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)

Good story, weird accent

What did you love best about March Violets?

Plot was good, interesting to hear about the historical setting and the pov of germans during ww2; alot of names drop during the story like Goring, Himmler, Ernst Lubitsch, Jesse Owens which gives context. The hardboiled private investigator is sort of an amoral character who is respected by everyone as a gifted detective.

What other book might you compare March Violets to and why?

It reminded me of other Nordic Noir novels that go back in time to WW2 settings like Jo Nesbo and Arnarldur Indridasson.

Did John Lee do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

This narrator did an ok job but HE IS NOT GERMAN and doesn't have a German accent or anything remotely like a german accent. Such good detail in the writing that doesn't translate in the narrators voice all because of his speaking voice/accent. It is also really nasally which is annoying.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

To the Publisher: Please hire narrators who can be convincing in their role, particularly for English versions of books set in other locales....Its really annoying to only be able to get half-way into a books headspace.

Raymond Chandler's private eye in Nazi Germany

The "schtick" here is placing the hard-boiled detective in the midst of SS officers, concentration camps, etc. while trying to solve a double murder. And, it gets better and better as it goes.

Great narrator. I will be buying the next story.

I enjoyed this one. I really like the main character and the narrator is fantastic. Im going to be buying the next one. I'm so glad I found this book.

Excellent historical crime novel narrated by one of the best!

Nonstop action and suspense. In excellent plot and well written. I can't wait to listen to the authors other novels and see how Bernard Gunther's character evolves!!

A different look at War 2...

...in Germany. The protagonist is not a Nazi, so don't get your knickers in a twist. Rather well-crafted story. John Lee's narration is wonderful as usual.

Exceptionally entertaining reading

What did you like best about this story?

Plot had many surprising twists. Having traveled personally to many of the areas mentioned, you can tell the writer does his homework.

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

Mr. Lee is a very good reader, except he sometimes mispronounces German words for locations, people's names, etc. As long as you are setting your books in German locales, you should use German - and not Americanized - pronunciations.

Any additional comments?

Philip Kerr is a darned good mystery writer. John Lee is a very good reader (just needs to work on his pronunciations of German words)!

Excellent Gunther Novel

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

The book started out kind of even/even as far as what I expected. I puzzled out the guilt pretty quickly as far as the story went, however, there were twists I did not see coming at all. As the story developed, it simply just kept getting better. Same with the settings.

As in my last review of a Gunther novel, the reader seemed terse and brisk. In this tale it was less of a problem for me though. It fit very well with the story line. Again, Kerr has made a historical setting come alive in his narrative. Many of the characters were not as developed or as interesting as those in "A German Requiem" and the period does not interest me as much. But the story is as great, if not better than the latter. So far, Kerr's Gunther novels have been worth the money and the time spent.

Unable to download the final cd for March Violets

What made the experience of listening to March Violets the most enjoyable?

We downloaded March Violets in order to listen to the book in the car. However, we were only able to download 7 cds (sony CD-R Audio 80 minutes). We on't know whether we are missing one or two discs to finish the story.

Very frustrating

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He was good

Any additional comments?

We would like to learn the conclusion of the story.

Good.

You can tell it’s the first book in the series - could have done with a good editor. The hard boiled thing is a bit over done at times too. But I’ll try the next one in the series to see.

Gritty. Graphic. Gripping

A gritty, noir thriller, and the first of what promises to be a gripping series. Bernie Gunther has left the police force and struck out on his own as a private investigator. What makes his work interesting is the time and place: Berlin, 1936 when the Nazis are in full power and preparing for the Summer Olympics. His services are more or less forcibly retained by a millionaire industrialist who has just lost his beloved daughter and her husband to a fire in their home. Both bodies are found in their bed, and the safe containing a priceless diamond necklace has been broken into. Was this a straightforward murder and burglary or is there more than first meets the eye? As Gunther investigates local jewelry vendors, he can't help but be horrified at how the Jews are being taken advantage of, with glaring anti-semitism at it's peak. Desperate to sell their valuables to get away from the repressive measures taken against them (most professions are banned to them, and everyone is quick to add "German" as a preface to their profession on their business cards to indicate they are of good Arian stock), they are forced to sell their belongings well below the market price. Trying to find out anything in this repressive system is bound to bring about all sorts of complications, and when Bernie's widowed secretary is too scared to return to work after being bullied by Nazi police officers, he's delighted to find a beautiful and single replacement for her in ex-journalist Ilse, but their romantic involvement is bound to render him that much more vulnerable. “March violets” was a term used for late-comers to the Nazi Party after the passage of Hitler's Enabling Act which rendered him a dictator on March 23, 1933. In May, the Nazi Party froze membership, and those with the lowest membership numbers were given preferential treatment, though everyone was eager to be seen as a Hitler supporter. Not so Bernie, who has Jewish clients and doesn't care for the views of a party he never chose to support, which is dangerous in and of itself because dissidents are daily being sent to concentration camps, where few are expected to survive the harsh conditions. I loved every bit of this private dick story set during a very dramatic period in history. Those who've enjoyed the more recent John Russell series by David Downing are bound to find this precursor highly satisfying. I'm very much looking forward to the next book!