Midnight in Vienna

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What to expect

'Gripping and surprising' Observer

'Evocative . . . highly enjoyable' The Times

'Sharply drawn characters' Financial Times

'Thrilling' Spectator

'Truly wonderful' Crime Time

Historical espionage at its very best. Set in 1938 in London and Vienna, a tense and atmospheric thriller told against a backdrop of uncertainty and fear as World War Two threatens.

As war looms over Britain and there is talk of gas masks and blackout, people are understandably jumpy and anxious. Stella Fry, who's been working in Vienna for a Jewish family, returns home with no job and a broken heart. She answers an advertisement from a famous mystery writer, Hubert Newman, who needs a manuscript typed. She takes on the job and is shocked the next day to learn of the writer's sudden, unexplained death. She is even more surprised when, twenty-four hours later, she receives Newman's manuscript and reads the Dedication:

To Stella, spotter of mistakes.

Harry Fox, formerly of Special Branch and brilliant at surveillance, has been suspended for some undisclosed misdemeanor. He has his own reasons for being interested in Hubert Newman. He approaches Stella Fry to share his belief that the writer's death was no accident.

What's more, since she was the last person to see Newman, she could be in danger herself.

Critics Review

Set in those dark days leading up the Second World War. Leads the reader from a mysterious crime in London to espionage drama in Vienna. Fox and Fry are great characters
ALEX GERLIS, author of EVERY SPY A TRAITOR and VIENNA SPIES
Absorbing and brilliantly detailed, with an unerring feel for period and for building tension. Showcases Jane's knack of landing on an aspect of pre-war tensions and upheavals to create a terrific novel
ELIZABETH BUCHAN, author of TWO WOMEN IN ROME and BONJOUR, SOPHIE
As both a first-rate thriller, and a loving, witty riff on the Golden Age of detective fiction, Midnight in Vienna is outstanding, written with zest and incisive wit
AMANDA CRAIG, author of THE THREE GRACES
A total tour de force . . . an acute evocation of a world and atmosphere. The story is brilliant, the characters funny and engaging, the plot perfectly paced and with such a clever, beady twist
SABINE DURRANT, author of LIE WITH ME
A tour de force of meticulous plotting, suspense, historical atmosphere and terrific characterisation. I loved Fox and Fry and hope this is the start of a whole new series
BEL MOONEY
A masterclass in atmosphere and tension . . . letting each scene come to vivid life. Never have I lived so fully inside 1938
YSENDA MAXTONE GRAHAM, author of JOBS FOR THE GIRLS
A thrilling blend of fact and fiction. The stakes couldn't be higher. A terrific read
S. J. BENNETT, author of the HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN INVESTIGATES series
Evocative in its period detail and gripping in its narrative drive, this is a highly enjoyable novel
Sunday Times
The action moves between the elegance of Vienna and the paranoia of London with consummate readability. Gripping and surprising
Observer
All the key characters are sharply drawn in this very enjoyable tale
Financial Times
Thynne has pulled off a new kind of spy novel: feminist, literary, morally challenging, and thrilling. Le Carre would have been delighted
Spectator
A beautifully crafted historical thriller with charismatic main characters from a gifted writer. More Fox and Fry tales, please
Irish Independent
A gritty, suspense-packed story filled with [Thynne's] trademark richly detailed and exciting world-building, intriguing characters ... and a growing sense of menace
Lancaster Guardian
The portrayal of the two febrile cities as they prepare for the inevitable conflict on the horizon is starkly evocative and authentic, and the many twists held in store prove wonderfully effective in peeling through the layers of a story inspired by real life events...Truly wonderful'
Crime Time
Thynne, an accomplished writer of historical fiction, continues her winning streak with her vividly drawn story set in London in 1938 as the country slides towards war. The death of a famous mystery writer quickly opens the door to a sinister conspiracy reaching from 10 Downing Street to the dangerous back alleys of Nazi-occupied Vienna
Financial Times Books of the Year
Jane Thynne takes a real situation and brilliantly weaves fictional characters into the factual crisis, evoking atmosphere and period detail in thrilling ways
Spectator Books of the Year

User Reviews

Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
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5.0
Different. Quite different and original. Thrilling from beginning to end. Enjoyed it thoroughly. A good listen.
hallwiton 12/06/2025

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