With the loss of Philip Kerr a few years ago, one of our favorite historical detective series was ended—but not before this fitting swan song. After following Bernie Gunther through the Nazi era in the brilliant Berlin noir trilogy, and the subsequent thrillers set during the cold war, Kerr brings his sardonic, hard-bitten hero full-circle here, taking us back to his early years when he first joined the homicide squad in decadent 1920s Berlin. "Wonderfully plotted, with elegant prose, witty dialogue, homages to German Expressionism and a strong emotional charge, this is a bittersweet ending to a superb series," wrote London's Guardian, naming it one of the Best Crime & Thrillers of 2019.