Too much costume not enough drama. This play on ‘costume drama’ is intentional. I tried my best to finish this book and I have. However, I failed to see what it was about.
There are nice descriptions of places and travels. Obviously, the author knows Prague and surrounds. Does he love it? Does he love women? I do not think so.
The heroine – Beatrice von Falkenburg is a façade without depth. It is as if she has to remind the readers that she is a woman, a countess, a spoiled little girl every hundred words or so.
Is she a private detective? I do not think so. The whole book she was going from A to B, constantly reminding herself of her place and that of the others around her. It got boring to fast.
Was there a mystery? Which one was it? There are too many pieces to the mystery. The never-ending tap of these pieces takes the suspense out of the text. There was hardly anything happening by the middle of the book. I did say it got boring fast.
I love Prague. I absolutely love the city and its history. I did enjoy all the bits to do with that. But I failed to enjoy author’s recklessness treatment of other countries’ cultures and histories. Note to the author: Russians wear wedding ring on the right hand. So do Germans. Check your facts…
The plot wraps up in a package by the end. The Countess saves them all. Really…. It does feel like a very bad and cheap vaudeville.
All in all, I will not read the next installment.

This first entry in a projected ten-volume series welcomes a sassy aristocratic heroine who steps outside her exalted circles to solve crimes and has a great time doing so. It’s 1904 in Prague, and Countess Beatrice “Trixie” von Falklenburg gets drawn into an irresistible mystery when her great-uncle Berty is informed that a body caught in the Vltava River is that of his old army batman, Alois. However, the old soldiers’ home still claims Alois as a current resident. Alois had been Uncle Berty’s representative in a Tontine, an investment lottery in which the member with the last surviving nominee reaps all the benefits, so his death would be bad news for Berty. Curiously, someone besides Berty clearly has a motive for wanting Alois to appear alive, but who?

The intrepid Trixie dives eagerly into the investigation, although for her family’s sake, she can’t let on that the “Alois” in the home is probably an impostor. Her madcap adventure takes her from an unusual fancy-dress ball to the fashionable spa town of Marienbad to a train bound for London. She chops off her hair, dons a poor urchin’s garb, and gets accused of murder. Most shockingly, she says “thank you” to a servant for the first time ever.

The Countess is absolutely delightful. She charms everyone from her mini-garrison of urchin helpers to King Edward VII himself, and her excitement at breaking free of her snobby social confines is infectious. Her French ladies’ maid, Sabine, and her courageous butler, Müller, are equally as fun. The mystery involves many characters who appear only fleetingly and gets somewhat convoluted; careful reading is needed to keep the many plot points straight. Pre-WWI Prague comes alive in its elegance, and it’s hard to say who will look forward to her next adventure more: Trixie, or her readers.

(first published in the Historical Novels Review, November 2017)

I tried. I got halfway—the premise and opening were promising, but I quickly got tired of Beatrice/Trixie—the character/voice is shallow, and there just isn’t enough meat for me. So this was a DNF, with apologies, as I think it’s just a matter of taste. This is the first novel from Poisoned Pen Press that I didn’t like!

This is the first in a ten-book series of the Countess Beatrice von Falklenburg's adventures which will take her from 1904 to 1914 when World War I breaks out and changes the world she knows forever. The Countess of Prague gives readers an excellent flavor of the times, but it got off to a shaky start-- mainly due to Trixie herself.

I had to remind myself several times that this book relates the beginning of Trixie's life as a spy/detective because her upper-class snobbery and some of her hare-brained stunts exasperated me greatly. (The stunts mainly because they showed a lack of common sense, but then--as I kept reminding myself-- she's led a sheltered life.)

I also found the plot to be overly convoluted, to the point where I began to lose interest, but the redeeming features saved the day. What redeeming features? The humor, for one, made me smile. The second redeeming feature was the secondary cast, in particular her servants, Müller and Sabine. This is where actually working with those two and seeing them as human beings rather than pieces of furniture makes Trixie begin to change for the better. The servants' willingness to work with her on her clandestine mission shows more than just employee obedience, too.

Once the Countess began to grow into her chosen role of spy and detective, the reading became much more enjoyable, and I do look forward to her next adventure.

The first in a planned series of ten novels with the same sleuthing heroine is set in 1904 in Prague. Trixie, a Countess, is living an idle life when she is asked by her uncle to investigate the mysterious death of a man tentatively identified as the retired gentleman's batsman.

This leads Trixie into world's she didn't know existed with street urchins, criminals, royalty, and servants. In the course of her sleuthing she uncovers a nefarious and complicated plot that reflects quite nicely the tensions in Europe a decade before the Great War.

It's written beautifully by a writer with a real flair and understanding of Prague and the Austrian Empire at the time. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

1904 Beatrice von Falklenburg, and becomes embroiled in a Tontine scheme of her Uncle Berty. His nominee had been found dead and therefore he collects none of the money from the scheme, but is he really dead. Beatrice is asked to investigate this mystery by her Uncle which leads to bigger more complex plans to unravel. The reader was informed of every clue she found, as she tried to put all the pieces together.
A good start to this mystery series which I expect we will get to know and like these characters more.

The Countess of Prague is the first in a ten book historical mystery series by Stephen Weeks featuring of all things, a countess, from Prague. In this first adventure, Trixie, our intrepid Countess, is asked to help her uncle Berty when his former batman is found dead and also not-dead at a nursing home. This is important because Berty is one of two remaining eligible members of a long ago investment tontine. Unlike most tontines that pay off after only one member remains alive, this eligibility in this Tontine is based on the survival of people nominated by each shareholder. It benefits Uncle Berty and Trixie if that old batman Alois remains alive.

However, in the course of investigating that small mystery, Trixie stumbles on a far more serious and deadly puzzle that has her disguising herself as a man, hopping a train to follow the conspirators, suspected of murder, and even sailing to England to foil an international plot.



The Countess of Prague was delightfully complicated, yet fair. We knew the essential clues and when they began to fall into place, the revelations came one after the other…and built naturally and logically. Trixie never read something and thought it was very interesting and filed it away without us knowing what it was. This is important in a series, in my opinion. I could never love Nero Wolfe because of those undisclosed vital clues.

I like the way Trixie refines her methods of detection, learning as she goes along, daring new things. She is not fearless, and she is a lady of fashion, but she will much about if necessary. It was altogether a delightfully complex romp.

Trixie is a bit of an unlikely heroine, but any woman of independence action is unlikely in historical mysteries. I do like Weeks efforts to show her shifting her worldview through exposure to the waifs she has hired as her irregulars, though she doesn’t use the term. She learns secrets about her family that also broaden her worldview, though I suspect she’s unaware of similar secrets closer to home…perhaps in book two, five, six, or ten. I look forward to them eagerly.

The Countess of Prague will be released September 5th. I received an advance e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Countess of Prague at Poisoned Pen Press
Stephen Weeks at Poisoned Pen Press.

Thanks to the Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 1/2 stars

I had trouble getting into this book. It took me a few tries, but once I got started I enjoyed it. The Countess of Falklenburg becomes an amateur detective purely by accident as she investigates the death of her uncle. He made a bet where he risked his fortune, and when he died he left his share in the scheme to his niece the Countess.

Her investigation takes her all over Europe in a variety of disguises. She is accused of a murder she didn't commit and must clear her name, and eventually solves an audacious crime that involves the crowned heads of Great Britain and Germany.

This was a fun historical mystery, and I recommend it.

This book is almost perfect. Half way through the book, a plot point was introduced that threw me off. I wondered how the topic would pertain to the story. But all the ends were tied up well. Trix is one of a kind. I think there is more to her life than we have been told in this book. The later books in the series should reveal more.
A great read for mystery lovers, especially one set in a different era. I have read a lot of British historical mysteries of the time. reading one set in Europe is refreshing. Wholeheartedly recommended!

The Countess of Prague is my favorite kind of light reading:
. . . the characters are memorable;
. . . the story is engrossing;
. . . and, the historical setting teaches me something.

Stephen Weeks has introduced a vibrant fictional character that I will look forward to meeting again.
She is both fun and fashionable, smart and sassy, and open to adventures outside the norms of her social class. I will look forward to the other books in this series.

One note: if the reader is unable to "suspend their disbelief" a little they may find this book frustrating. The Countess is invariably smarter than the police, more intuitive than anyone else in any situation, and luckier than anyone I have ever met. Nonetheless, she is delightful.

NetGalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Poisoned Pen Press for providing me an advanced reading copy in exchange of my honest opinion.

The series begins with a countess of Prague who by chance has turned into an amateur sleuth to tackle a complicated scheme. I am glad to say the first book in this exciting series seems promising enough. The plot is tight and intriguing with all the elements of a successful mystery work. The characters are likable, too. It is an easy read overall but at times I get disoriented because of the number of people involved in the puzzling event.

Unlike many mystery novels which readers to follow the rides with the sleuths to get to the bottom of the truth, I, particularly, appreciate Mr. Weeks for summarizing the entire puzzle from the beginning to the end through the narration of the one of the key players at the end. I have had experiences in the past with mystery novels that once the culprits and their motives are revealed and that would be the end of the stories. Since I rarely would finish novels in one setting, I occasionally would forget few people/incidences/methods that would leave some of my minor questions unanswered. Mr. Week's thoughtful approach by summing up everything at the end helps a great deal especially on the parts where when my subconsciousness refused to take in what I read. :)

The setting of the book, in Prague, around the turn of the century is another bonus for readers who adore historical mystery novels.

All in all, this is a solid debut for an upcoming new series. According to the introduction, readers should expect the entire collection of 10 books to be released in the future.

Beatrice “Trixie” von Falkenburg, a Countess of English/Czech decent, is drawn into helping her uncle discover the truth behind the death of her uncle’s former military aide. Outside of reading Sherlock Holmes, the Countess is totally unprepared to be an amateur sleuth, but what she lacks in worldly experience and guile, she makes up for in pluck and intuition.

Before long, Trixie is chasing down disreputable actors, an international thief, a Russian ballerina and an ingenious scientist. Learning as she goes, the Countess travels from Prague to Paris, on to London, and finally to a climactic meeting between Edward VII and Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm in the Czech spa resort of Marinbad.

The evolution from the Countess Beatrice von Falkenburg to Trixie the detective, is the delightful bit about this book. Her husband, the Count, has lost his ancestral home and most of his fortune but is off attending several “bachelor” hunting parties throughout the book. They write letters back and forth, he agreeably sends her money when she asks, but he is never there when she needs him. So, the reader, and eventually Trixie herself, begins to realize that maybe she doesn’t need him at all.

Film director, Stephen Weeks, paints a rapidly changing society that is ten years away from a World War. He propels the beautiful Countess on a confusing and often frightening adventure with masterful superfluities of wit and sparkle. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

4 and 1 / 2 stars

This is a remarkable work of fiction. The Countess of Prague, otherwise known as Beatrice “Trixie” von Falkenburg had an English mother and a Czech father. She lives in Prague now with her husband. Although they are impoverished and have lost their home castle, she now lives in another, albeit smaller castle. She is used to being obeyed and pampered. Writing letters and ordering the house are her main tasks for each day. She is restless. She has solves a couple of minor crimes; one involving her Uncle Bertie a retired general.

When Bertie presents her with a troubling situation, she is anxious to “investigate” it. She gathers together a set of costumes and sets about to track down the truth. This gets her into all kinds of trouble and she has many adventures.

She is struck by the differences between her high society life and those of the common people. Most are barefoot – even in winter. They are poor and downtrodden. She has never considered this aspect of life before. It never occurred to her that some people do without.

Her adventures take her all over Europe and she encounters fraudsters, homosexuals, murderers, royalty and a host of other delightful and not-so delightful people. She meets some very famous names that we all know from history.

This book very well shows the differences between the privileged and the poor in Prague – or indeed anywhere in the early 20th Century. The haughty Trixie gets and education is societal extremes in this book.

This is a very well written and plotted novel. It flows easily. It is easy to read and an enjoyable and relaxing day to a journey to somewhere else. The suspense builds slowly and eventually peaks near the end of the book. This is my first Stephen Weeks book, but I am anxiously awaiting the next in this series.

I want to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book to read.

Not quite the enthralling read that I was hoping for. Not very engaging or well written. Thoroughly disappointing.