Query: Novels set in Beirut or Hamburg
Domain: books
Relevant documents:
The Temple (novel)
An Unnecessary Woman
Der perfekte Mord
The Magic Mountain
4 a.m. (novel)
The Secret Pilgrim
The German Lesson
Blood Eagle (novel)
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Ripley's Game
Beirut Blues
A Most Wanted Man
Smiley's People
Evidence from documents: The Temple (novel): First edition (publ. Faber & Faber)'''''The Temple''''' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Stephen Spender, sometimes labelled a bildungsroman because of its explorations of youth and first love. It was written after Spender spent his summer vacation in Germany in 1929 and recounts his experiences there. It was not completed until the early 1930s (after Spender had failed his finals at Oxford University in 1930 and moved to Hamburg). Because of its frank depictions of homosexuality, it was not published in the UK until 1988.
''The Temple'' begins in Oxford, where Paul Schoner meets Simon Wilmot and William Bradshaw, caricatures of the young W.H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood respectively. They encourage him to visit Germany, hinting that Paul might prefer Germany to Britain because of Germany's liberal attitudes towards sex and the body. During this section, Paul is introduced to Ernst Stockmann, a fan of his poetry who later invites him to visit his family home in Hamburg.
An Unnecessary Woman: The novel focuses on the experiences of an isolated 72-year-old woman, Aaliya Saleh, who is a shut-in in Beirut, exploring how she deals with her changing life.
Der perfekte Mord: Walter Reyder, head of the Hamburg Police research force, is oblivious when he is almost struck by Nissim's car.
The Magic Mountain: Castorp is in his early 20s, about to take up a shipbuilding career in Hamburg, his home town.
4 a.m. (novel): The two are quickly bored by the daily comings and goings of military life and begin to take part in the activities of the red-light district in Hamburg
The Secret Pilgrim: One of his assignments takes him to Beirut, where the chaos of the latest fighting seems to mirror his own inner turmoil. While tracking a German militant named Britta, who had been involved with an Irish terrorist called Seamus, his first stop is a brief research post with a well-mannered officer named Giles Latimer. Despite his good nature and popularity, it is revealed that Giles had suffered a nervous breakdown and hid dozens of confidential files out of shame and guilt he felt towards a young girl he had fallen in love with.


Following this episode, Ned flies to Beirut in search of an informer and checks into a hotel, where he receives a phone call from an American woman who flirts with him but remains unknown despite Ned's inquiries to the hotel clerk. Ned's Lebanon trip ends with his encounter with a young American student, who was the sole survivor of a car bombing on a downtown restaurant in Beirut. The student, Saul, in his shell-shocked state of delirium, had written a call for peace. Ned sees whether he could find something sensible, but in his own state of personal crisis, scribbles his own thoughts as well and ends up burning the whole thing.
The German Lesson: When forced to write the essay on "The Joy of Duty" during his term in the juvenile detention center near Hamburg
Blood Eagle (novel): '''''Blood Eagle''''' is a novel by Craig Russell. First published in 2005, it is the first in a series of crime novels set in Hamburg, Germany, and featuring Kriminalhauptkommissar Jan Fabel.
Journey to the Center of the Earth: The story begins in May 1863, at the Lidenbrock house in Hamburg, Germany. Professor Otto Lidenbrock dashes home to peruse his latest antiquarian purchase, an original runic manuscript of an Icelandic saga written by Snorri Sturluson, "Heimskringla", a chronicle of the Norwegian kings who ruled over Iceland.
Ripley's Game: He spends his days living comfortably in his house, Belle Ombre, until an associate, the American criminal Reeves Minot, asks him to commit murder for him. Ripley—who "detests murder, unless absolutely necessary"—turns down the offer of $96,000 for two hits, and Minot goes back to Hamburg.
Beirut Blues: '''''Beirut Blues''''' () is Hanan al-Shaykh's third novel. It is an intimate and engaging portrait of a young woman struggling to make sense of her life in war ravaged Beirut, Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War.
A Most Wanted Man: This novel, set in Hamburg where the author was once a British agent and consul, is based on the contemporary themes of the international war on terror, money laundering, and the conflicting interests of different officers and agents and laymen who are affected.
Smiley's People: *Claus Kretzschmar – Otto Leipzig's old associate, owner of a seedy night club in Hamburg