In 1989, first-time British author Philip Kerr introduced the world to Bernie Gunther, his sardonic, tough-talking fictional detective who was — as the New York Times put it — "the right kind of hero for his time... and ours..."
BERLIN NOIR is the title of the book that was published in 1993 comprising the first three Bernie Gunther novels: MARCH VIOLETS, A PALE CRIMINAL, and A GERMAN REQUIEM
Originally intended as a trilogy, Kerr eventually returned to Bernie Gunther's story and ended up writing a total of 14 novels starring his protagonist before passing away in 2018
This site focuses on these historical novels — set initially in 1930s Berlin but ultimately spanning many decades and countries — and the unforgettable character of Bernie Gunther
In April 2025, AppleTV announced the greenlighting of a Tom Hanks-produced TV adaptation of the Bernie Gunther books starring Jack Lowden, to air in late 2026 or 2027
While the 14 Bernie Gunther books in the series jump around in timeline and work as stand-alone novels, and the upcoming AppleTV series is starting with the last book, METROPOLIS, which dives into Bernie's origin story as a young policeman, anyone who wants to experience the books as Philip Kerr wrote them should start with book one, MARCH VIOLETS, or the BERLIN NOIR trilogy
And finally, Philip Kerr was a prolific writer who wrote many books for children and young adults as well as adults, and here we invite you to discover Kerr's impressive catalogue of non-Bernie books and other writing