Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Vienna Blood (Liebermann Papers #2)

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 492 ratings · 79 reviews

The second in the Dr. Max Liebermann series, literature’s first psychoanalytic detective.

In the grip of a Siberian winter in 1902, a serial killer in Vienna embarks upon a bizarre campaign of murder. Vicious mutilation, a penchant for arcane symbols, and a seemingly random choice of victim are his most distinctive peculiarities. Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt summon...more

Paperback, 485 pages

Published January 8th 2008 by Random House Trade Paperbacks (first published May 4th 2006)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 792)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 12, 2010 Charlie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Vienna Blood is the sequel to Death In Vienna. The beginning presents an intriguing case that is tossed at the reader like a scattered deck of cards and over a course of many pages, begins to form a well-played hand. Reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes detective story, Vienna Blood is packed full of historical detail and delivers an intelligent and well-written mystery. Tallis draws on case comparisons to Jack the Ripper when tracking a serial killer. Also, other fascinating historical persons dire...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 26, 2012 Neiya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller-psikologi, fiksi

Sama seperti buku pertamanya, dibuku kedua Dr.Max Libermann beraksi membantu sang teman Inspektur Oscar Reinhardt. Kali ini kasus pembunuhan berantai seorang psikopat yang melibatkan sebuah sekte kuno yang sangat rahasia dan beranggotakan para elite sastra jerman... weeew 1902!! Terkadang sulit dipercaya masyarakat semi modern awal abad 21 ini begitu cerdas hahaha... tapi karena bersetting di eropa, tepatnya Vienna / wina Austria, maka tidak terlalu mengherankan. Kali ini kisah duo best friend i...more

like · see review

Oct 26, 2012 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those interested in antecedents of Nazism

Brilliantly conceived and written, and also enlightening historically. A series of serial killings in Vienna in 1902 seems insoluble since there is no discernible pattern linking those killed...and the anaconda Hildegard, Emperor Franz Josef's favorite snake in the zoo, is one of the victims. What does the murder of a snake have to do with that of three prostitutes and a madam, of a Czech chicken seller found with a padlock in his throat, of a Nubian servant? Liebermann's night at the opera with...more Brilliantly conceived and written, and also enlightening historically. A series of serial killings in Vienna in 1902 seems insoluble since there is no discernible pattern linking those killed...and the anaconda Hildegard, Emperor Franz Josef's favorite snake in the zoo, is one of the victims. What does the murder of a snake have to do with that of three prostitutes and a madam, of a Czech chicken seller found with a padlock in his throat, of a Nubian servant? Liebermann's night at the opera with Clara and her family provides the inspiration for the solution, along with Freud's knowledge of Sanskrit arcana...which identifies the strange cross painted in blood on the wall of the brothel where the first murders occurred. "Swastika" comes from Sanskrit words meaning "to be" and "well" - and also happens to be the "18th rune" of the mythical pre-Christian Germanic tribe which inspires the secret Arman fraternities, the ancestors of the Nazi party.

Tallis has cleverly interwoven the growing popularity of the pan-German ideology into the discovery of the murderer. Well before World War I and the Versailles treaty, these ancestors of the Nazis were tracing their identity back to a 4th century Germanic tribe's victory over Rome. They were proudly anti-Semitic, anti-Freemason, anti-Catholic -- they worshiped the pagan Norse gods, and their use of "Heil und Sieg" as their salutation had little to do with "salvation" in the Christian sense and everything to do with the salvation of the Teutonic race. Mozart is denigrated as "a superficial composer," Mahler is ridiculed, and Tallis paints some telling tongue-in-cheek portraits of second-rate painters and composers who turn out suitably Teutonic trash. A famous opera by Mozart turns out to have provided the template for the murders, but the motivation is not solely political -- there are roots in the killer's psychological history which Liebermann deftly uncovers, with the help of Freud.

Tallis handles this complex plot brilliantly and the characters are memorable, including several historical figures - Guido von List, a writer/journalist who was considered something of a joke by the real Viennese literati, but whose writings were later used by Adolf Hitler. In an afterword, Tallis details the connections between Hitler and List's Armanenschaft society, linked by Lanz von Liebenfels, one of List's disciples. It's horrifying stuff. Houston Stewart Chamberlain has a cameo part too, making a nasty little speech about "semi-barbarism--dirt, coarseness, falsehood, poverty" the closer one gets to Rome.

Tallis cites as a source Brigitte Hamann's Hitler's Vienna: a Dictator's Apprenticeship, published by Oxford University Press in 1999. Could be fascinating reading...(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 03, 2012 Elli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-historical, mystery-thriller, vienna

Period is at the end of the imperial Vienna. This is the second in the series and I'm about to start the third. It's an era of keen artistic and scientific appreciation, and a strong sense of propriety which reaches heavily into the class system that in essence was the mode of the day. Lieberman, a psychologist and M.D. is into trying out the new theories of psychoanalysis, and he is quite idealistic about the treatment possibilities and tries to use them in his work and in helping his friend a...more

like · see review

Sep 20, 2011 Scottsdale Public Library added it

Shelves: fiction, mystery

Author Frank Tallis combines gruesome crimes with the atmospheric world of fin-de-siècle Vienna. Vienna Blood is the second title in the Detective Oscar Rheinhardt series and continues the friendship of the analytical detective and the Freudian disciple, Dr. Max Liebermann. A serial killer is ritualistically butchering women. As the pair use the new sciences of forensics and psychoanalysis to investigate, they are hindered by the prejudices of their peers. The Weiner Kaffeehaus culture is wonder...more

like · see review

Nov 04, 2010 RuthAlice Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This time Lieberman and Rheinhardt are on the trail of a serial killer that leads to exploration of the secret societies of Vienna including some precursors to the Nazis. The murders are clearly connected, but what is the meaning behind such disparate victims. The underlying theme that motivates the murders is quite ingenious and one that music lovers might solve before our detectives.

This is the second in an excellent series that not only offers satisfying mysteries, but also has a strong sens...more

like · see review

Dec 30, 2009 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who enjoys a good historical mystery, or novels of psychological suspense

Recommended to Mike by: A happy discovery at Barnes and Noble

Shelves: historical-mystery

Frank Tallis delivers a good read with his second volume in the Max Lieberman Papers. A secret Aryan society, an obvious pre-cursor to Naziism has formed in Vienna. Its members are made up of military officers, government officials, scholars and artists. Their goal is to bring back the glory days of the old Germanic Gods. One group member is historically based and actually signed a book for a young Adolph Hitler. You can imagine the hatred and racism engendered by this group. These men bemoan th...more

like · see review

Dec 30, 2010 Elisabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Mar 19, 2010 Carolyn Crocker rated it 4 of 5 stars

The second of excellent series set in early 20th century Vienna. Young psychoanalyst Max Liebermann is Freud's student, a talented musician, a middling fencer, a coffeehouse regular, and best friend of a police detective, Oskar Rheinhardt. The hub of culture, science, and political ferment, 1903 Vienna is itself a character in these books. It is the stage on which the personal, intellectual, and historical intersect with well-plotted solutions to puzzling crimes. Each volume illuminates the orig...more

like · see review

Feb 10, 2011 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries

Slightly better than the first in the series--the author is hitting his stride. These books make me want to do two things: 1) eat lots of Viennese pastry, and 2) listen to lots of German classical music. I can resist #1, but #2 is a fun indulgence. I find myself scribbling down the names of Schubert lieder or Liszt piano pieces to look up and listen to online. As in the first book, I'm really enjoying the characters and their quirks.

This time around I was able to guess who, what, where, when, an...more

like · see review

Jan 26, 2010 Nancy Oakes rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

truly, it's like a 3.5 but rounded up.
Vienna Blood is book two in the series known collectively as The Liebermann Papers, which are set in Vienna just after the turn of the nineteenth century into the twentieth. The main character is Max Liebermann, who is a doctor and devout follower of Sigmund Freud. He is joined by Detective Oskar Rheinhardt, who tries to incorporate all of the newest crime-solving methods, including psychological analysis, when working a case. In this volume, the two have t...more truly, it's like a 3.5 but rounded up.
Vienna Blood is book two in the series known collectively as The Liebermann Papers, which are set in Vienna just after the turn of the nineteenth century into the twentieth. The main character is Max Liebermann, who is a doctor and devout follower of Sigmund Freud. He is joined by Detective Oskar Rheinhardt, who tries to incorporate all of the newest crime-solving methods, including psychological analysis, when working a case. In this volume, the two have their hands full: someone is killing random members of the public, leaving only the slimmest of clues behind. Liebermann and Rheinhardt must figure out exactly what drives the killer, and if he or she is following a particular pattern that isn't readily apparent.
The crime investigation is interwoven with a glimpse into the minds of those who were advocates of German nationalism around this time -- and you can see how later some of the Anti-Semitic and pro-Aryan philosophies will become twisted into what evolved into National Socialism. Tallis looks at this phenomenon in terms of art, music, philosophy and literature, and introduces the readers to one Guido von List, who spent most of his career studying ancient Germanic runes & mythologies, and using them as the basis of his prophecy, which stated that someday, a "Strong One from Above" would purify the German people, bring Germany back to its ancient magnificence and would lead Germany to conquer the world. Scary stuff, especially because we all know what comes later -- the characters don't really yet understand what's in store for them. On the flip side, the story also brings out the loveliness of Viennese society -- the whirl of coffeehouses, pastries, music, theater, art, literature, and the amazing work being done by people like Freud to help cure people of their mental ills. There's also an ongoing side story, that of Max's crisis of conscience over his engagement to the lovely Clara.

Here's the thing: some readers may feel like this book is a bit too long, especially if they're rather impatient to get to the crime itself. Tallis does tend to fill his pages with a lot of period details, from what everyone's eating at the coffehouses to what happens during a duel. But if you're interested in that sort of thing, then you'll like it. Overall, it's a fine sequel to his first excellent novel, Mortal Mischief (the US title). I would recommend it to readers of historical fiction; it's not a cozy novel by any stretch, but a full-length, serious mystery.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 19, 2008 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This one falls right on the edge of being interesting: a historical mystery/ procedural with elements pairing the development of psychoanalysis and the forensic sciences, all set in Vienna, a city I love to read about.

It's a pot boiler, and lacks a real literary texture to the language; it's not as, I don't know, engaged with the language of paradox and equivocation in Freud and sort of leaps for the brass ring of Germanic racial purity in a way that seems a little convenient with the benefit of...more

like · see review

May 05, 2008 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars

I found this book frustrating/irritating, because the author was constantly describing things that are hard to describe in words, such as music and paintings and food. The book needs illustrations! And maybe an accompanying CD of German art-songs and opera excerpts!

It would make an exciting movie (in the style of "The Illusionist," perhaps) or BBC miniseries. It has great settings - the opera house, the coffee shops, the reptile house at the zoo, the underground sewers (shades of Les Miz and Pha...more I found this book frustrating/irritating, because the author was constantly describing things that are hard to describe in words, such as music and paintings and food. The book needs illustrations! And maybe an accompanying CD of German art-songs and opera excerpts!

It would make an exciting movie (in the style of "The Illusionist," perhaps) or BBC miniseries. It has great settings - the opera house, the coffee shops, the reptile house at the zoo, the underground sewers (shades of Les Miz and Phantom!). Most importantly, several major turning points in the action take place through VISUAL media -- someone has an epiphany during an opera performance, or when looking at paintings in a gallery, or in getting a close look at a person's face or expression. Music is also hugely important - the sound of a singer's voice, the emotional quality of a melody.

The murder mystery is MUCH more bloody and downright disgusting than the previous book ("A Death in Vienna"). This time it's a serial killer in the style of "Seven"... and I didn't find the resolution very plausible.

The chapters are incredibly short (some as short as 3 pages), which adds to the sense that it really should be a movie. Although the point of view changes in every chapter (some chapters follow the detective, some follow the psychologist, some show different possible suspects), the narrative voice never changes. It's always bland and descriptive. I kept reading 'til I found out "who dunnit," and then stopped. I think Tallis is going for something along the lines of Caleb Carr's "The Alienist," but isn't willing to write at such a "literary" pace or with such moral seriousness. The most disturbing aspect of the book is not the murder mystery, but the description of various intellectual/cultural/political currents c 1900 that would all too quickly provide the basis of Nazi thought and policy. The author obviously cares about this, because he has a little "afterword" about his sources... but I felt he used it in kind of a bland and superficial way.(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 29, 2009 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the second installment of Tallis's murder mystery psychoanalytical series pairing up homicide detective Reinhardt and Freudian psychologist Leibermann. A serial killer has been unleashed in Vienna - massacring innocent victims with unspeakable violence. As Reinhardt seeks out the murderer, a secret Masonic society is carrying on in the Austrian underground. Leibermann works with a patient suffering from a delusion that a wealthy monarch is in love with him and that her every move is calc...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 12, 2010 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

This book had some definite downsides in its descriptions of gory murders committed by a villain with a fairly thin motive. But I suspect the plot is just a framework on which Tallis hangs his plumper inventions--the café scenes, the musical interludes, the discursions on the development of psychiatry, and the brisk appearances of Miss Lydgate. If you can't be listening to Mozart or Schubert, reading Tallis's descriptions of their music are the next best thing. The scenes that keep me reading in...more

like · see review

Dec 03, 2012 Andrew Harris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The second book in Frank Tallis' turn-of-the-century Vienna (last century, not this one) murder mystery series. Tallis does a terrific job of layering this serial killer tale with specific political and cultural details of the time without letting the story bog down... well at least not much. Some may take the those details as show-offish, others may welcome the determined scene setting.

I liked it because it gave me a good sense of context and the mystery depends on that.

like · see review

Mar 04, 2009 Samantha rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You know how you go to the bookstore, knowing exactly what it is that you want to be reading, but can't find that exact thing (usually because it doesn't exist)? Yeah, that's how I got this book yesterday. What I want to be reading is another installment in Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" series, which he hasn't written yet.

This is the second book in the Tallis series, and I'm enjoying it so far. Of course I'll have to turn around and read book one if this is any good.

I take all that back. This boo...more

like · see review

Aug 14, 2012 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tallis evokes an atmosphere from turn of the century Vienna so vividly you can feel it. You can taste the gugelhupf and smell the großer brauner. The mystery brushes up against the shoulders of Freud, Mahler and royal personages. This book was less a mystery and more a thriller, in my opinion. Neither the plot nor the characters are all that great. But the mix of 19th century institutions with 20th century philosophies and political forces make for compelling reading - and all in the gaslit cobb...more

like · see review

Nov 08, 2012 Betty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

Second in an excellent series featuring a police detective and a psychologist in Vienna, 1905. An ominous time. Very interesting view of early days in detection as well as psychology.
As in the first volume, I was stimulated by all the descriptions of pastry as they meet in various coffeehouses. Clearly one consumes delightful concoctions at any time of the day. If only I could find Viennese coffeehouses around every corner...ah, me!

like · see review

Mar 09, 2010 Jenni rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historicals, mystery

I think Vienna Blood was better than Mortal Mischief, but yet there were too many frustrating little things that makes it impossible to give it more than three stars. The setting of the novel is great, the background work done well, and the characters are credible. Generally the novel is entertaining and an easy read. The problem, in my opinion, is in the mystery itself. From the start it was clear that there were only few potential bad guys, and none of them were interesting enough so that it w...more

like · see review

Nov 04, 2009 Jatu rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: All

Written on its back, "jika Holmes bertemu dengan Freud..."

kalo kita emang penyuka cerita detektif, bisa dibilang novel ini cukup memuaskan. susah nebak siapa pelakunya, cuma karena settingnya tahun 1902 dimana teknologi forensik baru aja berkembang, jadi berasa aneh buat saya untuk ngebacanya. mendingan skalian pas jamannya Sherlock Holmes dulu aja ato CSI sekarang...

like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Writerlibrarian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1900s, mystery, june-pile, read2012

I really liked some parts of this second novel featuring Max Liebermann, young, dashing doctor of psychiatry in Vienna at the beginning of a new century. Set a few months after book 1, in the winter of 1902, Vienna experiences the spree killing of a very disturbed individual. Again, Herr Doctor Liebermann is asked to consult.

I still like the whole Vienna turn of the 1900's. The music scene, much more prominent in this book, the cafes, the food. We get our obligatory Freud cameos and Max's troub...more

like · see review

Sep 15, 2011 Curt Hopkins Hopkins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-mystery, mystery, vienna, austro-hungarian-empire, music, psychoanalysis, psychological

Inspector Rheinhardt and Herr Doktor Liebermann are now my favorite crime fighting duo - an older waltzing Christian cop singer and younger Jewish psychoanalyst pianist. Nice union of detection, psychiatry, politics, religion, culture and history. Occasional running about socking creeps in the chops.

like · see review

Aug 21, 2011 Ernest rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There were elements of much interest in this book, including the central mystery, the setting (both physical and temporal) and the secret organisation. Yet, too many characters meant it was difficult to keep track of them, the overall resolution of the mystery was disappointing, the method of deduction not altogether convincing, and the music and art described difficult, if not impossible, to properly convey in words. This all lead to a disappointing book which does not engender me to read any o...more

like · see review

Jun 29, 2011 Mark Levine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Multiple threads tied together at the end.These threads are somewhat disruptive.Trys too hard to impress with extensive multi-sylabbic vocabulary.Good description (both psychological and physical)of turn of the century Vienna.Makes a case to explain Hitler's anti-Semitism vis a vis Germanic mythology.

like · see review

Aug 01, 2011 Karmen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-police, mystery, historical-fiction

This book was much better - a traditional thriller with psychological overtones. It explores rising ethnic tensions within the Habsburg empire.

The relationship b/w former patient Amelia Lydgate and Max Lieberman continues to grow as she becomes a police contributor.

like · see review

Jul 04, 2011 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

It starts slowly very slowly and gradually builds in pace. This is the second in a series of fin de siecle Viennese mysteries featuring a chief inspector and a budding psychiatrist.There is a lot of classical music involved and of course Dr Freud and G Mahler.

like · see review

Mar 27, 2009 Peter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, science, history

I am quite a fan of real life psycho-analyst Frank Tallis series set in turn of the century Vienna. An intriguing blend of the origins of Psychiatry and the mystery genre as well as an excellent use of history to set the themes, scenes and time.

like · see review

Dec 11, 2010 ahmedoank rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

mungkin buat para penggemar serial detektif, semacam CSI atau 24, ini lah cikal bakal cerita2 detektif yang berkembang saat ini, karena settingnya sekitaran tahun 1902, dimana ilmu- ilmu forensik belum berkembang seperti sekarang, bayangin aja, mau membedakan antara darah manusia dan babi, cukup di suntikan ke binatang kelinci, sederhana tp hasilnya.

pas baca buku ini susah sekali menebak, dalang pembunuhan yang terjadi di kota Wina, malah tak di sangka, oooh ternyata dia toh pembunuhnya.

"Holmes...more

like · see review

Mar 23, 2009 Yuyun Aza rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

minjem buku ally but it's trully amazing..
sejak buka hal pertama, case nya dah bikin "surprise"... pas case yg kedua bikin tambah penasaran..sampai halaman trakhir, masih penasaran dengan buku ke3ny...
dapat dman yah buku ke3 nya???

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 26 27 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (9)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

43 users

Historical Fiction

22 users

Mystery > Historical Mystery

13 users

Mystery > Crime

9 users

Novels

4 users

Psychology

4 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

4 users

Asian Literature > Indonesian Literature

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

The Damascened Blade
by Barbara Cleverly
Rosa
by Jonathan Rabb
Ratcatcher
by James McGee
Whom the Gods Love
by Kate Ross
To Kingdom Come
by Will Thomas

About Frank Tallis

Aka F.R. Tallis.

Dr. Frank Tallis is a writer and clinical psychologist. He has held lecturing posts in clinical psychology and neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry and King's College, London. He has written self help manuals (How to Stop Worrying, Understanding Obsessions and Compulsions) non-fiction for the general reader (Changing Minds, Hidden Minds, Love Sick), academic text books and o...more

More about Frank Tallis...

Books by Frank Tallis

A Death in Vienna (Liebermann Papers, #1)

Deadly Communion (Liebermann Papers, #5)

Death and the Maiden (Liebermann Papers, #6)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Vienna Blood

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Vienna Blood
avg rating	preview: Vienna Blood Goodreads rating: 3.68 (492 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1912252.Vienna_Blood?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320405885l/1912252.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1912252.Vienna_Blood?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Vienna Blood by Frank Tallis[/url]

Vienna Blood (Liebermann Papers #2)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website