Berlin Noir: Nazis, Russians, and a taste of war

Sometimes when I read I just want to be mindlessly entertained.  I get tired of analyzing brilliance and working what Poirot calls “Ze leetle gray zells,” or what high-brow publications call literature.  A little violence.  Sex to the breaking point. A plot that dares me to put the book down.

But, mindless does have its limits. Please don’t make me suffer through TV shows of endless teenage angst, or sports show experts who’ve already used their ration of live brain cells and are working on the dead ones.

Yes, there are books that stoop to the same level of ignorance.  Here’s an example:

“He walked into the house, carrying a large bag.  It was almost too heavy and he didn’t want to carry it, but he carried it into the house.  It was not a large house, but the bag was not as big as the house. “

Ok.  Got that.  Big bag.  Carried it into the freaking house!  Now, move it along, Jo-Jo.

I’m broadminded, but willing to shoot and dismember the man who wrote that and his brain-damaged editor.  I may keep it up, Torquemada style, until the entire editorial staff confesses to long-standing love affairs with Alsatian Wolfhounds.

No.  When I say mindless, I’m talking about well-placed sentences that easily lull me into enjoyment.  Pleasant and effortless.  A book I can read, while sitting on the beach with a large and juicy tumbler, almost toxic with alcohol.

Gotta have prose that flows.  Gotta have characters that don’t make me want to fling the book against the wall.  Gotta have a plot that grabs me in a vulnerable portion of my anatomy and makes me scream for the next page.

Is that so hard?  Not for Phillip Kerr, in his mid-1930s trilogy, Berlin Noir.  The three book package takes the reader through Germany during the rise of the Nazis, into the heart of the war era, and forward to the uneasy peace that followed.

Bernie Gunther is a former Berlin policeman who got fed up with having to choke down the Nazi bile and went out on his own as a private detective.  

Takes some careful treading to solve a crime when the streets already run red with blood, and concentration camps overflow.  You have to be careful whom you question and which questions you ask.  And, you damn sure better watch your back.

The heart of these novels are not the crimes per se, although Kerr’s plots drive things at the speed of heat.  The real guts of these mysteries are the interweaving of three societies and how everyone is affected by the turmoil and change. 

Society One:  March Violets.  The Nazis taking over, enforcing new rules, with raw vengeance.  Gives you a glimpse of how the Nazis were anything but a cohesive group.  Thugs and warlords here and there vied for political favor and the attention of the dictator.  If someone patted you on the back, best to make sure he didn’t have a knife in his hand.  To do one high official a favor was to piss another official off.

Society Two: The Pale Criminal.  Germany is at war. Still, the intrigues continue, along with the crimes.  Shortages of almost everything turn everyone into a suspect, all for their own reasons and needs.

Society Three:  A German Requiem.  The war is over, or is it?  America and the so-called allies jockey for power in a Germany that is now a vacuum. Renegade Nazis scurry into the shadows, but still pull invisible strings. No one trusts anyone and even within the same nationalities, intelligence services guard their territory like rival gangs, exposing little, hiding much.  Russian, American, and Germans tangle in a web of power and deceit.

Through all of it, Bernie Gunther has to make his living, solving crimes, getting the information he’s paid to get, keeping his soul intact and his head above water.  It’s not enough to merely follow the trail, ask the questions, and get the answers.  He finds people want to use him and his services for their employers, for own their countries, and especially for their own purposes.

Bernie has to find the cheese, but he’s not only in a room full of mousetraps, but he’s often the mouse.

I’ve had it with wishy-washy novels where everyone is equally guilty and “who can really judge?”  Give me some solid villains and at least one guy who’s a straight shooter.  If he bends the rules, it’s only because it’s best for everyone.  If he kills, he has a reason.  And don’t give me this ‘gone rogue’ bullshit.  Bernie is a man and a great detective.  If he walks a fine line, so much the better. He trusts few, but believes in himself.

My kind of guy.  My kind of detective.  My kind of books.  The Berlin Noir trilogy connects the dots, from the rise of the Nazis, to the war, and into the raw beginnings of the cold war.  Puts you in the middle of it all. Makes you feel as if you lived in Berlin through some of the most vicious times of the last century.

When you finish reading Berlin Noir, you’ll be searching for Philip Kerr’s other Bernie Gunther novels.  He’s a man with a gun and a mission to bring the light of truth into the darkest of corners.  If he’s lucky, he won’t get himself killed.

Flowers From Berlin - A spy thriller

Flowers From Berlin by Noel Hynd, takes place in one of the most turbulent times in the history of the United States, the period encompassing the last years of the Great Depression and the lead-in to World War II.

We know about one attempt on then President-elect FDR’s life, on 15 February 1933, in Miami, Florida.  (In those days, before the 20^th Amendment, the President took office on 4 March.)

This riveting spy thriller, hinges around another attempt on the president’s life.

The last election had given FDR an unprecedented third term, but even so, unemployment was high, and so was opposition to U.S. involvement in Europe.

The European dictators sat stronger than ever.  War clouds bloomed and prominent Americans loudly voiced their opposition to American involvement.  They were in the majority. FDRs hands were bound, but it was no secret he sided heavily with the western democracies. 

By the time the Lend Lease Act, was signed in 1941, the tide had shifted somewhat, although most Americans wanted to help our friends without being directly drawn into the conflict.  Japan viciously invaded China.  Nazi Germany’s army spread across Europe like a virus.  China needed help.  England needed help.  Free France needed help.

What if?  is the one question that pushes a thriller over the cliff and into the abyss.  What if Hitler decided killing Roosevelt would stop the Administration in its tracks and prevent the United States from entering the war that raged in Europe?

In this novel, the war had already come to America.  A sleeper spy, or perhaps more than one ravaged the east coast.

American counterintelligence was in its infancy.  The Black Chamber cryptology effort was closed in 1929.  New attempts to organize CI devolved into clashes between agencies and also clashed with American ethics, most clearly stated by former Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson that “Gentlemen do not read each other’s mail.”

Then there was the distrust, not to mention personal animosity between FDR and J. Edgar Hoover.

Through FDR’s persuasiveness and in direct opposition to Director Hoover’s desires, William Thomas Cochrane, a semi-disgraced and mistrusted FBI agent is thrust into the maelstrom and handed the job of finding the man or men responsible for east coast sabotage. Cochrane must feel his way, with little help from his own agency, as he tries desperately to prevent a catastrophe that could indeed alter the course of the war.

But, it’s not all war.  Toss in a British agent.  And she’s gorgeous.  And Cochrane is single.  In this thriller, you get wartime spies, political intrigue, breath-taking suspense, all wrapped neatly with a romantic bow.

Do not start this book on a whim. Once you begin, you will forget about eating, sleeping, and sex with your favorite wife until you turn the last page.

Flowers From Berlin is a well-written account of what could have happened. It may even be what did happen.  The page on wartime sabotage in the United States is blank.

The book rates 4.5/5 Stars on Amazon and the Kindle edition costs $3.25.  You paid more than that for Girl Scout Cookies.

Off the Beaten Path: The Bailiwick of Guernsey

35 miles from France, 70 from England

 

Relaxing by the shore

Ah, a trip to the islands.  I'm referring of course to the Channel Islands, and more specifically to Guernsey, the biggest of the group.  Guernsey, sitting in the watery crossroads between England and the continent, has seen more than its share of swashbucklers, Vikings, Normans, French, English, and Germans.  The name is derived from several languages, including the Old Norse word 'ey' meaning island.  The rough translatiion of Guernsey is 'Corner Island."

Closer to France than England (35 versus 70 miles), Guernsey’s a part of the British Isles. However, the relationship takes a bit of explaining.  Guernsey is officially The Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Dependency of the Crown, making it not a part of the United Kingdom, but a possession of the Crown.  Along with Guernsey, there are two more possessions of the Crown, The Bailiwick of Jersey (also a channel isle), and The Isle of Man, located in the Irish Sea.  Confused? I won’t bore you with legalities and political niceties.  Instead, ponder these idiosyncrasies: 

-       Guernsey prints its own money and stamps

-       Has its own parliament

-       Comes under the U.K. for its defense (little good it did in World War II)

-       Is not a member of the European Union, but is allowed free trade with EU members

-       Has its own language, a kind of Frankish Creole, spoken by only 2% of the population, but understood by 14%.  That’s pretty much like Latin and Roman Catholics, n’est pas?

-       The official language is English

A bit of modern history.  The Channel Islands are the only parts of the British Isles to be invaded and occupied during The Second World War. The Germans built substantial fortifications, most of which are still in place. Bunkers and other fortifications polka dot the seascape.  One wonders why.  After all, the Brits had already left the place to its fate.

In any case, the occupation was neither benign, nor innocuous.  People were arrested.  Citizens were shipped off to resettlement camps where they died. Executions were not rare.  The so-called ‘Jewish Question’ resounded.

A tour of the German headquarters, a cave really, shows a plethora of memorabilia, many of which are “Shoot on sight,” and “To be executed” orders signed by the German commander. 

Fortunately, most of the children and many adult islanders had been evacuated to England prior to the German occupation.  Unfortunately, some of the children were never to be reunited with their parents. 

The people of Guernsey still celebrate their liberation each May 9^th, and one of the popular beers is aptly named Liberation Ale.

For a synopsis of the occupation, I suggest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupation_of_the_Channel_Islands

Ever heard of Guernsey cattle?  The milk is golden, from the high concentration of beta-carotene.  Unfortunately, with advent of commercialization in the U.S., pure Guernsey milk is tough to find.

The good, the gooder, and the best of Guernsey Island, in no particular order.  People on Guernsey are friendly.  Tourism depends on that, but even for a tourist town, Saint Peter’s Port (the Capitol.  Pop.18, 000) is clean, welcoming, and not a bad place to holiday.  Many seaside cottages are holiday rentals.

But, the main business of Guernsey is business, as in banking.  You might call it a smaller Switzerland.

You don’t need a tour guide to get around St Peter’s Port.  The castle and German headquarters, as well as the shopping areas, are an easy walk.  To venture beyond the city, an inexpensive bus ride, from the middle of downtown, roams the island.

Castle Cornet dominates the town and there are five museums within its walls, including the Guernsey Light Infantry (WW I) and RAF museums.  The castle has stood guard over the harbor for eight centuries.

The real pleasures are wandering St Peter’s Port lazy streets, sniffing the sea air, enjoying the scenic wonders of rocky coast, marinas filled with boats, and buildings festooned with flowers.  Don’t neglect to dodge into a pub to quaff Liberation Ale, and enjoy some fresh fish and crab. Hey, you’re on holiday!

Pubs are a pleasure

The justly famous Liberation Ale

Fresh Crab Sandwich

A Splendid Little War

One of many 'Splendid' war novels by Derek Robinson

Ever finish a book and think  “This bastard should write faster.”  Derek Robinson is one of those authors.  Every book he’s written grabs you, dazzles you, leaves you in a trail of gut-busting laughter, tarnished tears, and famished for more.

What makes Derek Robinson special?  He has a niche and an unnatural gift as a raconteur.  War.  Flying.  The Royal Air Corps/Force.  His series, set in World War I, the most famous of which is Goshawk Squadron, set the mark for all that would follow.  Don’t think for a moment that ‘famous’ means the best of the lot.  All of them are connected, clever, dark with humor, gore, and the certainty of your own destruction.  Robinson’s Second Would War series also has every bit of all of the above.  Unbelievably engaging. (Piece of Cake)

Now comes ‘A Splendid Little War.’  A war fought in Russia in 1919-1920 mean anything to you?  Probably not.  No RAF history of it exists.  Yet, it was fought.  And men died in Britain’s frantic effort to keep the Bolsheviks from consolidating their power after the Russian Revolution.  A Splendid Little War tells the tale of the men who leapt into the breech, or at least into the cockpits of well-worn aircraft, like them, cast offs from the First World War.

What do men do that lived through the daring-do of aerial combat,  grinding the fear out of their minds, as they twisted their eager craft through the bullet strewn air?  They volunteer for the next war, fully expecting it would be a continuation.  It wasn’t.

But, fighter pilots are fighter pilots.  They must have whiskey, women, and danger to feel alive.  The raw smell of petrol and engine oil in their nostrils.  Death at every turn.

Scoundrels all, their dark humor and aptitude for rollicking fun, in the most unlikely of places, carry them along.  Mere skill doesn’t cut it when ineptitudes of the powers-that-be, and the vicissitudes of battle conspire against them.

Derek Robinson is king of the genre.  Careful character sketches, a plot that whistles along, and a masterfully told story bring ‘the war that wasn’t a war’ to life in glowing Technicolor.  Haven’t heard of the Splendid Little War?  After this fabulous novel it’ll be etched in memory.

Another Gem from Derek Robinson - Piece of Cake

Hawker Hurricanes - the unsung hero of the Battle of Britain


Piece of Cake ranks right up there with Winds of War, and Catch 22. Wait a sec! Those two novels aren't anything alike. That's what makes Piece of Cake so different and wonderful. There's all the drama and hilarity of the other two, but tied into an incredible story that not only puts you in the cockpit, but in the midst of battle. Some would say P of C is a drama about the Battle of Britain. More than that. Much more. A fighter squadron is made up of people who think quite differently, about the world, about the war, and about staying alive. What are they fighting for? Themselves. Their buddies. Booze. Women. Pretty much in that order. King and country? Well, yeah, sort of.

Piece of Cake also has a history to tell and in the telling, lays low myths like a well sharpened scythe in a field of lilies. Gives you a new perspective on the war, but more than that, like any great novel, it works its way into your brain and into your guts enough to make you wonder what you know and what you think you know.

The characters stand out from the page, as if you'd just had one beer and they'd asked you to buy another round. Or, more likely, they'd held you upside down until all your money fell out and you had no choice but. These are men who live in the same small room as darkness and danger, but can still laugh about it. You'll meet quite a few of them and you'll be happy you did. I don't give one care if you don't like novels about flying and war and historical events. Doesn't matter a whit. You'll still love this book.