The One from the Other

John Lee sounds just right as Bernie Gunther, an ex-cop and ex-SS member who becomes a private detective in 1949 Munich. Weary and raspy, he clearly has a heart of gold, and his voice warms tellingly whenever a fraulein enters the room. The plot of this second installment of the Gunther series is a bit much for easy digestion, but that's par for the course. You just can't expect a tidy tale when you mix bent CIA agents with Nazi war criminals, Jewish murder squads, pro- and anti-Nazi priests, and assorted Russian and American occupiers in a bombed-out landscape. But Lee makes it sound as believable as anyone could, and keeps us thoroughly entertained throughout. R.E.K. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine