Vienna Secrets

Starred review from February 1, 2010
Tallis's excellent fourth puzzler set in early 20th-century Vienna (after 2008's Fatal Lies
) neatly blends mystery and history. A scary series of murders, which may have a supernatural component, challenge psychiatrist Max Liebermann and Det. Insp. Oskar Rheinhardt. Two men, both with a track record of anti-Semitism, have turned up dead, their heads ripped from their bodies by some powerful force beyond the capacity of a single killer. The first, Brother Stanislav, was a regular contributor to Das Vaterland
, a right-wing Catholic newspaper, and spoke at a rally that ended with the fatal stabbing of a young Jewish boy. The second victim, city councillor Burke Faust, had also fomented hatred. An important clue comes from a witness who heard a “whirring sound, like a giant insect” near one crime scene. Meanwhile, Liebermann's defense of a dying patient's rights puts him at odds with the Catholic church. Fans of Caleb Carr will feel right at home.

It's no secret that writer Frank Tallis is great at historical fiction. Narrator Robert Fass provides an eloquent narration, including an ability to switch from character to character with ease. In this fourth Max Liebermann period piece (1903), Liebermann searches for the perpetrators of some grisly killings. All the victims turn out to be anti-Semites, and Liebermann, himself a Jew, wonders whether he's doing the right thing. Aside from the backdrop of anti-Semitism, listeners get a wonderful description of turn-of-the-century Prague, in addition to Vienna. Fass is at the top of his game, switching from one character's rich voice to the crackly tones of another. He takes us back to Europe of 100 years ago and makes us believe we're right in the thick of it. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine