unsolved murder in pre-war Berlin, linked by identical MO with a new case in 1950 Buenos Aires.

    For complicated reasons, Bernie finds himself a refugee, along with Adolf Eichmann et al., in Péroniste Argentina, but the scenes in flashback to pre-war Germany are the best, presenting a heartbreaking portrait of a society in decadent meltdown, as well as serving as a useful backstory for the development of our hero.

    I found this book by turns fascinating and exciting, and I thoroughly commend it.

    Just crack less wise, Bernie!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I had read and enjoyed Phillip Kerr’s work before. Thrillers like Esau and The Second Angel among my favorites. For some reason, I had avoided his Bernie Gunther series, probably because I am often disappointed when an author excels in one genre, but disappoints in another. A Quiet Flame proves me wrong, at least as far as Philip Kerr is concerned. This is an excellent noir mystery.Bernie Gunther is a well fleshed-out and complicated character. The events of A Quiet Flame span Berlin in the time of Hitler’s rise to power and 1950 Argentina, with a thread connecting both timelines. Kerr does a magnificent job of bringing both pre-war Germany and post-war Argentina to life, but particularly Argentina. I was completely immersed in the setting which let the mystery unfold naturally. Gunther wrestles in both timelines with his own conscience and guilt all while doggedly pursuing answers. The viciousness of the Nazis and those who conspire with them both during their rise to power and in their exile after the war is laid out with brutal frankness through the eyes of a man who recognizes their evil but also recognizes his own will to survive.There is a certain beautiful brutality in the Kerr’s descriptions. There is also a recognition of the impossibility of true justice for those who commit such atrocities. The depiction of the coverups involved after the fact reflect more an attempt to evade justice than any sense of remorse. The depiction of the Peron government also shows a willingness to look the other way and in many ways, act as despicably as the Nazis in pursuit of political power. The crimes Gunther investigates both in 1932 Berlin and 1950 Buenos Aires are interesting in their own right, but it is the settings and the characters around these crimes that make this a truly wonderful book. I was fortunate to receive a copy of this book through Goodreads. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Berlin detective, Bernie Gunther, flees Berlin for Argentina after being falsely accused of war crimes. Since he has the reputation of a great detective he is recruited there to find a missing girl before it is too late for her. He is reminded in the course of investigating of the old unsolved brutal murders he worked on in Berlin before the war and finds that this missing girl’s case could be linked with the past. After all, Argentina is harboring many men that tortured and murdered ruthlessly during the war. I have wanted to read something by Philip Kerr for awhile now, so I was happy when I won this giveaway. I enjoyed this plot and getting to know Bernie. There was so much mystery and suspense that I gave up trying to figure it out and just went with the flow. I appreciate that in a novel as I tend to figure stuff out quickly, which can lead to feeling deflated at the end. My only complaint would be that the transition between the past and present wasn’t smooth for me. I would forget if I was reading about Berlin or Argentina every once in awhile. Otherwise this story was an enjoyable experience and I will happily recommend it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This story is movie worthy! Exciting with excellent writing, I felt like I was watching a movie.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A modern master of hard-boiled Noir dialog, Kerr is an heir to Hammet and Chandler. The femmes are fatale and the plots involve famous Nazis to boot! Bernie Gunther, a private dick, was a former Berlin policeman and then SS officer and survivor.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Philip Kerr first came to me attention as the author of the Berlin Noir trilogy, where he masterfully created an atmosphere and a set of characters that felt appropriate to Weimar and Nazi Germany.Later he went on to produce a number of poor-man's Critchton novels before returning to Germany & his Berlin Noir protagonist Bernie Gunther in 2005 or so.Kerr seems to be recovering his knack for the Gunther series. He's dialed sown the wisecracking: although a reader new to the series will still immediately remark upon the snappy dialogue, it doesn't beggar credulity as it had in the last novel in the series.The dark vision of the long-suffering protagonist recalls Martin Cruz Smith's Renko, and sometimes in this novel it seems as if Kerr might be capable of the kind of depth of observation Smith has been able to achieve in his Renko series. But the airport novels that are also a big part of Kerr's legacy pull pretty palpably in another direction. This novel, at least, achieves some sort of balance between those forces.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    historically informative of politics leading to Hitler's reign of terror and Argentina's history of terror, humor, detective realism,glad I'm only reading this stuff and not living it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Oscillating between Buenos Aires 1950 and Berlin 1932 Philip Kerr’s “A Quiet Flame” is a solid hard-boiled novel. Mr. Kerr has a knack for capturing not just the grandeur of a city and time but its seamier edges as well. One of the aspects I love the most about Mr. Kerr’s novels is his research and compelling intensity to detail. This characteristic becomes readily apparent when you begin to investigate Mr. Kerr's myriad of Stygian characters. Hopefully, the future is replete with an abundance of Bernie Gunther novels.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The action shifts from 1938 Berlin to 1950 Buenos Aries. It was fascinating to learn about all the Germans who landed in Argentina and all the bad things many of them did there. Especially new to me was the creation of death camps in Argentina, and also the glimpse into the personalities of Eva and Juan Peron. Bernie Gunther is the detective.