19 September 2009
Something about F. Tallis's Vienna Blood
(A good read especially for Wolfgang Mozart fans)Liz Ringrose: Guest Reviewer
I was recently recommended to read a novel by Frank Tallis: Vienna Blood.
The person said I should read it because I'm a Mozart fan. I didn't see the significance of this as I began to read but it became clear as the plot developed. To say anymore than that would be giving too much away to anyone who wants to read it.
The novel is set in Vienna in 1902 when a series of grisly murders occurs in the city. The victims seem to be randomly chosen but nothing could be further from the truth. Trying to track down the monster is Detective Inspector Rheinhardt who frequently enlists the help of his friend Dr Max Liebermann, a disciple of Freud (who also appears in the book). Both men are very musical and meet frequently not only to discuss the baffling and increasingly gruesome case, but also to enjoy musical soirees at the piano. Woven into the story are the sickening threads of anti-semitism and racism among a certain group of people in Viennese society.
So where does Mozart come in? Well he's there almost from the start although I didn't pick up on it. He's there all the way through in rather a clever way. But I can't say more ... you'll just have to read it.
Note: This post was first published in my original Classical Music Lounge (CMLounge) website, May 18, 2007. The reviewer, Liz Ringrose, is an English author published in magazines and ebooks, including that delightful Favourite Things, set in Mozart's City of Salzburg. Her latest endeavour is the novel The Art of Surfacing. URL: www.lizringrose.co.uk
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