Prussian Blue (2017) by Philip Kerr is the twelfth installment in the acclaimed Bernie Gunther series, blending hardboiled crime with historical intrigue as the sardonic ex-Berlin detective finds himself entangled in a dual-timeline murder mystery. In 1956, Gunther—now living under a false identity on the French Riviera—is blackmailed by Stasi agents into investigating a killing at a Communist Party villa. The case forces him to revisit his dark past: a 1939 assignment in Hitler’s Bavarian retreat, the Berghof, where he investigated the poisoning of an engineer amid the Nazi elite (including a chilling cameo by Martin Bormann).
Kerr’s meticulous research shines as Gunther navigates Obersalzberg’s paranoia and Cold War betrayals, with the titular pigment (a deadly cyanide compound) linking both eras. Themes of moral compromise and survivor’s guilt pulse through Gunther’s wry, world-weary narration, culminating in a tense showdown at the Eagles Nest.
A masterclass in historical noir, perfect for fans of Alan Furst or Robert Harris.
