Exploring Argentina's Anti-Semitic Past

Philip Kerr's latest novel, "A Quiet Flame," examines Directive 11, a secret order issued in 1938 that barred Jews from entering Argentina

In "A Quiet Flame," Philip Kerr's fifth novel narrated by tough-talking German private investigator Bernie Gunther, the author uses little-known facts about Argentina's anti-Semitic past as a springboard to speculate on whether the country hosted a secret concentration camp.

Mr. Kerr, who also writes children's books under the name P.B. Kerr, first came to the attention of thriller fans with three novels set in Nazi Germany and its aftermath. "March Violets," "The Pale Criminal" and "A German...