The Keeper of Hands (The Viennese Mysteries Book 4)

Vienna, 1901. With the police seemingly indifferent to the murder of a 19-year-old prostitute known as Mitzi, brothel-keeper Frau Mutzenbacher turns to lawyer Karl Werthen to find out what happened and bring her killer to justice. Yet the more he discovers about the mysterious Mitzi, with her secret past and impressive roster of clients, the more questions Werthen�s investigation throws up. At the same time, Werthen undertakes a second commission: to find out who viciously assaulted playwright Arthur Schnitzler. Schnitzler believes his latest controversial play might have been the motive for the attack � but is there more to it than that? As he navigates the highs and lows of Viennese society in dogged pursuit of the truth, Werthen finds himself drawn into a conspiracy of espionage and affairs of state. From Booklist The fourth in the Viennese Mysteries �series�set in Vienna around the turn of the twentieth century�finds lawyer and private investigator Karl Werthen trying to unmask the murderer of a prostitute. But what appears to be a straightforward search for a killer becomes progressively more complicated as Werthen keeps discovering new mysteries about the victim. Meanwhile, playwright Arthur �Schnitzler�who, like supporting players in previous books in the series, is a real-life character�has been viciously beaten, and Werthen wonders whether it was because of Schnitzler�s recent literary work or his connection to the murdered prostitute. As much an exploration of prewar Vienna as it is a mystery yarn, the book is full of striking visual imagery that helps conjure up the landsdcape (A massive potted palm stood in a brass pot near the floor-to-ceiling windows, through which he could just make out the spire of the Votivkirche). Perhaps not as widely known as it ought to be, this series is well worth a look. --David Pitt Review "Not as widely known as it ought to be, this series is well worth a look" Booklist on The Keeper of Hands �Top-notch detecting and characterizations bolster the intricate plot� Publishers Weekly Starred Review of The Keeper of Hands �Jones recreates the�beau monde�of vintage Vienna with verisimilitude and consummate style.� Kirkus Reviews on The Keeper of Hands An intriguing novel of suspense that "recreates the beau monde of vintage Vienna with verisimilitude and consummate style" ( Kirkus Reviews ). Vienna, 1901. With the police seemingly indifferent to the murder of a nineteen-year-old prostitute known as Mitzi, brothel-keeper Frau Mutzenbacher turns to lawyer Karl Werthen to find out what happened and bring her killer to justice. Yet the more he discovers about the mysterious Mitzi, with her secret past and impressive roster of clients, the more questions Werthen's investigation throws up. At the same time, Werthen undertakes a second commission: to find out who viciously assaulted playwright Arthur Schnitzler. Schnitzler believes his latest controversial play might have been the motive for the attack#8212;but is there more to it than that? As he navigates the highs and lows of Viennese society in dogged pursuit of the truth, Werthen finds himself drawn into a conspiracy of espionage and affairs of state. "Top-notch detecting and characterizations bolster the intricate plot" ( Publishers Weekly ) of this superb fourth book in the Viennese Mystery series that is "not as widely known as it ought to be, [but] well worth a look" ( Booklist ) Lawyer Karl Werthen must deal with the deaths of a prostitute and a playwright in the latest intriguing novel of suspense in the Viennese Mystery series. Vienna, 1901 . With the police seemingly indifferent to the murder of a nineteen-year-old prostitute known as Mitzi, brothel-keeper Frau Mutzenbacher turns to lawyer Karl Werthen. Yet the more he discovers about the mysterious Mitzi, the more questions Werthens investigation throws up. At the same time, Werthen undertakes a second commission: to find out who viciously assaulted playwright Arthur Schnitzler. Could his latest controversial play have been the motive for the attack? Werthen soon finds himself drawn into a conspiracy of espionage and affairs of state. In 1901 Vienna, lawyer Karl Werthen takes on two cases that draw him into a conspiracy of espionage and affairs of the state, the murder of a nineteen-year-old prostitute and the assault of a controversial playwright