Book Review - Babylon Berlin by Volker Kutscher

Volker Kutscher’s Babylon Berlin is a taut, atmospheric historical crime novel set in the volatile heart of Weimar Berlin. Originally published as Der nasse Fisch (The Wet Fish) in 2008 and translated into English by Niall Sellar, it’s the first book in the Gereon Rath series, which inspired the acclaimed television adaptation Babylon Berlin. With rich period detail and a noirish sensibility, Kutscher offers a gripping blend of detective fiction and historical drama.

The novel’s greatest strength lies in its vivid reconstruction of Berlin in 1929, a city teetering between decadence and disaster. Kutscher meticulously captures the tensions of the time: the lingering wounds of the First World War, the rise of extremist politics, economic uncertainty, and a flourishing but brittle cultural scene. The city is a character in its own right, by turns seductive and sinister, cloaked in fog, jazz, and the thrum of political unrest.

Detective Inspector Gereon Rath is transferred from Cologne to Berlin following a scandal, and finds himself in the city’s homicide division. But Rath quickly becomes entangled in a web of conspiracy and intrigue when a seemingly routine case involving an unidentified body in the Landwehr Canal spirals into a labyrinthine plot involving Russian gold, organised crime, and political cover-ups. The narrative unfolds with deliberate pacing, slowly tightening its grip as Rath descends into the murkier levels of Berlin’s underworld.

While some readers might find the novel’s intricacy and occasional detours slow the momentum, Kutscher’s plot ultimately pays off with satisfying complexity. The story is layered and tangled, much like the city it inhabits, and rewards close attention.

Gereon Rath is a compelling if flawed protagonist. Haunted by his wartime experiences and driven by ambition, he often operates in moral grey zones, making ethically questionable choices in his pursuit of the truth and career advancement. He’s no hero, but rather a believable figure shaped by a fractured age. Supporting characters such as Charlotte Ritter, a typist with detective aspirations, and Bruno Wolter, Rath’s comrade-turned-colleague, add further texture and human conflict to the story.

Kutscher’s prose (ably translated by Seller) is unflashy but effective, prioritising clarity and mood over flourish. The tone’s sombre, occasionally cynical, fitting the noir tradition. Themes of corruption, social disintegration, trauma, and the creeping shadows of fascism pervade the novel, giving it a haunting historical resonance that feels alarmingly timely.

Babylon Berlin is more than a detective novel; it’s a sharply drawn portrait of a civilisation on the brink. While it may not satisfy readers seeking fast-paced thrills or a conventionally heroic lead, it offers a deeply immersive, intelligent mystery that rewards patience and attention to detail. As the opening salvo in a longer series, it lays formidable groundwork and invites the reader into a compelling, dangerous world on the cusp of collapse.

In short, this is a brooding, immersive crime novel steeped in history and moral ambiguity, perfect for fans of noir and historical fiction alike.

Rating: 4/ 5 stars