If you’ve heard of Bernhard Schlink, it’s likely because of his 1995 novel THE READER, made into last year’s Oscar-winning film with Kate Winslet. It was the first German book to reach number on the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list, and while some critics complained about its sympathetic portrayal of ordinary Germans during World War II, most were in agreement that the writer possessed serious talent and his work was of top caliber.
But Schlink also writes mystery fiction featuring a 70-year-old private investigator named Gerhard Self, and his SELF’S MURDER is the third and most recent in this intriguing series. By chance, Self meets a banker named Welker who asks him to look into a mysterious silent partner who helped finance the bank, but disappeared.
Self takes the case, but steps on the toes of a local archivist who maintains the bank’s records and wonders why he wasn’t the one chosen to search for the partner, since he is an expert in historical research. And then later, this same archivist seeks out Self, hands him a valise filled with money, then drives off so erratically he crashes into a tree and dies. Is it an accident or was the man literally scared to death?
Schlink isn’t afraid to tackle big issues in his fiction, and there is much in this book about what it means to have served in the war for the Nazis, German guilt, unification issues between East and West, old age, physical imperfection and more. But this isn’t some tedious literary fiction; it’s a well-crafted and well-written mystery that Self is compelled to unravel.
There are some infelicities, including a very active Self getting involved in a hostage exchange and attempting a late-night computer hacking, and occasionally, the plot seems a little too complex. That aside, Self is a fully realized character, with lots to say and lots to leave you to think about, and it’s especially wonderful to have him translated into English and available in the Vintage Crime/Black Lizard catalogue. Excellent stuff. —Mark Rose
