Introducing our October Book Club Pick: "Babylon Berlin" by Volker Kutscher
A Chillingly Urgent Neo-Noir Mystery Set in 1929 Berlin
Welcome to Babylon Berlin
Berlin, 1929. The Weimar Republic is cracking under pressure, Communists and Nazis are fighting in the streets, and cocaine-sniffing flappers whirl through glittering cabarets as the city teeters on collapse. Beneath the glamour of Art Deco nightclubs lurks resentment, violence, and decay.
Welcome to the neo-noir world of Babylon Berlin.
Into this volatile mix steps Gereon Rath, a young detective transferred from Cologne to Berlin’s Vice Squad. When a mutilated, unidentified body turns up in a canal, Rath seizes the chance to break into the homicide department.
His investigation leads him into a shadowy web of exiled Russians smuggling gold and guns for a coup, paramilitary gangs and organized criminals eager to profit, and a city teetering on the edge of chaos. Along the way, he falls for Charlotte, an ambitious typist at police headquarters whose insider knowledge he exploits as the case pulls him deeper into danger—until he finds himself a suspect.
First published in 2008 by Volker Kutscher, Babylon Berlin became the first of nine bestselling novels that span the years 1929 to 1937. These books are gripping not only for their meticulous historical detail but also because you know every character is racing toward a terrible fate: becoming a Nazi, an exile, a casualty, a resistance fighter, or a prisoner in a concentration camp.
The novels inspired the lavish TV adaptation of the same name—the first German-language original ever acquired by Netflix (now available on Prime). Rarely does a show rival its source material, but here the series compresses nine books into five seasons and gives Rath a deeper backstory—his shell shock from World War I, morphine addiction, and moral ambiguity—that make it a noir masterpiece in its own right.
Why Babylon Berlin Matters Now
Babylon Berlin opens less than a year before the Wall Street Crash of October 1929, which unleashed the Great Depression and fatally weakened Weimar democracy, paving the way for fascism.
Reading it in 2025—against the backdrop of turbulent rhetoric and escalating political violence in the United States, from the assassination of Charlie Kirk to fatal and attempted attacks on politicians across the spectrum—feels unsettlingly familiar.
History may not repeat, but it rhymes. Kutscher’s Berlin reminds us how fragile democracy can be, and how quickly decadence can give way to disaster.
Join the Discussion on Fable
Until now, our book club has lived here on Substack. But let’s be honest—threads get messy, spoilers slip, and conversations sink to the bottom of the inbox. That’s why we’re shifting the discussion to the Fable app, a new platform designed for readers.
Here’s why Fable makes sense for us:
Spoiler-free reading → Fable automatically divides the book into chapters and opens a new thread for each section. You can comment as you go without worrying about ruining the story for others.
Flexible participation →Whether you want to leave quick reactions mid-read, drop a full review at the end, or just lurk and read everyone else’s takes—you’re welcome.
Community-first → Unlike a newsletter thread, Fable is designed for back-and-forth conversation. You can like, reply, and follow other readers as we go through the book together.
Easy to join →Download the app (free on iOS and Android), search for The Missive Book Club, and you’re in.
Substack will still be where I announce each month’s pick and share essays about why it matters. But if you want to actually talk about the book with each other, Fable is where the club lives. Learn more in this video:
#MakeReadingSexyAgain
Last but not least, I’ve also launched an in-person reading circle in Mexico City called Cuéntame Reading Club. Our motto? #MakeReadingSexyAgain.
Picture twenty-five people in a hotel bar swapping recommendations, trading glances, and then reading silently together for an hour. Interested? Give us a follow on IG and come read with us if you’re in Mexico City.
I’ll share more soon about why I started this group and what it says about the state of reading in 2025.
So: grab Babylon Berlin, download Fable, and let’s read together—chapter by chapter, spoiler-free, and with plenty to say about the world then and the world now.