2018 School Spending Survey Report
The Lady from Zagreb: A Bernie Gunther Novel
Putnam. Apr. 2015. 448p. ISBN 9780399167645. $26.95; ebk. ISBN 9780698142893. F
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Kerr sets his tenth Bernie Gunther novel (after A Man Without Breath) in 1942 Zagreb, Croatia, and Zurich, Switzerland. Joseph Goebells, the ambitious and manipulative Nazi propaganda minister, forces Bernie to track down the estranged father of a glamorous German actress, Dalia Dresner (fans of old movies might recall Hedy Lamarr). Bernie finally locates Antun Dragun Djurkovic, who has become a fanatical Croatian fascist and the sadistic commandant of a notorious concentration camp, killing countless Serbs and Jews. While returning to Berlin, our hero is ensnared by American, Swiss, and German intelligence operatives owing to his connections with powerful people in the Reich.
VERDICT Although he holds his own among other noted noir authors, such as Jonathan Rabb, David Downing, Alan Furst, and Joseph Kanon, Kerr's magic lies in how he addresses core ethical questions. What is the right conduct while operating within the filthy underbelly of Nazi Germany? How could Kerr's sardonic, tough-talking, anti-Nazi PI survive in a criminal state with his moral integrity and honor intact? Noir devotees, immerse yourselves in the cynical, amoral angst Kerr skillfully portrays. [See Prepub Alert, 11/24/14.]
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