Thursday, August 17, 2017

Kerr, Philip: If The Dead Rise Not

The novel is in two parts, the first and longer set in Berlin, 1934, during the build-up to the
1936 Olympics and the second in pre-Castro Cuba in 1954.   Bernie Gunther, Kerr's main
protagonist, has left the police and is now house detective at the Adlon Hotel.   In the course
of checking out a murder in the hotel, he meets and falls in love with a beautiful American
journalist, Noreen and crosses paths with a Chicago gangster who is involved with Nazis
and the building of the Olympic stadium.   The girlfriend is strongly anti-Naziand finds it
best to leave while declaring and demonstrating her love for Bernie.   The gangster, Max
Reles, threatens to kill the girl even though she has left but Bernie trades for her life at
the close of the first part.
In Cuba, Bernie has a different identity, Noreen is now married and wealthy and Max is one
of the gangsters enjoyinglife under Batista.   Bernie agrees to work for Max but he is killed
soon afterwards and Bernie is asked by Meyer Lansky to find the murderer quickly to stop
a gang war breaking out.   Bernie produces the killer who has committed suicide before
being revealed so everyone is happy.   The denouement does, however, produce the real
killer though not to the gang bosses.
The historical background appears accurate and Kerr is praised by reviewers for his close
attention to the nexessary details.   Possibly this is why the inclusion of historical figures
in both parts fits in without annoying.   Though, as ever, the book took me some time to
read, it progressed with ease and at no time did I have any problem in accepting that what
was written could well have happened, not only among the leading characters but also
among the many lesser ones whose appearance added colour to the tale.


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