RIP Philip Kerr

It is with sadness that I report that crime writer, Philip Kerr, author of the astounding Bernie Gunther series passed away this Friday last at the age of 62 after a battle with cancer.

Fellow Scot, Ian Rankin paid tribute by Tweeting -

'Numbed by the news that Philip Kerr has died.His Bernie Gunther novels are extraordinary, a mix of great storytelling and brilliant research, with a believable (a)moral hero.'

Born in Edinburgh, Philip was the son of William Kerr, a building planner, and his wife, Ann (nee Brodie).

Kerr’s  best known work was the Bernie Gunther series – 13 historical novels about a Berlin detective set before, during and after the Second World War, with a 14th book completed shortly before his death and due to be published later this year. Gunther is a cynical,  wise-cracking, fiendishly clever man, lover of women, hater of Nazis and yet obliged to work for them to survive. A truly unique creation.

 

Kerr's books have sold 427,645 copies for £3.61m since 1998, according to Nielsen BookScan. His bestseller is the 1993 edition of Berlin Noir, which sold 42,013 copies.

 

Kerr's publisher, Quercus wrote on their website - 

It was with great sadness that Quercus learned of the death yesterday from cancer at 62 of Philip Kerr, one of its most successful and cherished authors. Philip has left an outstanding body of work:


As a glowing review in the Sunday Times of the new Bernie Gunther novel put it: Greeks Bearing Gifts: ‘full of mordant humour, pacy action and rich, three-dimensional characters, confirms what Kerr’s fans have long known: that he has few, if any, rivals to match him among modern thriller writers.’ His novels have sold into 37 languages.

Just before he died Philip finished a fourteenth Bernie Gunther novel Metropolis, which will be published in the UK and US next year. His legions of fans are lucky that he had the strength and determination to complete it.

Philip was married to the author Jane Thynne and they have three children, William, Charlie and Naomi.