SILENCE IS GOLDEN

A Review of Philip Kerr's THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE

Bernie Gunther is back for more misery and melancholy in THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE. This is our 11th go-round with the bitter former detective and, while not a refreshing take on the character and his shadowy world, the novel is a great addition to the canon.

The previous installment, THE LADY FROM ZAGREB, was a disappointment for this long-time reader of the series and so I approached the new one with a hint of trepidation. Was the series starting to show its age? Had we seen enough of Bernie Gunther and his ocean of troubles?

THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE opens with Gunther's recounting of his attempt to commit suicide - an attempt foiled by circumstance and not by any action of Bernie's. So, yeah, he's not in a good place from the outset. He's seen too much horror, his wife has left him and, working as a concierge in the Grand Hotel  on the French Riviera in 1956 just isn't doing it for him anymore. Throw in the arrival of an ex-Nazi Gunther hates and a heavy dose of carbon monoxide seems like a good idea.

Avoiding death by pure chance, Gunther decides to soldier on a

little longer. Another guest, Anne French, a beautiful writer desperate to meet W. Somerset Maugham and a bridge game here and there are about to get Gunther into heaps of trouble. 

Maugham, a homosexual, is being blackmailed and has asked Bernie Gunther specifically to see to the delivery of payment for a compromising photograph. Maugham and Gunther hit it off (hey, Gunther always gets along in his Forest Gump moments) and, reluctantly agrees to convey the payoff, especially when he learns that the blackmailer is the ex-Nazi he spotted earlier.

Before you know it, Gunther is mixed up in something a lot bigger than a potentially damaging photograph. Maugham, who actually was a spy in his younger days, has embroiled Gunther in a web of international intrigue. Bernie, of course, has fallen in lust (is he capable of love at this point?) with the fetching Anne French. The pot is ready to boil and when it does, all hell breaks loose.

Gunther fans can see that THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE belongs with the other books in the canon dealing with Gunther's later years, long after the war. As with the other entries, there is a lengthy flashback to Barlin and Konigsberg and we learn the details of Gunther's life in 1945 that are captivating. No spoilers. As good as the flashbacks are, the novel could have worked just as well without them. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they are in the book because they are written with Kerr's usual brilliance in evoking the past. It is, rather, that the connection to the current tale is tenuous at beast even with the involvement of the ex-Nazi in both sections. 

Overall, this is a compelling read. THE LADY FROM ZAGREB was an off-speed pitch, more love story than adventure of detective novel and this switch in emphasis reduced the mystery/detection/historical elements to a point of transparency. The balance is much, much better in THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE. I found all of the plotlines interesting and there's always enough going on to keep the pages turning. Never dull, the plot cracks along and the ending might set the record for the longest sustained lies in the history of fiction. Yes, the climax comes with a flurry of words, not bullets, but you won't mind because the novel will have sucked you in at this point.

Bernie Gunther will return in PRUSSIAN BLUE most likely in the spring of 2017. Until then, THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE returns Kerr to the top of the Berlin Noir heap. It's a great you don't want to miss.

GATECRASHER

A Review of Michael Ridpath's TRAITOR'S GATE

TRAITOR'S GATE picks a particularly fascinating historical event to weave a fictional narrative around. Contrary to the consensus historical record, opposition to Hitler and the Nazis was ongoing throughout the 12 years of the Third Reich and thousands paid with their lives for opposing the regime.

What Ridpath gives us in the novel is an insight into one of the many plots to overthrow Hitler. This one is being bandied about within the military. Well aware of how disastrous another war with Europe would be, there are those in high places who will do whatever they can to prevent it from happening and the interesting dichotomy of loyalty to Germany and to their leader makes for intriguing plotting.

Into this is thrust Conrad de Lancey, a young adventurer somewhat battered from too much adventuring while fighting in Spain. He returns to Berlin and re-connects with former colleagues. Through them he quickly learns the reality of living under a Nazi regime when he and a Jewish colleague are arrested by the Gestapo and tortured. Saved by a former friend who is now part of the SS, this kicks things into high gear for what should have been an intense ride.

It's a compelling set up and one I was eager to explore. However the novel suffers from too much standard thriller fare which bogs the novel down. There's the Jewish woman threatened by the Nazis who our hero quickly falls in love with. The evil Nazi who covets the girl (not in a good way for her) and will remove anyone who stands in his way. The unskillful weaving of period detail into the text - where the story stops for a quick "let me tell you about this interesting street/place in 1930s Berlin I researched". Now that last bit is the true challenge of the genre (or any historical tale) and finding that right balance of fact and plot is no easy task, which is why so many authors can't pull it off. Well, Ridpath can't unfortunately.

The plot to overthrow Hitler hinges on Czechoslovakia. Hitler wants to invade,

the British and French have treaties ensuring they will go to war with Germany if this happens. The plotting Generals, hesitant to throw off a lifetime of duty and obedience, are hesitant to put the plan into action. Ultimately, in the desperate hope of avoiding another war, the decision is made to see how the situation plays out. If Britain and France move to defend Czechoslovakia, they will remove Hitler, make peace and avoid war. 

If you know the history of the period, you know how the result of this delaying action will be.

It's interesting stuff. It's based on actual events. Ridpath has done his research and there is a ton of period detail.

But the narrative box ticking swallows up the promising elements and TRAITOR'S GATE, ultimately, becomes a by the numbers thriller written in a style that is hardly gripping. The characters are well drawn at the outset but there's no true depth to them once they've entered the narrative. The plot meanders between love affair and preventing World War Two and, for this reader, the latter far overshadows the former with regards to holding my interest. Love stories are a dime a dozen, and plots of this kind are predictable and, frankly, uninteresting when offset against the true story of a plot to overthrow Hitler and prevent millions of people dying in another war.

Should you read TRAITOR'S GATE? If a cheap copy comes your way, you might get more out of it than I did. Otherwise you're not missing much, which is a shame because it delves into true events though the real life players are given fictional doppelgangers. I put this one in the middle of the road section of Berlin Noir.