Book list
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The fourth in the Viennese Mysteries series set in Vienna around the turn of the twentieth century finds lawyer and private investigator Karl Werthen trying to unmask the murderer of a prostitute. But what appears to be a straightforward search for a killer becomes progressively more complicated as Werthen keeps discovering new mysteries about the victim. Meanwhile, playwright Arthur Schnitzler who, like supporting players in previous books in the series, is a real-life character has been viciously beaten, and Werthen wonders whether it was because of Schnitzler's recent literary work or his connection to the murdered prostitute. As much an exploration of prewar Vienna as it is a mystery yarn, the book is full of striking visual imagery that helps conjure up the landsdcape (A massive potted palm stood in a brass pot near the floor-to-ceiling windows, through which he could just make out the spire of the Votivkirche). Perhaps not as widely known as it ought to be, this series is well worth a look.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist
Publishers Weekly
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The discovery of the nude and strangled corpse of a 19-year-old prostitute known as Mitzi propels Jones's masterful fourth mystery set in early-20th-century Vienna (after 2011's The Silence). Josephine Mutzenbacher, Mitzi's madam, hires Hans Gross, the real-life pioneering criminologist, and Karl Werthen, a private enquiry agent and lawyer, to investigate. Werthen's discovery of a letter that Mitzi wrote in code and hid in a Bible-specifically in the part of the Book of Joshua that refers to the harlot Rahab concealing Israelite spies-suggests that the victim may also have been involved in the world's second-oldest profession. Another woman's murder raises the stakes. Werthen and Gross's inquiries come to the notice of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose revelations about conflict between the country's different intelligence services add another dimension to the case. Top-notch detecting and characterizations bolster the intricate plot. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Police indifference and the surprising history of the victim entice a Vienna lawyer in his attempt to solve a murder. In turn-of-the-century Vienna, Advokat Karl Werthen gets a visit from theater critic Felix Salten, in the days before he wrote Bambi, with an unusual request. Acting as the intermediary for Frau Josephine Mutzenbacher, a successful madam whose memoirs he's penning, Salten asks Werthen to investigate the strangulation of Mitzi, a young prostitute who played the role of a young virgin at the brothel. The lawyer accepts the challenge, but because of the reluctance of everyone involved to speak openly and the need for discretion, his investigation proceeds slowly. Mitzi's past is a well-guarded secret, and Werthen gets little traction until he tracks down her parents, Herr and Frau Moos, who at first deny that they even know her. Between interviews, Werthen shares judiciously edited accounts of his work with his wife, Berthe, who's recently given him a beautiful daughter, Frieda. Even with so much to treasure at home, Werthen readily accepts another interesting assignment at the request of his former mentor, the criminologist Doktor Gross. Shortly after Werthen interviews Arthur Schnitzler in connection with Mitzi's killing, someone brutally attacks the physician and controversial playwright. Though Schnitzler assumes the attack was prompted by his most recent play, Werthen's not so sure. Just when he feels he's making headway, Frau Mutzenbacher wants to terminate the investigation. What next? In Werthen's fourth case (The Silence, 2011, etc.), Jones recreates the beau monde of vintage Vienna with verisimilitude and consummate style.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal
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Two radically different cases challenge Viennese lawyer Karl Werthen in this intriguing historical series. It is the fourth case (after The Silence) for the fictional Werthen who consults with the real Dr. Hans Gross, considered to be the father of criminal investigation. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.