The Third Place

Viennese Mysteries #6

by J. Sydney Jones

March, 1902. When Herr Karl, head waiter of the Café Burg, is found dead at the foot of the Maria Theresa monument, it is assumed he slipped on the ice and hit his head. However, a witness has come forward who says otherwise, and private enquiries agent Karl Werthen is hired to investigate.

At the same time, Werthen is commissioned to locate a missing letter from the emperor to his mistress. Franz Josef is desperate for the letter not to fall into the wrong hands – but what incendiary information does it contain?

As Werthen and his colleague, renowned criminologist Dr Hanns Gross, pursue their investigations, it becomes increasingly clear that there is a connection between the two cases – and that the future of the empire may be at stake.

Genres: Mystery, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Detective

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

J. Sydney Jones is the author of twenty books, including the six installments of the critically acclaimed Viennese Mystery series, as well as stand-alone mysteries and thrillers, including TIME OF THE WOLF, THE GERMAN AGENT, RUIN VALUE, BASIC LAW, THE EDIT, THE CRY OF CICADAS, and others. His books have been translated into eight languages.

A long-time resident of Vienna, he has also lived and worked in Florence, Paris, Molyvos, and Donegal. Jones currently lives on the central coast of California.

Visit the author at his homepage and at his blog, Scene of the Crime.

Reviews

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see there are previous novels in this series of mysteries which take place in Vienna but this is the first for me. The author did a wonderful job of giving the novel the feel of a Vienna just turning the corner into a new century by showing scientific advancements for 1902 and yet keeping the traditions familiar to citizens of that beautiful city. The third place, referenced in the title, is the coffeehouse Viennese men select as their place of relaxation. First is the home, second is work, third is the coffeehouse with regular customers being treated in much the same way as members of the private clubs available to wealthy Englishmen in this same time period. Each coffeehouse has its own Herr Ober, the head waiter and majordomo who controls everything that goes on in the restaurant including all the employees. One works himself up to the position of Herr Ober, comes up through the ranks and learns along the way how to please customers and just maybe how to line his pockets without anyone being the wiser. Herr Karl, Herr Ober of the Café Burg, has a nasty accident on his way home one evening so the staff is waiting to see who will be promoted into his vacant position. Except that Advokat Werthen has been approached by someone who claims to have seen what really happened to Her Karl and he wants the lawyer to do some investigating. Just as Werthen is making some progress he is summoned by Prince Montenuovo - and by implication by Emperor Franz Josef - to join forces with his investigating partner Dr. Hanns Gross to solve a mystery of a completely different sort. A Viennese citizen does not say no to the Emperor.

I appreciated the easy way the author had of incorporating all the political turmoil existing in Austria and the rest of Europe within the times of this mystery. Naturally politics played a large part in what was going on in one of the mystery plots. I also enjoyed watching that second mystery unfold from the viewpoint of the criminal. By the time both investigations were in full swing they were featuring not just Gross and Werthen, but also Werthen's wife, Berthe Meisner. This trio presented the only slightly off kilter portion of the novel for me because so many unlikely situations had to be manufactured to give a prominent position to the investigative talent of Berthe Meisner just for what seemed to me the sake of gender equality. Aside from that, I enjoyed this novel and appreciated the historical information which was presented in such a natural way that I learned things without even being aware of it.

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sixth book in the Viennese Mystery series is a suspenseful mystery incorporating Viennese café culture and society. The author weaves a tale of murder, assassination, and terrorism against the turn-of-the-century clash of old and gentile vs. new and brash.

The author's descriptions of characters and settings brings this era to life and he shares his knowledge of Vienna in such a unique way that I feel as if I'd strolled the Ringstrasse myself. Berthe and Karl Werthen along with Dr, Gross have become familiar characters just like old friends.

The antecedents of World War I are in this book, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in this period or anyone looking for a good historical mystery.

[Facemaker01 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I have finally read all six books in the series and have enjoyed every single one of them.
Unfortunately, the publishers are not continuing with the series due to sales.
It's such a shame that the series could not haven been wrapped up to a pleasant resolution for Advokat Werthen, Berthe et al. It woud have been nice to see Karl and Berthe become parents again.
The writing has been solid and consistant throughout the six books.
I have been constantly flicking between the novels and the internet researching the real historical characters and realising what amazingly thorough research was conducted by the author.
Historical characters are given life and breath. I found myself liking Franz Ferdinand and Duncan, and liked the fact that Franz Ferdinand married Sophie for love. (I am a romantic at heart!)
The depiction of Viennese Society at the turn of the century as well as the political undercurrents leading up to WW1 is brought to light throughout the series. I particularly enjoy the description of the food and wine partaken by our characters. The sense of conscious enlightenment of modern psychology, female emancapation and a direction towards modern thinking are presented here without it being too obvious.
Karl Werthen and his lovely, clever wife Berthe are one of my favourite couples in fiction at the moment. Both sets of parents are a joy as well. Dr Gross, ever pompous and clever is rather amusing, especially when he exasperates Karl Werthen!
So, overall these books are well worth a read, even if there isn't any resolution to the main characters

[Reggie Billingsworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jones accomplishes a convincing portrait of 1902 Vienna and all the multi-levels of intrigues, petty and grand that weave in and out of that society's culture and politics. The characters are strong, the writing is solid and even as it is one of a series the allusions to other plot lines remains minimal and never insults.
Anyone with the patience to step through it all carefully and keep track of the cast of thousands is bound to better understand the byzantine nature of the Great War's causes. It might be a useful enrichment mystery novel for collegiate or university curriculae as well.
But as an entertainment book it was a tough go for me. One chapter at a time is all I could manage after a long day so it took forever to finish and honestly I admit skipping a considerable amount just to get to the end without completely abandoning it.
The era is not one I am truly enamoured with so I might not return to this author's specialty but would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed this period and location.

[Gwen Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very light reading. For me, this was the perfect escape while travelling through Austria and Germany and wanting to become acquainted with some of the history and colour of Vienna at the turn of the 19th century. It reminded me of the PBS series, Vienna Blood. In this story, hostile international parties plot to assassinate Emperor Franz Joseph. Private Eye Karl Werthern and criminologist Dr. Hanns Gros were engaged to prevent another attempt while they also investigated who killed a head waiter at a well-known cafe. The two investigations converged (after many convolutions) on a single, despicably evil villain. The twists and turns were often improbable but the settings and the characters created a convincing picture of Vienna in 1902.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in early 20th century Vienna, this mystery novel begins with the death of the head waiter at one of the city's most prestigious coffee houses in an apparent accident, which may be murder. Soon, our detective is making discreet inquiries on behalf of the emperor in another case. The plot is fast moving, and I liked the fact that the author included nationalist political conspiracies as part of the story. Unfortunately, the particular nationalist groups that he mentions did not exist at the time the novel takes place, so it is a bit historically inaccurate. Still a fun read, though.

[Thomas Bergen · Rating 5 out of 5]

End of Series

I have just finished the final book in this outstanding series written by Sydney Jones. Once again, he captured the detail and tone of 1900 Vienna.
I find these works to be unparalleled in the genre of historical fiction.
I have some suspicion that Mr. Jones is not finished with the characters who carried these stories through six books.
I look forward to his next offering.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had thought I would eschew further books in this series, but I picked up The Third Place at the library along with a few other novels for fun, and it turned out to be a quite pleasant and intriguing surprise. Jones, in fact, nailed the conceptualization of revenge, a plot to assassinate the Emperor Franz Josef, and bring the year 1902 into a well focused history and thriller. The ending is left wide open for a new and even darker novel to come in volume eight, and those of us who love history know full well that Franz Ferdinand is waiting out his time at the Belvedere. I can hardly wait!

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave this series another chance as I thought my frustration trying to read the last one I tried was due to its adobe reader format. Now this one available to me in kindle format I thought I could better appreciate. Nope. I find the main characters strong and interesting but the number of characters and subplots worse than a three-ring circus, requiring too high a price for my poor brain to follow willingly.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely better than the second one I read. Less obsessing over the famous, even if the Emperor is central. The return of the villain from the last one was interesting.

[Lisa Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't bad...apparently #6 in a series. Good setting and time period. I liked it but didn't love it.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good historical mystery...intrigue in the Hapsburg Empire

[Vicki Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This takes place in Vienna in the early 1900's and is the 6th in a series. I might have liked it better if I had read the earlier ones - it's always nice to get acquainted with the characters over time. Investigator Werthen and his friend, the famous criminologist Dr. Gross, are investigating the murder of a head waiter at a local cafe. But they are almost immediately called on to look into a possible assassination attempt on the emperor, so they have to put the original investigation aside. At least until it looks like the cases are connected. The villain is an interesting character, and a good bit of the story is from his viewpoint.