Free The Melancholy Countess (Short Story) by Frank Tallis

Praise for
Vienna Twilight
    “Perhaps one of the best, if not the best, of Tallis’s Max Liebermann books, the latest in the series featuring the Viennese psychoanalyst and his friend, detective Oskar Rheinhardt, is a gripping read.… With numerous unexpected plot twists, captivating characters, intriguing intellectual interplay between Rheinhardt and Liebermann, and masterful writing, this is a must-read for all mystery buffs.”
    —
Booklist
(starred review)
    “Liebermann’s fifth (
Vienna Secrets
, 2010, etc.) once more folds a nifty mystery into a fascinating portrait of a unique time. And there’s a nice surprise twist.”
    —
Kirkus Reviews
    “Cleverly done and never dull … with well researched and wonderfully imagined period detail … a rich and riveting read.”
    —
The Guardian
(UK)
    “With this novel Tallis, a Harley Street clinical psychologist, confirms his place in the front rank of British thriller writers.”
    —
Daily Mail
(UK)
    Praise for
Vienna Secrets
    “Captivating … [an] elegantly designed and executed period mystery.”
    —
The New York Times Book Review
    “Tallis’s excellent fourth puzzler set in early twentieth-century Vienna (after 2008’s
Fatal Lies
) neatly blends mystery and history.… Fans of Caleb Carr will feel right at home.”
    —
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
    “The historical details of police work and forensic investigation again are a strong point, and with this book’s inclusion of a trip to Prague, readers are introduced to another fascinating city.… A solid entry in an excellent historical mystery series.”
    —
Booklist
    “Outstanding … Tallis’s darkest and most compelling novel to date.”
    —
The Sunday Times
(London)
    “Tallis is exploring serious themes here—among them, the political and religious climate that made the rise of fascism possible, and the conflict between secular and religious ethical systems.”
    —
The Spectator
(London)
    Praise for
Fatal Lies
    “Tallis’s singular achievement is to bring vividly to life many of the glories and dangers of a great city at a crucial moment in its history … immensely satisfying.… The author delights us with rich, often gorgeous prose.… [He] has an exceptional ability to move seamlessly among varied plot elements, characters and emotions.… If you’re looking for the best in popular fiction, it’s well worth seeking out.”
    —
The Washington Post
    “Frank Tallis has surged to the front of the field riding his dark horse, Vienna in the last days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.… While it’s always a delight to visit the ballrooms where Strauss is played and the opera house where Mahler is rehearsing and the coffeehouses where ideas are devoured mit Schlag, this smart series has far more to offer than decorative charm.”
    —
The New York Times Book Review
    “Another immensely satisfying novel in Frank Tallis’s intelligent and subtle Dr. Liebermann/Inspector Rheinhardt series … dense, engrossing … a fine adventure.”
    —
The Boston Globe
    “St. Florian’s Military Academy outside Vienna serves as the forbidding backdrop for Tallis’s stellar third historical to feature Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt and Dr. Max Liebermann.… Several late twists lead to a startling resolution of this compelling tale.”
    —
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)
    “What is basically a murder mystery becomes something quite extraordinary as Tallis skillfully weaves in the politics, history, music, and social customs of turn-of-the-century Vienna. Another outstanding entry in an erudite and mesmerizing series; a must for historical-mystery devotees.”
    —
Booklist
(starred review)
    “Elegant.… Tallis has come up with a particularly ingenious method of murder.… His novels show the modern world coming into existence in one of Europe’s great cities, and are all the more poignant for the knowledge that the first world war will soon cast its shadow over his deeply human