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1940s: The tenth Bernie Gunther mystery and the search for a German actress hiding in Zurich. Under Goebbels orders…..
The Lady from Zaghreb (Bernie Gunther 10)
What you need to know before your trail
In 1942, there are many worse places to be than Zurich, and detective Bernie Gunther has seen his fair share of them. So when a superior asks him to track down a glamorous German actress believed to be hiding in Zurich, he takes the job. Not that he has much choice: the superior is Goebbels himself.
Soon Bernie finds himself involved in something much more sinister for the actress turns out to be the daughter of a fanatical Croatian fascist, the sadistic commandant of a notorious concentration camp.
Now the Swiss police ask for Bernie’s help on a cold case they have. One with connections to some powerful people back in the Reich.
Travel Guide
Berlin to Zurich to Zagreb
Bernhard (Bernie) Gunther has a dark and troubled past. He has worked for some shady people and some shady organizations in previous books and now he now finds himself working for none other than Goebbels.
“As Goebbels moved his head in an avian sort of way, I realized that with his black hair and beaky nose he reminded me most of a carrion crow”
Goebbels orders Gunther to help him with his latest mistress/love interest. The lady in question is an actress at the famous Babelsberg studios and he has had his eye on her for a long time. In those days, Goebbels eye on you meant that your future was decided by him instantly and so it’s a matter of time before this lady’s future is decided.
She needs help in tracing her father who is thought to be a monk somewhere in Croatia, and so Gunther is sent to Yugoslavia to find him. Of course the setting and time period of the scenes in this part of the world is hard to read about
“The state of Croatia was established as a Nazi state, ruled by the militia known as the Ustase.”
“And it’s probably no exaggeration to say that outside of Croatia, and away from the influence of the Axis powers, Yugoslavia is now in total chaos”
The tapestry is richer when the author mixes both fictional and real characters together. As well as Goebbels, we meet General Walter Schellenberg, and ‘Joey the Crip’ – real characters from history where we gain an insight into their personalities.
The historical settings are both horrific and fascinating. We didn’t know anything about the Ustashe movement in Croatia during WW2, or the positions of the Swiss for that matter but the crimes against humanity are evoked in brutally raw detail to illustrate the reality of it all.
“Russians will do to this country and to our people what they are doing now in Croatia”
A moral maze of countries, cities and people all trying to get through the horrors of war. And at the centre – a man – Goebbels who wants a certain actress to star in the next picture he produces at the famous Babelsberg studios.
Booktrailer Review
Clare:
I enjoyed this but found it tough going in places – probably as I hadn’t read the others in the series. I will definitely do so now however as Gunther was a fascinating character and I felt I learnt something via the history portrayed in the story.
Gunther serves as an engaging tour guide to life in Nazi Germany however!
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Web: philipkerr.org/
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