PRUSSIAN COUNTERPOINT is Nupur Tustin’s third Historical Cozy Mystery in the Joseph Hayden series. Set in Austria and Prussia in the 1700’s, it is full of pomp and pageantry, extreme class differences, snobbery among the well-born, gossip among the kitchen maids, with a touch of occasional humor.

Imagine listening in on the political intrigues and machinations of kings and queens as they plot and counter plot against each other! Add to that, murder, missing jewels, cleverly hidden and encoded secrets, a few arranged marriages that hang in the balance…and to top it off, the deadly cold of winter. Definitely fuel for keeping you reading!

Who knew that the classical musician, Joseph Hayden, could also be called on to solve murders? An intellectual, he is able to piece out the complicated aspects of the mysteries, but it takes his forthright brother Johann to voice what he thinks. This able duo eventually discovers ONE impossible villain responsible for theft, murder, blackmail, and debauchery. But can they prove it in time?

I have to admit – not having read the two previous books in the series – I was a bit lost for the first few chapters. I confess I don’t know much about that period in history either. Perhaps the author (in an Introduction or Foreword) could have briefly outlined the circumstances in which this story takes place.

Also, there seemed to be so many different names/titles for the same people when spoken of, alluded to, or addressed that I found it confusing. (Highness, majesty, queen, empress). I realize this is part of the historical accuracy, as well as differing languages from the two countries, but, perhaps also Tustin could have also provided a glossary of titles and characters for newbie readers like myself.

I enjoyed the exceptional attention to setting details however, and eventually found myself cheering on Hayden as he untangled the complicated overlapping mysteries, all while his own future was at stake.

*Many thanks to the Author, Kobo Writing Life and Netgalley fir arc in exchange for my honest review.*
This novel is an interesting HF read which invites reader to learn something about the period and solve the mystery together with Kapelmeister Haydn. The novel is the third offering by the Author, however, I enjoyed it without reading the previous instalments. I recommend it to HF fans who like the combination of history and mystery.

The author’s love of classical music and this era comes through clearly in Prussian Counterpoint. The entire book has an authentic feel—from the dialogue to the descriptions to the actions of the characters. The plot centers around the political intrigue surrounding Prussia, and the author portrays the uncertainty of the times well. At times, the mystery felt as though it took a back seat to the introduction of characters and the intrigue.

In a macro sense, the story is historically accurate. While the actual events portrayed in the story never took place, the overall situation involving Persia is accurate and the politics portrayed are also accurate. Accuracy is the both the strength and weakness of this story. The main point where this becomes obvious is in the references to characters in the narrative. For instance, in dialogue, it makes perfect sense for characters to use a noble’s title. However, in the narrative, the same titles quickly become cumbersome and confusing when several they are used in close proximity.

I enjoyed the story itself, but sometimes found myself bogged down in those pesky titles. I also enjoyed the fact that it basically took a team to bring together all the clues so Haydn could solve the crime.

PRUSSIAN COUNTERPOINT by Nupur Tustin
The Third Joseph Haydn Mystery

When Empress Maria Theresa summons Joseph Haydn, he's stunned to find that the great Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach has requested to meet him. There is much more afoot, however, than musical interest. King Frederick of Prussia is up to something and the Empress, along with Prince Nikolaus of Esterhazy and most of his household, including Haydn, venture into Potsdam to discover what. Does the Prussian King wish to prevent war? Or start one? Is this part of a plan to decimate Poland? Haydn soon finds himself it the midst of espionage, theft, and murder. Will he be able to figure out the plot against the Empress or will he wind up arrested? Or worse?

Filled with historical significance PRUSSIAN COUNTERPOINT had great meaning for me. Being of Polish descent I am quite familiar with the partitioning of Poland and while the murder was solved, I knew that Haydn wouldn't be able to save Poland.

Although we got to meet C.P.E. Bach, the third Joseph Haydn mystery had little to do with music, and was instead filled with espionage and political machinations. The details about cryptography and steganography were fascinating! I want to try hiding messages that require special masks to read. I loved Haydn's and his maids' reaction to the many paintings of Bach's son, oblivious to their true purpose!

PRUSSIAN COUNTERPOINT is a fascinating political mystery. Sumptuous period detail and exacting historical research add to the intellectual nature of the novel while rich characterization brings heart.

I really liked the mystery in "Prussian Counterpoint." It kept me guessing until the end! Just when I thought I had the murderer figured out, Nupur Tustin added a new twist.
I also liked the fact that this book is based on historical fact, and I'm a Haydn fan, so that was interesting!
However, I was confused about the characters the whole way through - maybe reading the first two books in the series would have taken away some of that confusion.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to history buffs and mystery lovers.

In 1768 Haydn and his brother Johann accompany her Majesty Empress Maria Theresa and his Serene Highness Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy to Potsdam. This is at the request of the King of Prussia. But it is not long before they literaally stumble across a dead body. But how is this all related to the political climate of Europe and who is the person engineering the events.
An interesting and enjoyable well-written mystery. Althogh the third in the series the book can certainly be read as a standalone story.

King Frederick issues an invitation (an order actually) for Haydn to meet him. Haydn definitely thinks its a trap. The King has never appreciated his music and its a bit difficult to understand why. The Kings of this time are such wily beings that nothing they ever do seems to be what it should appear to be. It is wheels within wheels within wheels.

The story shifts from one point to another. From Empress Maria Theresa to Haydn to King Frederick himself. In between there are plots and sub plots all devious, all very complicated and all very reminiscent for history at the time. There is marriage talk but it is the hard headed talk not the romantic kind.

There is murder and Haydn has to prove that the ambassador was not just a common thief apart from finding his murderer.

Lots of sub stories within the main. Good for history buffs and lovers of European monarchs.

I love Nupur Tustin's love of Prussia, a place near and dear to my heart though my ancestors who came from there are separated by many generations from their home town on the Baltic Sea. Prussia, or Pomerania, or Poland: talk about an indentity crisis! It's amazing to realize that not even 200 years ago, Germany, Austria, and Poland were not the nations they are now. They were empires, and Napoleon wreaked havoc on their borders, as did the world wars. We see Regency Romances all the time, but stories set in Prussia seem to lack the staying power that Jane Austen gave England of the early 1800s.

Tustin's love of Prussia comes through in her prose without being heavy handed. We see Her Majesty, Empress Maria Theresa, seated by a mural that still exists today and can be seen in person, or on Tustin's blog: "The lush bounty of leaves, melons, and pomegranates painted on the walls by Johann Wenzel Bergl's hands formed a startling contrast to the bleakness without." This is the beauty of historical fiction. If you can't summon airfare to Vienna, you can see images of the imperial summer palace, Schönbrunn, at the author's blog.

The Esterházy Palace on Wallnerstrasse is another place I'd gladly visit soon, but for now, I enjoy reading someone else's impressions of these grand places.

There is much talk of unrest in Poland, and enemies of Her Majesty fomenting trouble, making a trip to Prussia imminent for the Empress and some of her servant girls as well, who get into a lively subplot of their own. Empress Maria has three daughters to choose from to escort her on her journey, and she chooses the least favored one, Amalia, who "had nothing to recommend her." Not her sister Mimi's beauty, not her younger sister Antoine's charms. Amalia was "hardheaded and uncompromising."

As in an Austen novel, there is also talk of marriage, but romance is not the main focus. Music recurs like a motif in the narrative as Kappellmeister Haydn is drawn into a mystery. At this point, I have to confess, I find it distracting to have a real-life composer cast in the role of a Sherlock Holmes in the days of the Prussian Empire. If it didn't really happen, why not create a character similar to Haydn instead? It's a minor detail however, one that apparently doesn't bother devout fans of historical fiction. Likewise, I found myself skimming pages about the ostentatious seven-carat gemstone that goes missing, and the murder, and the unraveling of clues to determine whodunnit.

But I love the part that really did happen, such as the royal visitors being greeted at the palace gates by "a small, wizened creature in a faded blue military uniform," who conveys the visitors to Sanssuci himself--and he is none other than the King Frederick of Prussia.

The Point of View shifts frequently from Empress Maria to Haydn to other minor characters, which to me is a little jarring. I found the narrative a bit off-putting because of it. But I love the Author's Notes at the end, with the unfortunate reminder, "Poland, unfortunately, was never saved. On August 5, 1772--less than four years after the events of this story--Empress Maria Theresa reluctantly agreed to the first partition of Poland." Polish territories were swallowed by Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

I also love her reminder of "how closely the Polish constitution with its system of checks resembled the system of governance in the United States of America," and that Poles shared an antipathy toward government in all its forms. "The Poles quite rightly believed that subjecting a minority of people to the whims of the majority went against the principle of individual liberty," Tustin writes.

In all, this is a rich novel with lively dialogue and political intrigue, along with a murder mystery for the composer Haydn to solve. The whodunnit is not my favorite genre to begin with, so pay no attention to me if I say that was not the best part of the novel. The history alone is worth the price of admission!