Bernhard Schlink Books in Order

Private investigator Gerhard Self, once a Nazi prosecutor, investigates computer interference at a chemical plant for an old friend. The assignment exposes buried corporate history and forces Self to confront guilt from his own wartime past.

Gerhard Self is hired to locate the daughter of a powerful Bonn official after she disappears from psychiatric care. Conflicting accounts of her fate lead his investigation toward political violence and secrets that authorities would prefer concealed.

Law student Michael Berg encounters a woman from a formative earlier relationship on trial for wartime crimes. His memories of Hanna collide with disturbing revelations, prompting questions about responsibility, shame, and the limits of understanding another person.

These stories explore love as longing, guilt, habit, and rebellion. Schlink follows people caught between desire and self-deception, examining how intimate relationships expose conflicting motives and how the search for connection can lead toward escape or betrayal.

Aging investigator Gerhard Self researches a bank's history and its elusive silent partner despite his declining health. A suitcase of cash and a suspicious death lead him toward money laundering and criminal connections in eastern Germany.

Peter Debauer grows up believing his father died in the war, then discovers fragments of a novel that unsettle that account. His search across Europe and America explores identity, storytelling, and the possibility of a concealed family history.

These essays examine how responsibility for historical wrongdoing extends beyond individual perpetrators into later generations and entire societies. Schlink considers memory, reconciliation, moral judgment, and the role of law in responding to Germany's past and other national legacies.

Translator Georg Polger accepts a lucrative assignment at a French agency and falls for its secretary, Francoise. When she disappears after copying sensitive military documents, his search for her exposes a network of surveillance and deception.

Seven stories explore the lies people tell their partners, families, and themselves. Lovers, estranged relatives, and unexpected traveling companions reveal the shifting boundaries between truth and self-deception, where attempts to justify personal choices reshape relationships.

After receiving a pardon, former terrorist Jorg spends his first weekend outside prison with friends assembled by his sister. Their reunion reopens arguments about political conviction, personal responsibility, and whether old loyalties can survive decades of change.

A painting thought lost for decades unexpectedly appears in a Sydney gallery, drawing together three men who loved its subject. Their search leads to an Australian cottage where shared memories, betrayals, and unanswered questions demand attention.

Raised in poverty, Olga falls in love with Herbert, whose dreams of adventure reflect the imperial ambitions of his era. Their unequal relationship unfolds against Germany's changing history, examining devotion, absence, and the costs of grand national visions.

After his wife dies, Kaspar discovers she left a baby behind when fleeing East Germany. His search leads to a neo-Nazi community and a possible granddaughter, challenging him to build a relationship across a deep ideological divide.