Philip Kerr was a highly regarded British author, best known for his Bernie Gunther series of historical thrillers and a children's series called Children of the Lamp, which he wrote under the pen name P.B. Kerr. Kerr was born on February 22, 1956, in Edinburgh, and was raised in a Baptist family. His education took place in Northampton and at Melville College, where he initially studied to become a lawyer. Kerr went on to earn Master's degrees in both law and philosophy from the University of Birmingham, where he attended school from 1974 to 1980.
For most novelists, the setting of their stories is merely a backdrop, but for Kerr, the city of Berlin was a central character in his books. He was fascinated by the complex and troubled personality of Berliners, and aimed to capture this in his writing. Kerr's Bernie Gunther series, which consists of 13 novels, is set in Berlin, and the city's history and character play a significant role in the stories. Kerr once stated that he was more interested in the character of the Berliner than in the history of Berlin, but it's clear that his deep understanding and appreciation of the city's past and present greatly influenced his work.