Midnight in Vienna
As seen:
By Jane Thynne
avg rating
1 review
‘Gripping and surprising’ Observer
‘Evocative . . . highly enjoyable’ The Times
‘Sharply drawn characters’ Financial Times
‘Thrilling’ Spectator
‘Truly wonderful’ Crime Time
Historical espionage at its very best. Set in 1938 in London and Vienna, a tense and atmospheric thriller told against a backdrop of uncertainty and fear as World War Two threatens.
As war looms over Britain and there is talk of gas masks and blackout, people are understandably jumpy and anxious. Stella Fry, who’s been working in Vienna for a Jewish family, returns home with no job and a broken heart. She answers an advertisement from a famous mystery writer, Hubert Newman, who needs a manuscript typed. She takes on the job and is shocked the next day to learn of the writer’s sudden, unexplained death. She is even more surprised when, twenty-four hours later, she receives Newman’s manuscript and reads the Dedication:
To Stella, spotter of mistakes.
Harry Fox, formerly of Special Branch and brilliant at surveillance, has been suspended for some undisclosed misdemeanor. He has his own reasons for being interested in Hubert Newman. He approaches Stella Fry to share his belief that the writer’s death was no accident.
What’s more, since she was the last person to see Newman, she could be in danger herself.
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In September 1938, Stella Fry, who’s been working in Vienna, returns to London with no job. She answers an advertisement from a famous crime writer, Hubert Newman, to type the manuscript of his latest book and meets him at his club. The next day she reads that Newman has been found dead, so she’s surprised when, 24-hours later, she receives his manuscript in the post, with the dedication: “To Stella, spotter of mistakes”. As the last person to see Newman alive she’s naturally curious about what could have happened, but soon finds herself involved in a much bigger mystery that involves espionage and the highest levels of government. I was in exactly the right mood to read this when I did. It’s not out-and-out exciting but there’s enough tension and interest to make it very enjoyable and the depictions of pre-war London and Vienna add colour and interest.
Review by: Cornish Eskimo, Oundle Crime
