‘Midnight in Vienna’ by Jane Thynne

Published by Quercus Books,
5 September 2024.
ISBN: 978-1-52943-066-0 (HB)

September 1938, and war looms over Europe. Stella Fry, newly returned from Vienna, applies for the job of typing an MS by famous mystery writer Hubert Newman – and is shocked to learn of his sudden death on the way home from their interview meeting. She’s even more surprised to receive his MS in the post – with a handwritten dedication to her. Then surveillance operatives Harry Fox turns up on her doorstep to share his belief that Newman was murdered ...

Some novels are almost like time travel, and this was one of them for me, made real by innumerable tiny details of London, and later in the book, Vienna of that year. Stella’s Jewish employers in Vienna left for New York; London is filling up with refugees, and Londoners are queueing for gas masks. As we walk the streets with Stella and Harry, we see the newspapers and advertisements of the time; through Stella’s actress flatmate Evelyn we hear the gossip. The plot’s an engrossing one, based round the central mystery of who Newman really is, what killed him, and why.

Midnight in Vienna is both the book he thinks of as he dies, his own book which explains to him what killed him, and metaphorically the times which Stella experiences for herself, Vienna’s darkest hour as the Nazis take over. Stella and Harry are an enjoyable pairing, with Stella’s rash inexperience putting her into danger, and Harry’s past making him equally at risk. The plot’s cleverly worked out and speeds up as it moves towards a satisfying solution.

A fast-moving murder/thriller, with a vividly realised historical setting. Jane Thynne also wrote the superb Black Roses series, set in 1930s Germany, and this is the first in a new series set in wartime London.
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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor 

Jane Thynne was born in Venezuela and educated in London. She graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English and joined the BBC as a journalist. She has also worked at The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent, as well as for numerous British magazines. She appears as a broadcaster on Radio 4. Jane is married to the writer Philip Kerr. They have three children and live in London. Find out more at www.janethynne.com connect with her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @janethynne.

janethynne.com 

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh and came to Shetland as a newly qualified teacher. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  She lives with her husband and two Shetland ponies.

www.marsalitaylor.co.uk