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  • The Silent Death

  • Gereon Rath, Book 2
  • By: Volker Kutscher
  • Narrated by: Mark Meadows
  • Length: 16 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (100 ratings)
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The Silent Death cover art

The Silent Death

By: Volker Kutscher
Narrated by: Mark Meadows
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Summary

Berlin, 1930. Sound film is conquering the big screen, leaving many by the wayside: producers, cinema owners - and silent film stars. Investigating the violent on-set death of actress Betty Winter, Inspector Gereon Rath encounters the dark side of glamour and an industry in turmoil.

When his father requests that he help his friend, the mayor of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer, and his ex-girlfriend, Charly, makes a renewed attempt at rapprochement, things start to get out of hand. Trapped in the machinations of rival film producers, he roams Berlin's Chinese quarter and the city's underworld as he works ever closer to the edge of legality. Meanwhile the funeral of the murdered Horst Wessel leads to clashes between Nazis and Communists.

©2017 Volker Kutscher (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about The Silent Death

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Silent Death is a really enjoyable listen

Silent Death is Gereon Rath's second outing in English (translated from the original German) in Silent Death Gereon Rath and the other members of A Division, Berlin Homicide are called in to investigate the deaths of several actresses who are transitioning from silent to talking movies. 


As with the first novel in the series, Babylon Berlin, the narrative twists and turns so that you are not sure who or why the murders have been committed right until the end of the novel. Volker Kutscher manages intertwine several interesting sub-plots which adds to the narrative.


Silent Death is a great listen, it's one of the few books I've read from cover in in sitting - truly excellent. Mark Meadows does a great job if narration

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3 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Silent Death

Silent Death is full of twists and turns, unfortunately most of them are well sign-posted but even then our 'hero' cannot see them as he stumbles from one farcical situation to another. Perhaps this is because he is too busy worrying about a previous girlfriend, "does she love me", "who is that bloke she was with" blah-blah. How this guy ever got to be a Detective Inspector is probably the biggest mystery of the book.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

If only no one has seen Lethal Weapon...

The book is a little above the average police thriller but main character is a stark idiot who doesn’t have any respect for the job he is doing and who thinks the ends justify the means. He puts his and the lives of others in danger, he puts the due process in danger and all the other kinds of bad boyness...

I guess since the late 80s, we have been exposed to such characters that the Rath character feels very cartoonish and predictable.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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great listen

very good story and 1930s Berlin scenery is an excellent setting. Narrators pronunciation of German place names and transformation of German accents in English accents is quite funny and for me (German national) actually makes this an even better listen.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Thoroughly Gripping

Great story and the narration and characterisation is first rate which makes the story real.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Can't wait to listen to the next story....

Keeps you wanting more. Fast paced and a thrill to listen too. Mark Meadedoes a great job of pulling the characters together.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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excellent read

A great read (listen), complex and intriguing, and very well read. Happy to recommend to all those who enjoy period crime thrillers.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Very gripping story and perfect narration

This is the second book of the series. I love them both. Will start the third.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great series need more English translations

A really enjoyable series unfortunately the English versions end at book two. More please Audible

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More More More!

Superb!
I hope the wait for the third instalment will not be as long!
Hats off to the translation too.

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