March Violets

By: Philip Kerr

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Hailed by Salman Rushdie as a “brilliantly innovative thriller-writer,” Philip Kerr is the creator of taut, gripping, noir-tinged mysteries set in Nazi-era Berlin that are nothing short of spellbinding. The first book of the Berlin Noir trilogy, March Violets introduces listeners to Bernie Gunther, an ex-policeman who thought he’d seen everything on the streets of 1930s Berlin - until he turned freelance and each case he tackled sucked him further into the grisly excesses of Nazi subculture. Hard-hitting, fast-paced, and richly detailed, March Violets is noir listening at its best and blackest.

“Echoes of Raymond Chandler but better on his vivid and well-researched detail than the master” (Evening Standard)

©2008 Philip Kerr (P)2008 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"The brutality and corruption of Nazi Germany serve as the backdrop for this impressive debut mystery novel. Scottish-born Kerr re-creates the period accurately and with verve; the novel reeks of the sordid decade that saw Hitler's rise to power." (Publishers Weekly)

"Echoes of Raymond Chandler, but better on his vivid and well-researched detail than the master." (Evening Standard, London)

A fun, engaging, suspenseful and historically into

Where does March Violets rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 25%

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gunther. He is irreverent, someone you can relate to emotionally, given his circumstances and the times he lived in.He is not afraid of himself.

Which scene was your favorite?

Too many to select one specifically.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Against all odds, a mystery is solved.

The narrator is always King

First of his books, and very compelling, both plot and historical accuracy. The narrator gets an A+, which makes all the difference.

Great book

This is a great book. Read by a great reader. Will definitely read more by this author.

Satisfying Listen

I will buy more books in this series. The story moves along well, complex mystery, likable main character. 1936 Berlin atmosphere works.

Doesn't anyone here speak German?

A good noir crime novel that pays tribute to the Hammett and Chandler tradition. However, it fails to convey a real sense of place and the narrator mispronounces German place names so badly that they are often almost unrecognizable which, of course, makes the characters speaking them unbelievable. John Lee does a very good job otherwise; couldn't he have been coached a little on this?

Recommended by male friend...

...but not my taste as a female reader/listener. I won’t be taking his “great book” suggestions any more. It was well-performed.

Violent Noir

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The level and amount of violence is disturbing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of March Violets?

The plot is very good.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

Any additional comments?

If you like Phillip Marlowe detective stories, this may be good for you--with the caveat that there is a high level of very graphic violence.

Great detective story

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I am a big fan of John Lee and actively seek him out. He does not disappoint with this performance.

Any additional comments?

Fantastic fast moving story with a great historical backdrop. John Lee does a superb job of narration. I have read other Kerr books but I think this is my favorite so fa.

Marvellous Noir Thriller Delivered Beautifully

In 20 years of listening to audio books I would rate this as one of the top five I have heard. Kerr's story is wonderful and I won't give a precis of it here. I had read the books many years ago, and as I had loved them I was interested to see how they would translate into audio form; the result is a masterpiece. John Lee's delivery is superb! His tone, inflection, voices and characterization are exceptional. I can not recommend this book too highly. I looked forward with great anticipation to the daily commute to and from work so as to dive back in.

A Good Listen

Would you listen to March Violets again? Why?

I would listen again to a good story, which this is. Nice twists and compelling characters

What three words best describe John Lee’s performance?

Nicely done if just a bit short on the side of differentiating each character's voice. Not sure why all the accents are British when the characters are German though.......sort of loses something there.