Why a Booktrail?
1900s – Welcome to the world of 1900s Vienna where the death of a supernatural nature opens up a world of intrigue. And Vienna is a glorious mix of music, spiritualism, gothic architecture and food as well as mystery.
Mortal Mischief
What you need to know before your trail
1900s Vienna is an exciting time. The city is awash with philosophy, science and art and people from all walks of life sit in the parks and coffee shops to discuss the latest theories of the day.
Oskar Rheinhardt is a Detective Inspector who calls upon the help of his good friend Dr Max Liebermann, a young disciple of Freud to help him solve a recent case. A medium has been found dead in a locked room…
This murder in a city caught between science and spiritualism will challenge the beliefs of many.
Travel Guide
Vienna is the city of intrigue and mysticism. It’s a world of misty fog, dark evenings, flickering gas lamps and clattering trams and an oncoming storm…
“A rolling mass of black cloud has rise from behind the Opera house like a volcanic eruption of sulfurous smoke and ash. Its dimensions suggested impending doom…”
This is the world where magic and spiritualism still have a strong hold on many despite the city moving into a new century. This is the city of Freud and Max Lieberman is keen to investigate the murder and uses Freud’s teaching and his techniques to help him and the police see how someone could have been killed in a locked room. Could it have been linked to a supernatural occurrence?
With the city of Vienna as a leading character, the essence of society at the time is evoked as is the atmosphere of the city at the dawn of a new century. Many people believed in supernaturalism and Vienna seems to have been awash with people from all walks of life getting involved, attempting to contact the dead and conning people out of money whilst doing so.
Booktrailer Review
Susan:
What a fascinating book! The title grabbed me for one as well what with the cover, it sounded a bit different, a bit unusual and I do always like a bit of history and strange goings on in novels at the moment. Can’t say I know much about Freud but then that’s part of the mystery and interest in reading isn’t it? I have to say that the sound of a detective and a Freud enthusiast made for an intriguing investigative team delving to all manner of things tucked away in deep dark Vienna.
This was a suprising book on many levels – on a good way – as there was so much to it yet it never read as being heavy or cumbersome. As well as the Vienna of Emperor Franz Josef and Freud being explored, there’s also the role of women, the role of science, and mental illness as well. Interesting to see how they were seen then compared to now.
Oh and on a lighter note, let’s not forget the regular appearance of some sumptuous food such as Topfen strudel and the music of the time, there’s so much to take you back there and immerse you in a different time and place,
Where Next?
