Cemetery of the Nameless

Victoria Morgan is a violin virtuoso, with the temperment and passions that one might expect in a woman with that kind of talent. While in Europe, Tory is lured away from her very successful tour by an Austrian aristocrat, tempting her with a newly discovered concerto, almost certainly Beethoven's last work. Baron Rudolph von Heislinger has designs on Tory which have nothing to do with music. At the end of an evening of fine dining, very good wines, and some great music, Baron Rudy puts the moves on Tory. When she wakes up, she has been raped and Baron Rudy is dead on the bed beside her, with her fingerprints on the knife sticking out of his chest. Her husband Rocky Lukesh is back in Canada when the news breaks that his wife is being sought for the murder. He high-tails it off to Vienna, hooks up with Tory's accompanist Roderick Whitchurch, and tries to figure out what happened. One of Rocky's problems is Tory herself. She has cheated on him before, although after the last time, she promised "never again". So Rocky is dealing with the facts of what happened, the rumors of what might or might not have happened, and the possibilities - all of which seem to shift on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. There are police involved - a "good" cop with a musician for a daughter, who helps Rocky behind the scenes. There is the "bad" cop, almost a caricature, who has painted himself into a corner with the press and is therefor reluctant to consider new evidence, no matter how compelling. CEMETARY OF THE NAMELESS is a good mystery. There are enough plausible suspects for Baron Rudy's murder, all with viable motives and opportunity. The atmosphere provided by the setting - Vienna and parts of non-urban Austiria - is moving and very much in keeping with the tone of the book. Blechta is a musician, and one can see this in the recurring themes weaving in and out of the work. While I know that some of the musical information went right over my head, I grasped enough to know that Tory's obsession with this last Beethoven concerto was possible, given her character as written by Blechta. Again, CEMETARY OF THE NAMELESS is a good mystery. It probably resonates more for people with the musical background to appreciate some of Blechta's writing on that field. If you enjoy mysteries set in Europe, mysteries with a fine sense of place, mysteries with a strong element of the thriller, then I would strongly recommend Rick Blechta's CEMETARY OF THE NAMELESS to you. I can't speak to his other three mysteries, but suspect that they would prove to be satisfying as well.

With more twists and turns than the old streets of Vienna, Rick Blechta cleverly disguises a mini-rollercoaster as "Cemetery of the Nameless." Tried and convicted in the court of public opinion of the murder of an Austrian aristocrat, violin virtuoso Victoria Morgan attempts to stay one step ahead of the law as she tries to recover what may be a newly discovered Beethoven concerto before being carted off to prison. The evidence stacked heavily against her, Victoria's husband and close friends have to work around the Austrian authorities in an attempt to prove Victoria's innocence. Would the efforts of Rocky and Victoria's friends simply wind up confirming Victoria's guilt instead? "Cemetery of the Nameless" comes from Canadian crime author Rick Blechta. Written in the first person from two perspectives (Victoria's and her husband Rocky's), one is often in two places at the same time, an apt way to present the story, and it keeps things moving right along. The language is straightforward and not dense. A clue or two is dropped as the story goes on, but for the most part the reader pieces things together as much as Rocky has to. A mix of the old Austrian aristocracy, an eager self-important police chief looking for his next promotion, and a shady government official turn this into a whom-do-you-trust for Rocky. Prime suspect Victoria is a unique character who doesn't see the world quite the same way everyone else does, and the frustrated but steadfast Rocky has to figure this factor and Victoria's past discretions into his own equations as he digs for the truth, even if it doesn't look good for his wife. Rick Blechta, a musician himself, injects a musician's thoughts into the book. Vivid descriptions are given of what Victoria feels as she is playing the mysterious (and alleged) Beethoven concerto. Rick tells us about why Beethoven would have written such a piece and how it may have reflected his life. Vienna, too, is a character in the story, where we learn a bit about the city's past and its culture and how classical music is a very large part of both. I enjoyed the music, culture, and characters presented in the book, but I found myself more drawn to the story itself and how it unraveled; I had to know what was on the next page. When you think that Rocky has made a breakthrough, someone is there to snatch it from his grasp. And whom does Rocky trust? The authorities? Those there the night of the murder? Victoria herself? Can the fragile Victoria even deal with all that is happening to her? Open to the first page of "Cemetery of the Nameless" and feel the car of the rollercoaster being drawn up its first hill. Then hold on--it's a fast-moving, enjoyable ride!