Snipers
*Starred Review* If there isn’t a sequel to this novel almost immediately, someone’s going to have a lot of explaining to do. The book ends with Viennese historian Sofie Branstadter and pianist Anton Runge preparing to take a risky journey to save the lives of Sofie’s parents; it begins with Sofie’s investigation into a mysterious 1913 murder case. Anton’s great-grandfather Johann was the detective trying to stop the notorious Carnival Sniper before he took more lives (the assassin had already killed several people), but, as Sofie discovers, there are certain historical curiosities associated with the case. For example, we begin to suspect something’s going on when Sofie finds a modern-seeming bullet buried with one of the victims, and our suspicions are confirmed when neither Sofie nor anyone else recognizes the names of the Sniper’s historically significant—to us, anyway—victims. Told in roughly alternating chapters set in 1913 and 2005, the story is a deft mixture of SF and mystery, with some very sharp plotting, some nice twists, and a trio of compelling characters. Note to author: where’s that sequel? We’re waiting. --David Pitt