Villainy in Vienna by Kelly Oliver (A Fiona Figg Mystery Book 3)

 

Publication Date:

January 20, 2022

Genre:

Cozy Historical Mystery

Series:

Fiona Figg Mystery Book 3

Length: 

260 pages

Book Description (GoodReads):

1917 Vienna.

File clerk turned British agent Fiona Figg is more comfortable wearing a fake mustache than a ballgown.
When a royal ball ends with a royal body in the middle of the dancefloor, Fiona trades her dancing slippers for practical oxfords and sets out to investigate.
As she tracks her nemesis, the Black Panther, from Vienna to the Austrian countryside, a hunting accident makes her rethink her loyalties.
Can Fiona prevent the Black Panther from striking again, save her own skin, and find a decent cup of tea, all before the enemy's emperor realizes she's a spy?

My Thoughts:

Having read these books in order (a feat for me!) book 3 was a lot of fun now knowing the characters better. While there wasn't a ton of murders or super intricate details going on to solve in this one, the political intrigue combined with the quirky personas involved made it a good book. Once again, Fiona is hot on the trail of her nemesis, notorious spy Fredrick Fredricks. He is always one step ahead of her though and continues to get in her head and see through her disguises. While Fiona is not the least bit interested in him romantically and only has eyes for fellow British spy Archie, she admits Fredricks is handsome and charming in his own way.

She is in Vienna to keep an eye on him and other players on the British side, and report any suspicious behavior to the British war office back home. When the story begins she attends a royal ball where a death occurs, setting things in motion. She befriends an eccentric woman, helps find the culprit in the kidnapping of the lady's dog, and eventually, has to outsmart some of the shady male diplomats around her while trying not to draw too much attention to herself. We meet the real Emperor and Empress of Austria which I found to be a wonderful side story.

I think that is what has kept me coming back to this series. The author does a good job of weaving in real historical characters and World War I information while keeping things light and humorous. I learned a bit about the war again, Vienna's royal society during the time, and was reminded that Fredrick Fredricks was indeed a real person. The next set of books in this series take on a second main character, Kitty, and I will pick up with it soon. They are a good break from serious books.

Can't Wait Wednesday: Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff

 

For this week's Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, I'm featuring, Last Twilight in Paris, by Pam Jenoff. It looks like an interesting mystery set just after WWII. I don't read many books set during this time period but I know it is an incredibly popular era in historical fiction. Happy reading ya'll! 

Historical Fiction/Mystery/WWII

February 4, 2025

 

Book Description courtesy of GoodReads:

A Parisian department store, a mysterious necklace and a woman’s quest to unlock a decade-old mystery are at the center of this riveting novel of love and survival, from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff

London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before when she worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.

Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.

Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Goals for 2025

 

First off.....I am wondering if I can get one of my three cats to pose like this? Lol....but seriously I love this Top Ten Tuesday post each year. Looking back I don't necessarily do well with these goals but I try! 

So here again in January are my bookish goals I hope to accomplish this year and I am excited to see how many I have in common with my fellow readers and bloggers. They are in no particular ranking order, just my thoughts. Thanks to Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl for hosting this each week. Happy reading ya'll!

1. Read more history- I say this every year....I used to be such a straight up reader of history books. But darn if my fellow bloggers didn't get me hooked on historical fiction and now there are so many wonderful books out there I'm finding it impossible to read a dry history book.

2. DNF books after page 50- If I have devoted this much time and energy I need to stop. I'm 50 years old and have only so much time in life left to read...lol.

3. Stop starting so many series- This will be sooooo difficult for me. I love series books but I have to be choosy because I can't possibly read all the books in every series I come across.

4. Spend more time reading and commenting on others' blogs- I absolutely love reading book blogs but often get absorbed in them and forget to comment too. I need to work on this!

5. Whittle down my TBR pile- I know we all have this goal. Enough said. Pick a book and finish it each month is a good start!

6. Give a chance to some new authors- Another goal I always have. I truly want to do this but it's hard when I need a good book from a trusted author I know won't disappoint me and waste my time.

7. Finish my actual paper books- I don't have many as at my age and with my eyesight getting worse each year I'm an avid Kindle user. But I have some great paper books you can't get on Kindle so I want to try to start them this year.

8. Post more consistently- I do post weekly and often more than once. But I don't want just reviews. There are so many fun weekly post ideas and challenges I want to get more involved with. It is just lack of time that causes me to have whole weeks where I don't post with intention.

9. Devote more time in my week to actually reading- This is another goal I'm sure I share with my fellow bloggers and readers.....spending a lot of time looking at new books but not enough time actually reading them. It's just so relaxing to scroll and dream :) 

10. Work on collections- Lately I've been wanting to scour more bookstores for books that are worth keeping in physical form. I'd love to own all of Jean Plaidy's works as they are hard to find and many other authors I've grown up loving. Just for fun. Just because.