Vienna Secrets: A Max Liebermann Mystery

by Frank Tallis

Book Overview

In Freud's dangerous, dazzling Vienna of 1903, an ingenious doctor and an intrepid detective again challenge psychotic criminals across a landscape teetering between the sophisticated and the savage, the thrilling future and the primitive past. On opposite sides of the city, two men are found beheaded on church grounds. Detective Inspector Oskar Reinhardt is baffled. Could the killer be mentally ill, someone the victims came into contact with? Some...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812980999
• ISBN13: 9780812980998
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

A Thinking Person's Mystery, Rich in Historical Detail and Intellectual Scope

'Vienna Secrets' is anything but your typical formulaic mystery novel. It is rich in historic detail and intellectual scope. We are in fin de siecle Vienna, a city brimming with music, theater and energizing ideas. Freud expounds upon his theories of the unconscious, as Mahler presides over the Wiener Staatsopera. But beneath the surface of this intellectual and cultural cauldron, bubbles fear, hatred and virulent anti-Semitism. Inspector Reinhardt calls in his friend Dr. Max Liebermann, an acolyte of Freud's, when an anti-Semitic priest is found decapitated outside of a church. Might the culprit be found in Vienna's Hasidic community? The priest is only the first of a series of decapitations. The trail to the killer will take Liebermann through a maze of politics,psychoanalysis, and Hassidic Kabbalistic belief to find the motive for the horrific killings. This is a thinking person's mystery as one watches this top notch story unfold.

Plotting, Writing, Atmosphere, and Something to Say

Author Frank Tallis has produced a number of mysteries set in fin-de-siecle Vienna; this is the first one I've read and believe me, I'll be looking around for the others. Vienna Secrets is a very fine novel which will appeal to fans of murder mysteries which are cerebral without being overbearing. The book is well-researched, and has a lot to say about anti-Semitism in Vienna in the early 1900s; that's rather surprising for a murder mystery, but this sub-text is woven skilfully into the plot. The hero is a Jewish doctor, Max Liebermann, a student of the theories of Sigmund Freud (who, in addition to other Vienna-based luminaries of the time, make appearances in the book). Although Herr Doktor Liebermann is not a religious Jew, a series of horrible murders brings him into contact with the Hassidic community, the theory and practice of Kabbalah, and to a journey which brings him closer to his own roots and helps him sort out the crimes. He partners with an open-minded Christian police detective-inspector, Rheinhardt; apparently this partnership was begun in earlier novels in the sequence. A novel which involves, even to some extent revolves around, Kabbalah can, if not carefully handled, turn into mere mystical gibberish. Fortunately author Tallis did his homework, delving into the esoterica of Lurianic Kabbalah and getting everything right. Don't be surprised if the novel piques your interest in this most difficult branch of Judaic study. The author weaves together Kabbalah, Freudian psychology, and politics in a deft manner, and the result is most unusual and-- in a word-- fascinating. The writing is great and holds your interest; the "you are there" sense of atmosphere of 1900s Vienna is excellent--- the descriptions of coffee shops and their wares will spoil you on Starbucks forever--- and the plotting is tight, believable, and without noticeable error. (The only mistake I found, in fact, was one of physics; but to say more would spoil some of the plot.) This is a really fine book which I heartily recommend to all thinking readers of the mystery genre.

Move Over Sherlock!

Anyone who has watched BBC or thrice read any of the Sherlock and Dr. Watson series.. will find this series to be more refined even than our hero Sherlock... Liberman's Vienna Secrets .. captures much more of the cultures of the surroundings , the times and period ..Victorian through and through. It is brilliant to roam the streets in Austria, Vienna, and look over the shoulders as the characters partake of High Tea, low tea and the dinners of the period. You can almost taste the cream tarts! The mystery leaks in the Kabbalist references so compelling and in such as way to being hidden knowledge to his story. There is also a back list of anti-Semites, believable history of Freudian theory in its very beginning. Loaded with psychologists, doctors,monks, villains of the long past and all in a fantastic tale that combines all of the above... Page by page as you turn ,you can almost hear the horses on the cobblestone paths, you can feel the dampness of the evenings in the streets of London .. a rare look into the minds of women of the times and their struggle to become.So very real and impelling....such a writer is rare and pleasing to walk through the streets of Vienna and her secrets. If, you love historical novels than this is a must read. You will not be sorry for this purchase. If, you are not, I would pass. I plan on re reading this book as it is so very interesting, along with a story of a mysterious killings, this is not a horrible description and written very Victorian. A sweet Victorian Mystery wrapped around a brutal series of murders....well done! Sierra May you walk in the Moonlight till the wind sets you free ..

Murder in Vienna in the early 20th century

This is a review of "Vienna Secrets" by Max Tallis and is part of a series. It is a dark and highly interesting novel. I consider it to be very enjoyable. The novel takes place in Vienna in the early 20th Century and there is a side trip to Prague. The word pictures of Vienna and more particularly Prague are very well done. There are very descriptive passages about food, music and social interplay. The Viennese of some wealth appear to live the good life. Of course the main characters appear to be polite, polished and very well dressed, though manners are often superficial and many well mannered people do dishonest and dangerous things. As this is the time of Freud, there is considerable discussion of the meaning of dreams and Freudian psychiatry. Freud gives a lecture in the early chapters of this book. The first chapter of the book introduces Dr. Max Liebermann, a psychiatrist and Oskar Reinhardt, a police investigator -these are the "good guys". Chapter one is about the murder of a monk whose head is actually torn off. Another man is murdered with his head torn off very similarly. There is an underlying anti semitism that was endemic in Europe of that era that was both subtle and overt. There were political parties interested in ridding Vienna of the Jews as part of their platform. Max was Jewish and Oskar not Jewish but they worked together well. The two murders were felt by some to be due to Jews, but thee third decapitation murder was that of a Jew. There was a thought that a rabbi may have built a Golem, an anthropomorphic being created entirely from inanimate matter such as mud. A Golem is very strong and protects the Jews, but must be kept under control and note was made of the Golem who destroyed a good part of the ghetto in Prague. Dybbuks were also mentioned - dybbuk attaches itself to the body of a living person and inhabits the flesh. Although many thought these were old superstitions, many Jews and non-Jews who were superstitious . Jewish mysticism is noted and the Rabbi in this book was a mystic. Max and Oskar prevail and the mystery is solved. The two remain best of friends and life continues on.

"A ticket to Vienna, please!"

Frank Tallis completely wowed me with this literary thriller, the fourth in a series, which is chock full of magnificent descriptions of turn-of-the-century Viennese architecture, medicine, music, food, romance, history, sociology, religion, mythology, and, of course, mystery! And if that sounds impossible, just read this fascinating novel and discover for yourself that it's all there. Tallis' language is, quite simply, beautiful, and, as another reviewer said, deserves to be savored slowly, like a fine wine. His incredible descriptions of actual artwork and buildings around Vienna and Prague made me want to book a ticket right now to go and see for myself. If you happen to be so lucky as to go, taking along a copy of this book could make for a wonderful self-guided tour around these cities, not only of the physical aspects of the cities, but also of the regional food extravaganzas, mostly desserts, which sound mouth-wateringly delicious. Historical and cultural allusions add authenticity and color to the tale, as well. The time around the turn of the century in Austria was a time of turmoil, and this backdrop adds tension and suspense to the circumstances surrounding the murders. The injustices focused on the Jews were overwhelming and, as other reviewers have said, were indicative of the evils that were to come later in the century. Tallis' command of Jewish history and religion, specifically as relates to the practices of kaballah, is impressive. As for the mystery itself, it almost gets lost in the bedazzlement of the book's descriptions. Admittedly, if you are looking for a page-turner, this may not be for you, but I had trouble putting it down. The organization of the book, which consisted of short chapters that changed locale, time, and viewpoint, could have made for a choppy reading experience, but I found that it actually whetted my appetite for whatever might come next. The story is told primarily from the point of view of Dr. Max Liebermann, a psychiatrist who followed Freud's developing theories. Freud appears in the story as a character occasionally, and his theories are applied throughout. Dr. Liebermann happens to be a good friend of Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt, and together they work to solve the crimes as they have in the previous books of the series. As heinous and brutal as the murders are, they also appear to be politically inspired, but their very nature suggests the possibility of supernatural elements. The period detail and the impressive delineation of Jewish mysticism contribute to the atmosphere of creepiness. I've left the plot out of this review, as it has been covered in other reviews, but I give this book my highest recommendation to those who appreciate a command of the English language and who respect an audacious intellect, both of which this author has in abundance. Frank Tallis is a London-based psychiatrist, and his medical background and knowledge of history are definitely displayed to full ad