Book Review: Mozart's Last Aria by Matt Rees

Mozart's Last Aria by Matt Rees
Publication Date: 2011
Publisher: Corvus
Pages: 291
Format: Hard Cover
Source: Library
Genre: Historical Crime
Rating: 5 out of 5

Synopsis from inside cover

The year is 1791 and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is enlightenment Vienna's brightest star. Master of the city's music halls and devoted member of the Austrian Freemason's guild, he stands at the heart of an electric mix of art and music, philsophy and science, politics and intrigue.

Six weeks ago, the great composer told his wife he had been poisoned. Yesterday, he died.

The city is buzzing with rumours of infidelity, bankruptcy and murder. But Wolfgang's estranged sister Nannerl, returned from the provinces to investigate his death, will not believe the gossip. Who but a madman would poison such genius?

Yet as she looks closely at what her brother left behind - a handwritten score, a scrap of paper from his journal - Nannerl finds traces of something sinister: the threads of a Masonic conspiracy that reach from the gilded ballrooms of Viennese society to the faceless offices of the Prussian secret service.

Only when watching Wolfgang's bewitching opera, The Magic Flute, does Nannerl truly understand he beloved brother once again. For, encoded in his final aria, she detects a subtly crafted blueprint for a radical new tomorrow. Mozart hoped this would determine his future. Did it seal his fate instead?

My Thoughts

Mozart's Last Aria is an historical crime novel, that is set around the time of Mozart's death in 1791. It is told from the viewpoint of his sister Maria Anna 'Nannerl' Mozart.

Although Nannerl is telling the story, the main character is Mozart himself.  All the way through the story Mozart's work is mentioned. Matt Rees even includes a chapter music list at the end of the book, I found this to be very useful as it really helped me visualise the settings that the music was used in.

Even though this is an historical crime novel, it is also a conspiracy novel at the same time.  It reminded me of Dan Browns The Da Vinci Code.  We have Freemasons, Secret Police and characters that you don't know whether to trust or trust.  The main characters in the story were all real, and this also helped bring the story to life.

Matt Rees descriptive powers are outstanding, and I really felt like I was standing in the main locations mentioned in this book, especially the Flour Market and St Michael's Church.

Mozart's Last Aria is an excellent crime?conspiracy novel that grabs the readers' attention and doesn't let go till the very end.  I highly recommend this book

Review: Blind Traveler Down A Dark River by Robert P. Bennett

Blind Traveler Down A Dark River by Robert P. Bennett
Publisher: PublishAmerica
Publication Date: 2 May 2005
ISBN: 978-1413769999
Genre: Science Fiction, Crime
Pages: 205
Kindle Size: 256 KB
Rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:

Douglas Abledan is blind. But a blind man may just see something everyone else missed. A modern day miracle, a Virtual Sensory GPS unit, helps him navigate his world - but on one critical day it fails and Douglas apparently stumbles upon the scene of a what may just have been a murder. Disoriented and confused, he isn't the first man a retiring cop wants to listen to.
In the year 2021 increasing global earthquakes threaten civilization’s infrastructure. Unimat Incorporated is trying to stop the destruction by introducing a new building material. Special interests are up in arms. Environmentalists blame technology for the problem and want a different solution. Steel workers worry about jobs and safety. Now someone has hired a contract killer to stop the project. Can one lone blind man expose the killer without becoming a target?

Review:

I love science fiction and crime novels and to have both in one book was like heaven for me.  I requested this book from Robert P. Bennett, who kindly agreed to let me review it, without even reading the synopsis.  I was more intrigued by the title, Blind Traveler Down A Dark River. What an awesome title for a book.  As I started reading it I found that I was completely engrossed in the story and couldn't tear myself away.

First of all we have the character of John Haggerty, the CEO of Unimat. Unimat have been researching a product called Plasteel.  Basically they have taken the best properties of steel and combined it with plastic. How futuristic is that? Secondly we have Douglas Abledan, a blind R & D guy who uses a technology called the Virtual Sight GPS unit to help him get around. Again how futuristic does that sound? So how does this become a crime novel.

Well John Haggerty gets shot in a seemingly random drive-by shooting and Douglas Abledan witnesses it. Nobody believes that Douglas witness the murder, not even the police. How can a blind man witness a crime when he wasn't even in the area where it happened? Well basically his trusty Virtual Sight GPS unit malfunctions and tells him he's somewhere where he knows he isn't. So Douglas sets out to solve the crime himself.  That is when this book becomes a crime novel.  So how does Douglas go about solving this crime, well you're going to have to read the book to find out.  All I will say is I couldn't stop reading.

This is a fantastic book from beginning to end. I liked all the characters but I like the character of Douglas Abledan more. I hope Robert P. Bennett writes more novels like this, as I will definitely be buying them. This is a must read for fans of science fiction and crime novels, although I think anyone would enjoy it.