March Violets
First edition
|
|
| Author | Philip Kerr |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Berlin Noir |
| Genre | Crime, Detective, Historical mystery |
| Publisher | Viking Press, London |
|
Publication date
|
1989 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 256 pp (Hardback edition) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 20427383 |
| 823/.914 20 | |
| LC Class | PR6061.E784 M37 1989 |
| Followed by | The Pale Criminal |
March Violets is a historical detective novel and the first written by Philip Kerr featuring detective Bernhard "Bernie" Günther. March Violets is the first of the trilogy by Kerr called Berlin Noir. The second, The Pale Criminal, appeared in 1990 and the third, A German Requiem in 1991.
Bernhard Günther, a 38-year-old ex-cop turned private detective, is hired by rich industrialist Hermann Six to recover a diamond necklace stolen from his daughter Grete's house. As part of the robbery, it appears both his daughter and her husband, Paul Pfarr, were murdered and the house was torched.
Through various informants, Günther discovers that Paul Pfarr was an SS and at odds with Hermann Six, and was working to eradicate corruption in the government administration under orders from Himmler. He also uncovers a link between Six's private secretary Hjalmar Haupthändler and Kurt Jeschonneck, a shady diamond dealer.
The investigation then centers around a certain Von Greis, an aristocrat collecting blackmail material on important personalities for Goering, which Goering uses for political means. During the investigation Günther meets Inge Lorenz, who becomes his assistant and, eventually, romantic interest. With Inge, Günther follows various clues to try to find Kurt Mutschmann, the criminal who allegedly cracked the safe of the Pfarr house. This leads them to a dilapidated pension where they find the body of Von Greis. Eventually they find out that Mutschmann did the robbery for Red Dieter, the head of the German Strength crime syndicate. Günter then meets Paul's assistant, Marlene Sahm, at the Reich Sports Field during races that are part of the 1936 Olympic games. From Sahm, Günter learns that Paul had discovered Six was corrupt and was about to indict him. To do that, he tried to convince Von Greis to release what he had on Six, but Von Greis refused so Paul got the Gestapo to obtain the documents for him. Von Greis later was killed by Red Dieter's men.
Following his meeting with Sahm, Günter takes a taxi to Haupthändler's beach house. There he sees Haupthändler, Jeschonnek, and a woman, and confronts them. In the scuffle he kills Jeschonnek and knocks out Haupthändler and the woman, but is then knocked out himself by an assailant from Red Dieter's crew. In the meantime, Inge disappeared.
...
Wikipedia