The Countess of Prague by Stephen Weeks

First Line: It was in late February, when the melting mountain snows had swollen the banks of the Vltava.

It's 1904, and in the city of Prague there happens to be a rather bored young aristocrat-- the Countess Beatrice von Falklenburg. Her polite but impoverished marriage has become devoid of love, and even flirting with handsome men and sending them meaningless little love notes has lost its allure. 

When the body of an old man who used to be under the command of her military uncle is fished from the river, she takes to the role of detective with relish-- trying on disguises, calling herself Trixie, and going undercover on a train journey to Paris and London. Her very first investigation eventually finds her in the spa town of Marienbad, where Edward VII of England and his nephew Kaiser Wilhelm are scheduled to meet.

This is the first in a ten-book series of the Countess Beatrice von Falklenburg's adventures which will take her from 1904 to 1914 when World War I breaks out and changes the world she knows forever. The Countess of Prague gives readers an excellent flavor of the times, but it got off to a shaky start-- mainly due to Trixie herself. 

I had to remind myself several times that this book relates the beginning of Trixie's life as a spy/detective because her upper-class snobbery and some of her hare-brained stunts exasperated me greatly. (The stunts mainly because they showed a lack of common sense, but then--as I kept reminding myself-- she's led a sheltered life.)

I also found the plot to be overly convoluted, to the point where I began to lose interest, but the redeeming features saved the day. What redeeming features? The humor, for one, made me smile. The second redeeming feature was the secondary cast, in particular her servants, Müller and Sabine. This is where actually working with those two and seeing them as human beings rather than pieces of furniture makes Trixie begin to change for the better. The servants' willingness to work with her on her clandestine mission shows more than just employee obedience, too. 

Once the countess began to grow into her chosen role of spy and detective, the reading became much more enjoyable, and I do look forward to her next adventure.
 

The Countess of Prague by Stephen Weeks

eISBN: 9781464208454

Poisoned Pen Press © 2017

eBook, 303 pages

Historical Mystery, #1 Countess of Prague mystery

Rating: B

Source: Net Galley 

Innocence or, Murder on Steep Street by Heda Margolius Kovály

First Line: I got off the tram at Můstek and walked the rest of the way.

Almost lost to censorship, Innocence features some of famed Holocaust memoirist Heda Margolius Kovály's own experiences in an engrossing mystery set in 1950s Prague, a city and a country firmly under the thumb of the Soviet regime.

Life in Prague is hard. Not just because of shortages or political corruption or the unceasing surveillance, but because there is no way of knowing whether or not your neighbors-- or even your family and friends-- are spying for the government. Even if they're not spying, what are they going to say if they're picked up for questioning by a State Security agent?

Secrets are a way of life, and when a little boy is murdered at the movie theatre where his aunt works, the investigation begins to shine too much light on the personal lives of the theatre's four female ushers-- and they all have secrets to hide.

When you begin reading Innocence-- and I hope all of you will-- please do not skip the introduction written by Heda Margolius Kovály's son. These pages will show you that Kovály's own life was every bit as interesting as her book, and as each character's secrets are revealed, there is such an incredible ring of truth that it cannot be denied. Kovály was influenced by Raymond Chandler, but this little jewel of a mystery is far from being some slavish copy. 

The theme of innocence runs throughout the book, and what Kovály's own experiences taught her was that, in a regime like that, no one is really innocent. It's a horrifying thing to contemplate, but by book's end, readers will come to realize that it's true.

Vendyš wiped away the rain sliding down his nose. Steep Street was like an empty auditorium after a performance, with Vendyš the late-coming spectator who could only guess at what had taken place.

Kovály has a talent for writing one- to two-line descriptions of her characters that are tiny slices of perfection. So many of today's writers would take paragraphs or even pages to define each one of theirs. There are other passages in Innocence that are beautifully descriptive and psychologically insightful. By the time the mystery is solved and Kovály's story has come to an end, I felt emotionally brutalized-- and in awe. She distilled years of fear and horror and rage into this book, and as a result Innocence is haunting... and extraordinary. 
 

Innocence or, Murder on Steep Street by Heda Margolius Kovály

ISBN: 9781616954963

Soho Crime © 2015

Literary Mystery, Standalone

Rating: A+

Source: the publisher 

The Man in the Attic by Rebecca Cantrell

First Line: Jacob clutched the shooter in his left hand and ran through muddy streets.

It's 1940 in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, and Jacob's grandfather has repeatedly warned him of the danger surrounding their small village. But Jacob doesn't listen. When bullies try to take his prized marble from him, Jacob hides in his synagogue's attic. He feels safe from them there because he's remembered that the attic is forbidden territory, and when he opens a huge crate and finds a man made of clay, Jacob remembers something else. 

His grandfather has told him stories of an earthen defender of the Jews of Prague. Could this be the man of his grandfather's stories? If it is, then no one would dare take his marble or harm his village. All he has to do is speak one single word to bring the clay man to life. Should Jacob do it?

I've long heard good things about Rebecca Cantrell's writing, and when I saw that this digital short story was available I thought I'd go for a test drive. If I liked this story, then I'd make a point to read her books. What's the verdict? I'll be reading a Rebecca Cantrell novel in the near future.

This short story is so good that I wished there were more to it. Jacob is a very annoying little boy who seems to go out of his way to not pay attention to what he's been told. He's oblivious to the danger all around him. As far as Jacob is concerned, he's bulletproof. He is invincible. But the reader isn't oblivious. To the reader, the very atmosphere seems filled with dread.

Cantrell uses the Jewish legend of the golem not only to build suspense and foreboding, she uses it to provide a wonderful little twist at the end that I really enjoyed. Here's yet another example of a digital short story helping me find a new author to read!

"The Man in the Attic" by Rebecca Cantrell 

ASIN: B00JCSMT8W

Rebecca Cantrell © 2014

Digital short story, approximately 15 pages

Short Story

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.