Field Gray

A Bernie Gunther Novel

By: Philip Kerr

Narrated by: Paul Hecht

Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Philip Kerr crafts a thrilling chapter from his critically acclaimed Bernie Gunther series. In Field Gray, Bernie finds himself imprisoned in 1954—and told he can either work for French intelligence or he can hang. Accepting his new job, Bernie begins interviewing POWs returning from Germany. And things get interesting when he meets a French war criminal and member of the French SS who has been posing as a German Wehrmacht officer.

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©2011 Philip Kerr (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

A Bit Awry but Still Worth a Listen

Kerr is probably one of those writers that you either really like or really don't like. His books on Audible benefit from good narrators (Paul Hecht is as delightful as John Lee once you get used to him) as well as interesting historical plots. I have no idea how accurate his Nazi world is, but it makes for enjoyable listening. Gunther is hard not to like as a hero because he so often turns out to be incredibly vulnerable. In this book Gunther gets a little out of his element, or maybe it is Kerr and his experimental style that goes a bit awry. Nevertheless, Kerr still delivers and Bernie does not disappoint.

Easy listen

The book jumps around and the descrption of the places are narrow. I just could not get into the book.

A new favorite author and narrator.

I found Philip Kerr's novels a few months ago and have gone through five of them. This one I'm listening to for the second time, picking up twists I missed before and enjoying it as much as I did on the first listen. I think Paul Hecht captures the noir flavor perfectly and will look for other books he's narrated. I've read hundreds of mysteries over the years and Philip Kerr's novels rank with the very best.

The wise cracks are getting old

Was Field Gray worth the listening time?

For the first time with a Kerr book, I have to say the book is much too long. It would be much shorter if Kerr simply resisted the urge to include one inane wise crack after another. It was a good story about an interesting period. However, after 5 books, I've had all of Bernie's smart mouth I can take. I'd have shot him myself---just to shut him up.

Way too much of a good thing... Bernie as Zelig

Too long, too much exposition bogs this Gunther novel down. Too many coincidences, too much of Superman Bernie's exploits stretch reality to the broken, not breaking, point. Good historical info to be had, but somewhat dry and even boring. The ending is just plain nuts! For diehard fans only. Narration is wonderful, as always.

Bernie needs a break

Poor Bernie, he can't catch a break from anybody. This book starts in Cuba, moves to new York City then back to Europe. Bernie has different groups trying to use him for their purposes and all he wants is to be out from under them all living his life as he sees fit not being told what to do. Through this all Bernie relives lots of his war experiences and he was in some of the worst of it although sometimes he didn't have it too bad.

As one more book in the series, this is a good one.

Field Gray

This book covers the period's of 1930's, 40's and 50's in Germany. Paul Hecht does a great job of narration. This book looks at WWII from the view of a German policeman. It is very interesting and the treatment of German POW by the Russian was accurately portrayed in the story. I found myself checking up on various events described in the book to see how historically accurate they were. I must say the ending of the book took me by surprise. I was going straight and the story took a big turn. Exciting. This was my first Phillip Kerr book.

Historical fiction at it's best

Any additional comments?

Anyone who is interested in the history of midcentury Europe cannot fail to learn a lot and enjoy by following the career of Berlin policeman Bernie Gunther from the 1920s through 1950sthrough a series of novels by Philip Kerr.

So far, the best in a masterful series

Don't start with Field Gray, save it for after you have listened to the preceding volumes in the "Bernie Gunther" detective series. Kerr's creation is an engaging, wryly comic, and morally challenging character. Paul Hecht's reading deeply and unobtrusively captures the spirit of Gunther, as well as the many adversaries Kerr pits against him in this expansive, complex, but eminently clear political detective story, steeped in a history no one should have the pleasure of forgetting about. Field Gray is as much a warning as it is a retelling about the depths of inhumanity in which humanity can so easily lose itself.

Simply, one of, if not the, best living writers

Another wonderfully written, dark, but revealing look into the evil of which man is capable. Gunter is a bit of a "superman" himself, but not outrageously so as his escapades reveal the darkness that is the Nazis, and war itself. This character's behavior would not have survived in the real Nazi regime, but Kerr makes a very plausible case for Bernie's doing so. He's done enough with Bernie, so while I am sure his children's books are great, I hope he can invent another character to reveal another of mankind's inner workings and soon.
And whatever happen to cause him change narrators is a clear case of over thinking. John Lee was the perfect Gunter and the change had a negative effect on my listening pleasure!