Bernie Gunther books in order

Q: "How many books are in the Bernie Gunther series?"

"There are twenty books in the Bernie Gunther series, published between 1989 and 2019."

Q: "What is the first book in the Bernie Gunther series?"

"The first book in the Bernie Gunther series is March Violets, published in 1989."

Q: "\"Do you need to read the Bernie Gunther books in order?\""

"\"The first three books, known as the Berlin Noir trilogy (March Violets, The Pale Criminal, and A German Requiem), are best read in sequence. After that, the series jumps around in time, with each book set in a different period of Bernie's life. You can read them in publication order or pick up individual titles, though publication order gives you the best sense of how Kerr developed the character over time.\""

Reading order

#	Title	Published	Author	Buy on Amazon
1	March Violets	1989	Philip Kerr	Buy
2		1993	Philip Kerr	N/A
3	The Pale Criminal	1990	Philip Kerr	Buy
4	A German Requiem	1991	Philip Kerr	Buy
5	L’uno dall’altro	2006	Philip Kerr	N/A
6	The One from the Other	2006	Philip Kerr	Buy
7	A Quiet Flame	2008	Philip Kerr	Buy
8	Stille vlam	2008	Philip Kerr	N/A
9	If The Dead Rise Not	2009	Philip Kerr	Buy
10	Field Gray	2010	Philip Kerr	Buy
11	Prague Fatale	2011	Philip Kerr	Buy
12	A Man Without Breath	2013	Philip Kerr	Buy
13	De man zonder adem	2013	Philip Kerr	N/A
14	De vrouw van Zagreb	2015	Philip Kerr	N/A
15	The Lady from Zagreb	2015	Philip Kerr	Buy
16	The Other Side of Silence	2016	Philip Kerr	Buy
17	Prussian Blue	2017	Philip Kerr	Buy
18	Greeks Bearing Gifts	2018	Philip Kerr	Buy
19	Φοβού τους Δαναούς	2018	Philip Kerr	N/A
20	Metropolis	2019	Philip Kerr	Buy

The Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr follows Bernhard Gunther, a former Berlin police detective turned private investigator, through some of the twentieth century’s darkest years. The first three novels, sometimes collected as the Berlin Noir trilogy, are set in the late 1930s and immediate postwar period. After a long gap, Kerr returned to the character in 2006 with The One from the Other, and from that point the series moved back and forth across the timeline, visiting locations from Buenos Aires to the French Riviera.

What sets the series apart is Kerr’s ability to combine the conventions of American hardboiled fiction with meticulous historical research. Bernie is a cynical, wisecracking survivor who manages to keep a sense of decency even while working in a system built on cruelty. The novels bring in real historical figures alongside fictional ones, placing Bernie at the edges of actual events. Metropolis, the final book, was published in 2019, a year after Kerr’s death, and serves as a prequel set in the Weimar Republic of 1928.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Bernie Gunther series?

There are twenty books in the Bernie Gunther series, published between 1989 and 2019.

What is the first book in the Bernie Gunther series?

The first book in the Bernie Gunther series is March Violets, published in 1989.

"Do you need to read the Bernie Gunther books in order?"

“The first three books, known as the Berlin Noir trilogy (March Violets, The Pale Criminal, and A German Requiem), are best read in sequence. After that, the series jumps around in time, with each book set in a different period of Bernie’s life. You can read them in publication order or pick up individual titles, though publication order gives you the best sense of how Kerr developed the character over time.”

Reading order#

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading order