I went into a fair bit of detail about Kerr's anti-hero, Bernhard Gunther, in my review of a previous book so I won't go crazy on this one, but here is a brief recap.
Gunther is a gumshoe in 1930s and 40s Berlin, an ex-policeman who was forced to play his part in the war but didn't enjoy it and holds no sympathy for Nazi ideals. These experiences have scarred him to a degree and he has a refreshingly honest approach to some of his clients, but it is clear that he is pretty much still a good guy.
This novel spans two time periods and settings - the pre-war tension of 30s Germany, where Gunther falls in love with a beautiful American guest while working as a hotel detective, and 50s Argentina, to which Gunther has been forced to flee under the guise of a Nazi war criminal in order to escape a trumped-up murder charge. Here he bumps into his former lover again and falls headlong back into her problems.
His escape to Argentina was set up in a previous book and the way in which Kerr's stories dovetail together show a really nice commitment to the character, while still making a great stand-alone read. Sure, there is some pretty cliched wish fulfilment going on here, such as the way in which gorgeous women fall helplessly into Gunther's bed the moment they meet him, and one twist regarding his former lover's daughter can be seen coming a mile off.
But Kerr's stories are gripping enough to keep things feeling fresh and just on the right side of cheesy, for Gunther gets involved in some pretty dark doings and confesses to feeling scared at the right moments.
In short, a brilliantly entertaining novel for fans of hardboiled detective fiction or indeed, anyone just looking for a bit of well-researched and well-written fun.
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