This book is a little different from the usual novels I read in this genre. I enjoyed reading the imagined future of 2013 (as written in 1992), and also enjoyed the philosophical references. Worthwhile, even if not entirely gripping as a thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A well-written intelligent book with a great premise and good characters. Recommended

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

I'll be short the mix of philosophy and dystopian thriller didn't work for me and I skipped the philosophical part as they bored me to tears. The thriller was interesting but I don't think it aged well.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst this is not my favourite book by the late, great Philip Kerr, 'A Philosophical Investigation' is still a compelling read. The problem for most of us devotees of this author is that Kerr reached the apogee of his considerable talents with his legendary Bernie Gunther series. So, comparisons with some of his earlier works are rather futile in this respect. This book was written in 1992 and it shows. Not so much in its thoughtfulness and theoretical underpinnings, which are always impeccable, but with the genre Kerr seems to be experimenting with. Dystopian thrillers are not for the faint-hearted; the author needs to find that sweet-spot between historical change and continuity - or, a world that has changed, but still remains recognisable to most of us. Technological change is a key part of this, but Kerr's imagination is not up to this vision, so we remain in a curious stasis between the present and future. That said, some of Kerr's observations are easily prescient and it is still a joy to be enmeshed in the alternative world Kerr has created for us. Where Kerr was always impeccable was in his astute understanding of the human condition. Indeed, no one knew the human heart and mind quite like Kerr. This is the strongest part of the book - his philosophical musings on the organic impetus behind those killers without conscience that we call psychopaths. This is where Kerr always excels; in his ability not only to entertain his readers, but also to make them think. Combined with his usual pitch-perfect prose, imaginative plotting and uncanny understanding of what makes us humans 'tick', 'A Philosophical Investigation' is still a more than worthwhile read. Indeed, a 'lesser' novel from Kerr is still what most authors could only hope to aspire to...

A throwback from 1992 that looks forward to 2013 which is actually in the past.

Unfortunately this book from Philip Kerr just didn't work for me

I didn’t get on at all well with A Philosophical Investigation. It sets out to be a dystopian thriller with serious philosophical content, but I’m afraid I just found it over-long, convoluted, a bit tedious and rather show-offy.

Published in 1992, the book is set in 2013 and one problem is Kerr’s vision of a time we have lived through. It’s prescient in some ways, but the sheer unrecognisability of the setting does get in the way, especially things like the hopelessly under-imagined technology, no NHS and expensive, dirty hospitals and so on. The story concerns one of a plague of “recreational” serial killers who has been found to lack a part of the brain which inhibits violence and is killing others on the secret list of similarly affected people. Each has been given a codename; the killer’s codename is Wittgenstein...and so we get into a lot of philosophical discussion.

Much of the discussion is in Wittgenstein’s internal voice and for me, it doesn’t work. I’m happy to wrestle with philosophical ideas, butI found much of this unconvincing both in its context in the book and in its content. Rather than being intellectually stimulating I found it often tendentious and, frankly, more interested in showing the reader how frightfully clever the author is than in developing a reasoned, readable argument and story. Tellingly, I thought I was reading it for the first time until well after half way I came across a scene I recognised. I had plainly read it when it came out and remembered almost none of it. This says something about my memory, I admit, but also much about the book, because I can recall books I liked from well before then.

I know many people admire Philip Kerr’s books greatly, but I’ve never been wholly convinced by them and this has done nothing to help. It’s minority view, I suspect, but I can’t recommend this.

(My thanks to Quercus for an ARC via NetGalley.)

Not my favourite but it is still worthwhile exploring the maestro's back catalogue now that we will never read another Bernie Gunther masterpiece . I wonder if there is another author put there talented and historically aware enough to take over that mantle as has been the case with other heroes?

As for this this futuristic, philosophical thriller was not totally to my taste but as with anything written by Kerr it was beautifully written even if the premise did not really excite or engage me.