A robbery in London’s Charing Cross Road. The murder of a catholic priest at the end of World War Two. A genocide in Namibia. The discovery of the remains of Hitler’s personal secretary.Something connects all these things, and former British spy Jack Price knows the answer. He’s willing to die to keep the secret, but the problem is… he’s not the only one who knows.It’s the lies that are not … lies that are not heard, but kept as secrets, that own us all. Deep in the world of espionage, lies and deception, how far is Jack willing to go to fulfill his mission?
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Why This Book
I’m beginning to read more from a few publishers that publish other books I’ve enjoyed, and this author is under contract with one of those companies, Creativia. What Happened in Vienna, Jack by Daniel Kemp fell into my lap while it was on sale via Amazon last month, so I allotted it to February and made it a current read this week. I always look forward to clever and complex thriller and suspense fiction, and this one hit the spot. Kudos to the author!
Approach & Style
I read this ~350 page book via Kindle Reader on my iPad over four days and six hours. It is a British period piece focusing on a few decades in the mid-twentieth century involving a spy, military, police, murder, intrigue and war. And that’s just the beginning! The language is very intricate and detailed. The story hops through the past and the present. It focuses on a few different critical characters you get to know little by little — or all at once! But my favorite part is how it offers up a true British nostalgia and ambiance.
Key Thoughts
Espionage and murder… could it get any better when it comes to solving a mystery? Author Kemp provides all the suspense and thrills in this very descriptive story. Main detective Patrick is very charismatic in an offbeat way, but he will also stand out as a highly intelligent and trustworthy confidante you enjoy sharing the read with. He’s not quite the narrator, but you get that feel from how the book is written.
I appreciate the skills necessary to weave together this type of tale. When you have multiple decades and secrets to track, it could be easily confusing. But it’s not. There are many twists and turns, surprising reveals, and eye-squinting characters who make you wonder… ‘what’s going on here?’ — but soon enough you start pulling the past together. Then the ending portion kicks in… and you’re back to guessing all over again!
I enjoyed this read. It’s partially in my typical reading choices, but it’s more of a spy novel that I’m used to… think a bit James Bond like. I am more a horror thrillers chasing serial killers or historical fiction type of reader. But this bring some elements from both and offers a good tale with a what feels like a realistic setting. I’m sure the author’s career helped played a big role in developing this story. Add in the various facts / stories we all know about World War II and how the ‘underground network’ works, then you’ve got a strong read.
Summary
I’m impressed with the author’s ability to weave a highly complex plot over multiple time periods and characters, in particular how well written the language in the story is. I recently learned it’s part of a book series, where two are already written and a third is on the way in the future. Very exciting for any true British crime fan!
What Happened in Vienna, Jack? is a spy thriller that will have you turning pages fast to find out what happens. The only problem is, everyone has an alias and everyone is lying about what happened at the Chancellery in Vienna in 1937. One young man by the name of Patrick is recruited from his regular duties at Scotland Yard and pulled into Jack Price’s ‘web of deceit’. Of course, Patrick finds he relishes the excitement and decides to find the truth hidden in the lies. Who knows, he might get lucky?
And Patrick has a litany of questions: First of all, who is this Jack guy working for? Who was the father of Penina’s baby? And what’s with the chemical weapons being tested in Africa? The intriguing novel will take you all over the globe in an effort to solve dark mysteries that happened after WWII. But when you ask Jack he’ll say, “Seldom do I deal with truth, as the people I mix with wouldn’t know what that is.”
Read What Happened in Vienna, Jack? And find out whether Patrick ever finds out the truth.
A lot of characters to remember.
Very complex, a little hard to follow sometimes, historical, some good lines, interesting
Complex story, beautiful prose, reminded me of Umberto Eco’s The Prague Cemetery. If the details are all true it should shock the people in Britain. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
It was an interesting read but not an easy one. There were too many characters and too many events over a very long period of time that forced me to frequently backtrack to get clarity. But the story was a good one and that made the book worth reading.
Author is reminiscent of Len Deighton; makes the reader solve some puzzles.
Hard plot to follow at times
Intriguing idea, but a little hard to follow. Enjoyed reading the story.
Too many names for the same character
I didn’t finish this book… I simply lost interest…
Couldn’t finish it. Dry, uneventful and downright boring.
Hard to follow. Strange book overall
After struggling through the first 50 pages, I gave up. The characters are not engaging and the prose is dense.
It might have turned out to be a good story if I could have continued to read it. The writing was so choppy and disjointed, it was very hard to read. I’m not a terribly picky reader. If there’s a decent story I’ll read just about anything but this one was just too hard to stick with. I now understand the meaning of the concept of “flow”. This book doesn’t.
The writer did not develop the character of Jack very well. He also jumped from one conversation to another without letting the reader know what was happening. Very confusing. I had to force myself to finish the book.
Could not get through the first chapter. Not interesting.
Very many characters, perhaps too many. English police-spy story with overlap into America. If you like English writing this might be entertaining.
not my cup of tea ( pun)
I have no idea why I finished this book, it was terrible!