'One of the greatest anti-heroes ever written' LEE CHILD

Berlin, March 1943. The mood in Germany is bleak after their stunning defeat at Stalingrad. Private Investigator Bernie Gunther is at work in the German War Crimes Bureau - weary, cynical but well aware of the value of truth in a world where that's now a rarity.

When human remains are found deep in the Katyn Forest, Bernie is sent to investigate. Rumour has it that this mass grave is full of Polish officers murdered by the Russians. For Josef Goebbels, proof of Russian involvement is sure to destroy the Western Alliance, giving Germany a chance to reverse its devastating losses. But supposing the truth is far more damaging to the German cause?

It's Bernie Gunther's job to give Goebbels what he needs. But when there's nothing left for Gunther to lose, the compulsion to speak the truth becomes ever stronger...

"One of the greatest anti-heroes ever written" - Lee Child

"Richly layered . . . reliably remarkable on every level" - The Sunday Times

"A compelling, elegantly constructed thriller" - Financial Times

"Kerr leads us through the facts of history and the vagaries of human nature" - Tom Hanks

"Bitterly, darkly funny" - Sunday Herald

"Humour seems like an affirmation of the human spirit in a world in which inhumanity holds sway, and makes Kerr's brilliant novels all the more affecting" - Daily Telegraph

"One of the greatest master story-tellers in English" - Alan Furst

"The real pleasure in these books is in Kerr's total mastery of the world he's created" - Sport

"[Kerr's] Raymond Chandleresque mysteries about a cynical Berlin cop reluctantly working for the Nazis are his masterpiece " - Sun

"Kerr's novels are modern classics" - Simon Sebag Montefiore

"A detailed and nuanced portrait of Nazi Germany" - Spectator

"Kerr is at the top of his game with his Hitler-era Berlin detective, Bernie Gunther" - Tribune

"The good detective trying to do his best within a corrupt regime [. . .] but it can safely be said that few writers have tackled the theme with the rigour of Philip Kerr" - Independent

"One of the most memorable and original characters" - The Sunday Times

"'Compelling ... Elegantly constructed' Financial Times." - Financial Times

"'Richly layered ... Remarkable' Sunday Times." - Sunday Times