In Mirrors of a Genevian Night, the author tells us of his reflections on encountering a similar sight when he had to stay outside Geneva Railway Station and Geneva Airport on a chilling November night. He elaborates on one long and exhausting night he spent, having been locked out for many hours with nowhere to keep warm, with freezing temperatures, awaiting his flight to Spain for a study module. It was during such a night that he encountered many situations that reminded him of his student days and his life back home in India. He describes his experiences over the years, while watching the time tick by before he could re-enter the airport. He gives us fascinating insights into his beloved culture, his student days, his youthful experimentation and love for two ladies.
Harriet Rose, 26, is an American photographer just winning recognition for her work. A travel fellowship brings her to visit her best friend and former roommate, Anne Gordon, in Switzerland. In an ongoing letter to her boyfriend, Harriet reports on strange developments in Anne's life, most notably her affair with a much older married man, which seems to be leading to a disastrous conclusion. Before she can rescue Anne, events take a series of unexpected turns, and Harriet must reexamine her own life and past, and come to terms with the difficulties and possibilities of human relationships. Already excerpted in The New Yorker, Katharine Weber's witty first novel of attraction and deception, a tale with the sensibility of a Margaret Atwood, pulses with cultural references and word games that echo Nabokov.
“Set in Vienna in 1898, Jones’s absorbing whodunit succeeds both as a mystery and as a fascinating portrait of a traditional society in ferment.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) The summer of 1898 finds Austria terrorized by a killer who the press calls “Vienna’s Jack the Ripper.” Four bodies have already been found, but when the painter Gustav Klimt’s female model becomes the fifth victim, the police finger the artist as the culprit. He’s already scandalized Viennese society with his erotically charged modern paintings—who better to take the blame for the crimes that have plagued the city? This is, however, far from an open-and-shut case. Klimt’s lawyer, Karl Werthen, has an ace up his sleeve. Dr. Hanns Gross, the renowned father of criminology, has agreed to assist him in investigating the murders. Together, Gross and Werthen must not only clear Klimt’s name but also follow a killer’s trail that will lead them in the most surprising of directions. But by uncovering the cause of the crimes, the two men may risk damaging Vienna more than the murders did themselves . . . Written by an acclaimed expert on Vienna and its history and featuring a variety of real historical figures, The Empty Mirror introduces a new series of stunning mysteries that reveals the culture and curiosities of this fascinating fin de siècle metropolis. “A colorful story that neatly combines fact and fiction.” —The Washington Post “A novel that will appeal to mystery aficionados as well as history buffs.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch “What Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did for Victorian London and Caleb Carr did for old New York, Sydney Jones does for historic Vienna.” —Karen Harper, New York Times–bestselling author of the Queen Elizabeth I mystery series
