VIENNA SECRETS

It's no secret that writer Frank Tallis is great at historical fiction. Narrator Robert Fass provides an eloquent narration, including an ability to switch from character to character with ease. In this fourth Max Liebermann period piece (1903), Liebermann searches for the perpetrators of some grisly killings. All the victims turn out to be anti-Semites, and Liebermann, himself a Jew, wonders whether he's doing the right thing. Aside from the backdrop of anti-Semitism, listeners get a wonderful description of turn-of-the-century Prague, in addition to Vienna. Fass is at the top of his game, switching from one character's rich voice to the crackly tones of another. He takes us back to Europe of 100 years ago and makes us believe we’re right in the thick of it. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2012]