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A Mystery in Vienna #1
City of Ghosts
VIENNA. A city of history and culture, where Mozart, Freud, and Beethoven once walked the streets. For American university student Jake Meyer, it is a chance to recover from a family tragedy he left behind. Surrounded by the baroque palaces and charming squares of the city, he hopes to pull his life back together.
However, Jake quickly learns danger lurks in the most beautiful of places and his life takes a deadly turn when he provides a false alibi to an attractive fellow student seen fleeing the murder scene of her ex-boyfriend.
When secrets from a forgotten war are unearthed, the mystery and body count start to pile up at Jake’s feet. With only the help of a friendly American consular officer, can Jake survive long enough to prove his innocence to the police?
However, Jake quickly learns danger lurks in the most beautiful of places and his life takes a deadly turn when he provides a false alibi to an attractive fellow student seen fleeing the murder scene of her ex-boyfriend.
When secrets from a forgotten war are unearthed, the mystery and body count start to pile up at Jake’s feet. With only the help of a friendly American consular officer, can Jake survive long enough to prove his innocence to the police?
208 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2015
64 people are currently reading
983 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 18, 2015
This is a fantastic debut novel by author Shawn Kobb. Set in current-day Vienna, Austria, it tells the story of an American student who is still recovering from a traumatic loss in his own life, and finds himself embroiled in an international ring of crime and deception. The author does a great job of weaving in the historical, architectural, and cultural details of life in Vienna -- as if Vienna is a character in and of itself. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
January 27, 2016
I enjoyed this fast paced thriller set in Vienna. The story and the characters were interesting, and I loved the descriptions of Vienna. Not overly impressed with the ending though, it just seemed too pat. I didn't care for the narrator (Will M Watt) all that much; I didn't think his accent fit the story, but he did a good job with most of the character's accents.
I received this audiobook from audiobookblast.com for an honest review.
I received this audiobook from audiobookblast.com for an honest review.
September 10, 2015
I liked this book and at the same time,disliked it.The plot was solid,the history and descriptions of Vienna Austria were awesome, But the characters left me scratching my head for answers. The characters all seemed to lack the ability to make good logical choices,almost as if they were based on the same person. Mr. Kobb can write,but needs to base his characters on a few other personalities.
October 31, 2015
enjoyable thriller set in Vienna
A fast paced thriller set in Vienna with likable characters. I enjoyed that one of the two main characters was a U.S. Consulate employee--don't see that often. Lots of detail about Vienna.
A fast paced thriller set in Vienna with likable characters. I enjoyed that one of the two main characters was a U.S. Consulate employee--don't see that often. Lots of detail about Vienna.
October 30, 2017
A great read!
I was hooked from the first page. A great read from beginning to finish, keeps you on the edge of your seat with suspense.
I was hooked from the first page. A great read from beginning to finish, keeps you on the edge of your seat with suspense.
April 30, 2021
This was a light easy read. Something must have happened that I dropped it for sometime (probably got distracted by another book or life in general) and then I decided to finish it.
Nothing much to say about it. I was annoyed by this Jake and his one-focus self-monologue thinking about Schmidt being in love with Anna. That went on for a good bit.
Other than that, this was a quick easy light hearted read. Oh it wasn’t that much of a mystery, I totally got the Schmidt connection pretty early on.
Nothing much to say about it. I was annoyed by this Jake and his one-focus self-monologue thinking about Schmidt being in love with Anna. That went on for a good bit.
Other than that, this was a quick easy light hearted read. Oh it wasn’t that much of a mystery, I totally got the Schmidt connection pretty early on.
July 26, 2020
City of Ghosts
I have to admit when I first started this book, I was expecting quite a bit of paranormal type ghosts. However my disappointment evaporated quickly as the story pulled me pulled me in quickly & held me there. This is a delightful book & one that has a bit of everything to please everyone! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
Excellent creation Mr. Shawn Kobb & many more please. This should be a 10 star not a mere 5!
I have to admit when I first started this book, I was expecting quite a bit of paranormal type ghosts. However my disappointment evaporated quickly as the story pulled me pulled me in quickly & held me there. This is a delightful book & one that has a bit of everything to please everyone! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
Excellent creation Mr. Shawn Kobb & many more please. This should be a 10 star not a mere 5!
April 21, 2019
I will admit to some bias when reading this book. I was working with the author in Vienna at the time that he was writing it. Though I bought the book when it was released, I have intentionally saved it until now because I wanted a little Viennese pick-me-up. I loved living in Vienna, and the author's descriptions took me back to my own time living in the neighborhood the book is set in. I could picture it vividly. I also appreciated the very accurate depiction of the Embassy and consular work. You don't see that very often in fictional representations. I enjoyed the details about coffee culture and the bits of German thrown in. It was a nice walk down memory lane. My only complaint is now I want to go back!
January 4, 2025
A very good thriller, great pace and I really liked the characters. I also appreciated the fact that the author didn’t use gratuitous sex and violence which seems to be so commonplace these days. Instead of trying to shock the reader, the author weaved a clever story with a lot of tension.
Will definitely read more of his books.
Will definitely read more of his books.
February 29, 2020
It took a little time to get used to the authors style which is very direct. I enjoyed the story once it picked up in the middle.
April 13, 2016
The story was compelling, and I read through the last 20% or so really quickly as I wanted to know how it ended. So in that way it had me hooked.
What bothered me though, and what really makes the whole story kind of "meh" is that the main character behaves incredibly stupidly. I'm all for flawed characters, but there's a difference between flawed and "makes the idiotic choice at every turn and never learns from their mistakes". Jake sadly falls into the latter category. And for a psychology student (actually any slightly intuitive person) it took him way too long to figure out his motivations for helping Anna. Again there's a balance between making the reader seem smart and making your characters seem dumb.
The budding romance also added nothing to the story as there wasn't really any build-up to make you care about or believe in it.
The writing was pretty good, it was a quick and easy read, and it was nice to virtually walk the streets of Vienna, but overall my annoyance with the main character lands this novel no higher than a 3.
What bothered me though, and what really makes the whole story kind of "meh" is that the main character behaves incredibly stupidly. I'm all for flawed characters, but there's a difference between flawed and "makes the idiotic choice at every turn and never learns from their mistakes". Jake sadly falls into the latter category. And for a psychology student (actually any slightly intuitive person) it took him way too long to figure out his motivations for helping Anna. Again there's a balance between making the reader seem smart and making your characters seem dumb.
The budding romance also added nothing to the story as there wasn't really any build-up to make you care about or believe in it.
The writing was pretty good, it was a quick and easy read, and it was nice to virtually walk the streets of Vienna, but overall my annoyance with the main character lands this novel no higher than a 3.
November 24, 2015
City of Ghosts (A Mystery in Vienna #1) tells of the main character Jake Meyer who is studying in Vienna and the intrigue he gets involved in after briefly meeting a girl in a cafe who has bandages on her wrists.
Jake is likable enough with his history shown a little at a time, finally revealing why he is studying in Vienna and not in touch much with his family. The other characters are described but still kind of one-dimensional. For example I never felt I had a good handle on Helmut and his grin. The story moves quickly, maybe making it kind of unrealistic. The plot itself was good, and I will probably read #2 when it comes out.
I think the inclusion of Tess McIntosh as a Foreign Service Officer and view of what goes on there was great. I hope to see more of her as the FSO angle gives the book a different perspective than most. I won City of Ghosts in a Goodreads giveaway and it certainly was a good enough read, thanks Shawn!
Jake is likable enough with his history shown a little at a time, finally revealing why he is studying in Vienna and not in touch much with his family. The other characters are described but still kind of one-dimensional. For example I never felt I had a good handle on Helmut and his grin. The story moves quickly, maybe making it kind of unrealistic. The plot itself was good, and I will probably read #2 when it comes out.
I think the inclusion of Tess McIntosh as a Foreign Service Officer and view of what goes on there was great. I hope to see more of her as the FSO angle gives the book a different perspective than most. I won City of Ghosts in a Goodreads giveaway and it certainly was a good enough read, thanks Shawn!
October 6, 2015
Received an ARC of the book. City of Ghosts had a good story that kept you interested. It starts with a chance meeting in a coffee shop that leads to an endless amount of drama and intrigue.
The characters were mostly developed but I would have liked more background for some characters like Anna and Mira. The main character, Jake, was like able enough. His sisters story didn't hit home with me for some reason. I feel like it would have been more believable or relatable as a suicide rather than what it was.
There were a lot of coincidences that you have to get past. Also, multiple cases of "why aren't you going to the police?" came up. There was enough of a story and flow that kept me reading and interested so for that I enjoyed it.
The characters were mostly developed but I would have liked more background for some characters like Anna and Mira. The main character, Jake, was like able enough. His sisters story didn't hit home with me for some reason. I feel like it would have been more believable or relatable as a suicide rather than what it was.
There were a lot of coincidences that you have to get past. Also, multiple cases of "why aren't you going to the police?" came up. There was enough of a story and flow that kept me reading and interested so for that I enjoyed it.
March 29, 2016
This book was kind of meh. I really didn't like the main character. He was really annoying, brash and basically a stupid American. Things were rather unclear the whole time. Why Anna shot herself was the most unclear to me. I know she was suicidal, but that still didn't seem compelling enough reason to off yourself in front of your friends. More than that, no one seemed shaken up after watching their friend die in front of their eyes. It just seemed strange to me. Why the main bad guy wanted the book was also unclear. I feel like this book had potential but it needed a few more rounds of editing and story line processing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2016
Travelling in Vienna, I decided to see if there were any novels to read. I found this book and immediately found it interesting as it weaved a mystery into the city of Vienna. The author gave me some information that I hadn't yet experienced or read in other tour guides.
The thing I didn't like about the book was how improbable the choices the lead character makes. Of course, it was necessary to make the book long enough, but I wish they were somewhat plausible. I did like the book, but the brain needed to be put on pause to get through parts of it.
If you do want to travel to Vienna or if you love the city, this is a good light read for you.
The thing I didn't like about the book was how improbable the choices the lead character makes. Of course, it was necessary to make the book long enough, but I wish they were somewhat plausible. I did like the book, but the brain needed to be put on pause to get through parts of it.
If you do want to travel to Vienna or if you love the city, this is a good light read for you.
November 27, 2017
A Fine Build Up
As the story went on, it became quite intense building up to the finale. There were SO many times that I agreed with a lot of the side characters who would tell the main character how foolish he was being. I thought the author made some interesting comments related to school tragedies as well, even though they were a side issue of the main story. The farther into the story I'm read, the more involved I became....VERY GOOD!
As the story went on, it became quite intense building up to the finale. There were SO many times that I agreed with a lot of the side characters who would tell the main character how foolish he was being. I thought the author made some interesting comments related to school tragedies as well, even though they were a side issue of the main story. The farther into the story I'm read, the more involved I became....VERY GOOD!
October 29, 2015
A well written book, clearly by a writer who has visited Vienna and researched the city, but with very little elements of surprise and too many coincidents: like Jake just happens to share an appartment with Mira, who happens to be the niece of a war criminal in hiding and he just happens to get to know embassy officer Tess, who happens to have access to US information systems and gets on the trail of Mira´s uncle etc. I won´t recommend this book to anyone.
April 4, 2016
This book was okay. At the very beginning it didn't make much sense. The actions of the main character are just plain stupid. He does things that make no sense at all. The book was okay, but not great.
April 13, 2016
Intriguing.
This is a good page-turner with lots of action as the book concludes. I liked it but. It's one of those books where you'll find yourself staying up late to find out the end. It was good.
This is a good page-turner with lots of action as the book concludes. I liked it but. It's one of those books where you'll find yourself staying up late to find out the end. It was good.
September 8, 2015
Read this friends!! Love new authors and opportunities to spread the word!
April 3, 2016
So so
It was not the best mystery I have read, but far better than the worst. Enjoyable to read about one of my favourite cities.
It was not the best mystery I have read, but far better than the worst. Enjoyable to read about one of my favourite cities.
May 10, 2016
Since I love Vienna(dream of visiting) I grabbed this book. It was a great read full of suspense and despicable characters.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews