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Lissenberg #3
Last Act
ANNE PAGET HAD SIX MONTHS TO LIVE.
That's what the doctors told her. Even so, when she was offered the leading role in the newly discovered Beethoven opera Regulus to be debuted in the tiny European principality of Lissenberg, Anne knew it was the chance of a lifetime. Her lifetime.
But someone wanted the opera to fail. Strange accidents had already caused chaos. Then murder brought a new terror.
Who was behind all this? Certainly not Michael, the charming, handsome, Oxford-educated man to whom Anne was so attracted—the man who knew too many things, and who somehow managed to be very close to Anne when she faced her greatest peril.
That's what the doctors told her. Even so, when she was offered the leading role in the newly discovered Beethoven opera Regulus to be debuted in the tiny European principality of Lissenberg, Anne knew it was the chance of a lifetime. Her lifetime.
But someone wanted the opera to fail. Strange accidents had already caused chaos. Then murder brought a new terror.
Who was behind all this? Certainly not Michael, the charming, handsome, Oxford-educated man to whom Anne was so attracted—the man who knew too many things, and who somehow managed to be very close to Anne when she faced her greatest peril.
222 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
11 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Jane Aiken Hodge
54 books81 followersJane Aiken Hodge was born in the USA, brought up in the UK and read English at Oxford. She received a master's degree from Radcliffe College, Harvard University.
Before her books became her living she worked as a civil servant, journalist, publishers' reader and a reviewer.
She has written lives of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as well as a book about women in the Regency period, PASSION AND PRINCIPLE. But her main output has been over twenty historical novels set in the eighteenth century, including POLONAISE, THE LOST GARDEN, and SAVANNAH PURCHASE, the beloved third volume of a trilogy set during and after the American War of Independence. More recently she has written novels for Severn House Publishers.
She enjoys the borderland between mystery and novel, is pleased to be classed as a feminist writer, and is glad that there is neither a glass ceiling nor a retiring age in the writers' world. She was the daughter of Conrad Aiken and sister of Joan Aiken.
Before her books became her living she worked as a civil servant, journalist, publishers' reader and a reviewer.
She has written lives of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as well as a book about women in the Regency period, PASSION AND PRINCIPLE. But her main output has been over twenty historical novels set in the eighteenth century, including POLONAISE, THE LOST GARDEN, and SAVANNAH PURCHASE, the beloved third volume of a trilogy set during and after the American War of Independence. More recently she has written novels for Severn House Publishers.
She enjoys the borderland between mystery and novel, is pleased to be classed as a feminist writer, and is glad that there is neither a glass ceiling nor a retiring age in the writers' world. She was the daughter of Conrad Aiken and sister of Joan Aiken.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 7, 2018
I have a raging head cold and I really needed a nice comfort read. This was exactly it - so much so that I've added a new Goodreads shelf for comfort reads and this is its first entry.
It's an old book (copyright 1979) but it stands up to the test of time really, really well and is still such a lovely romance.
It was exactly what I needed.
It's an old book (copyright 1979) but it stands up to the test of time really, really well and is still such a lovely romance.
It was exactly what I needed.
January 16, 2023
Няшний пригодницький вінтаж з оперними подробицями. В головної героїні все складно, покійний чоловік - козел, грошей немає, колишня кар'єра в опері вже всьо, і жити через хворобу залишилось пів року. Аж тут вона отримує листа від давнього друга, який тепер директор опери в маленькому європейському князівстві (Люксембург і Ліхтенштейн перемішати, додати трошки Монако), і він пропонує їй головну роль у недавно віднайденій опері Бетховена. Сама постановка буде відкривати міжнародну мирну конференцію, а саму оперу збудували у скелі, тому готичність в багатьох аспектах гарантується. Ну героїня й їде, вдаривши лихом об землю, бо справді, хоч наостанок поспіває досхочу. Але її то не туди завезуть, то трохи не вб'ють, то в оперній команді якась атмосфера нервова, і навіть симпатичний таксист, який каже, що тут у нас всі родичі (тм), теж підозрілий. Ну й куди ж без фінальної гонитви підземеллями і щоб все добряче гупнуло. А закінчиться все зборами міськради і весіллям.
Чесно кажучи, я вже сторінки з сорокової зрозуміла, що в головної героїні і з хворобою все вирішиться, ну й місце майбутньої принцеси у князівстві за нею буде, причому вона на це заслуговує. Дуже мила історія з карколомними перегонами і злими родичами, трохи в дусі попелюшки.
Чесно кажучи, я вже сторінки з сорокової зрозуміла, що в головної героїні і з хворобою все вирішиться, ну й місце майбутньої принцеси у князівстві за нею буде, причому вона на це заслуговує. Дуже мила історія з карколомними перегонами і злими родичами, трохи в дусі попелюшки.
April 25, 2022
Ben scritto, avvincente, con personaggi interessanti. Ho accettato senza batter ciglio anche la 'location' in un improbabile principato da operetta (dopo tutto, anche il grande Thomas Mann aveva inventato qualcosa del genere...), ma... santo cielo, troppi 'cattivi', ognuno con i suoi loschi motivi, ognuno indipendente dagli altri. Alla fine, davvero, mi girava la testa
June 8, 2020
3 1/2 stars. An old favorite of mine. This romantic suspense novel is about a young woman who takes the opportunity to sing in an opera before she dies. However, somebody doesn’t want the opera to go on and she must fight her illness and unknown enemies in order to perform.
December 24, 2024
Lissenberg #3 - 1979 - HB - used Library Book - Kingwood Public Library copy - read many times
December 25, 2025
Luin suomeksi Kohtalokas alkusoitto.
January 25, 2008
I'm not generally keen on thrillers, but I do enjoy Jane Aiken Hodge's genre, which tend to be light thrillers - often in a historical setting - with an underlying romance. Her writing style is crisp, her suspense is just scary enough to keep me reading but not unpleasant enough to stop me sleeping at night!
'Last Act' is set in the 1960s, and features Anne Paget, a singer who has just learned that she has an unspecified illness. Her doctor informs her that she has - at most - six months to live. The same day, she receives an invitation to be understudy in a newly-discovered opera in the small European town of Lissenburg.
With nothing to lose, Anne decides to take up the offer, and finds herself rapidly involved in intrigue, scandal, and extreme danger.
It was a pleasant light read. Not my favourite novel by this author, and somehow I didn't find myself deeply involved with any of the characters although they were mostly believable enough. But it certainly kept me interested for a couple of days and I enjoyed reading it.
'Last Act' is set in the 1960s, and features Anne Paget, a singer who has just learned that she has an unspecified illness. Her doctor informs her that she has - at most - six months to live. The same day, she receives an invitation to be understudy in a newly-discovered opera in the small European town of Lissenburg.
With nothing to lose, Anne decides to take up the offer, and finds herself rapidly involved in intrigue, scandal, and extreme danger.
It was a pleasant light read. Not my favourite novel by this author, and somehow I didn't find myself deeply involved with any of the characters although they were mostly believable enough. But it certainly kept me interested for a couple of days and I enjoyed reading it.
August 1, 2015
I found this dull reading. Anne, an opera singer who gave up her career to marry, has just been informed by her doctor that she has 6 months or less to live. You never find out what the diagnosis was just that she has widely spaced intervals of excruciating pain. Just where that pain is you will never find out by reading this book. You do learn though that the pain is worse if she is hungry. Whatever it is that she has shows up on x-rays, but again you have no idea what portion of her anatomy was x-rayed. She has been unhappy and living in poverty since the death of her cheating husband. Her unhappiness has led to her losing the ability to sing. Then one day she came home from work and found a letter from Carl, the man who had taught her to sing. He wanted her to take a job as understudy to one of his singers in a newly discovered opera by Beethoven. Miraculously she instantaneously recovers her singing ability. I won't say more other than it's a mess. Read on openlibrary.com
Read
July 17, 2016 I picked up this book because it had a clue about the beauty of Beethoven Music. A lost Opera of his had been found and was about to be performed at the same time. A lucky girl who faced with certain death was chosen to travel to Switzerland in a Palace, no less, to sing it. Mystery, Music, travel and suspense. What more could I ask for.
The ending was confusing, almost spoiling the story line, as the other characters struggle to capture the moment. copyright in 1979 and smelly with age, it was worth the save.
The ending was confusing, almost spoiling the story line, as the other characters struggle to capture the moment. copyright in 1979 and smelly with age, it was worth the save.
February 25, 2024
This older novel (1979) was referenced in another source as a good fictional description of opera. It's true that the production of a previously undiscovered opera by Beethoven occupies much of the first half of the book. However, the second part disintegrates into a crazy, unbelievable mess of murder, mayhem and romance, with opera pushed firmly off the stage. A disappointment.
March 19, 2009
This is also one of my favorite romances, maybe because it was one of the first serious ones I read. It is clean too, and a good mystery and suspense novel.
September 6, 2024
Read years ago….80’s
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews