In this short novella, Sophie Rathenau investigates her friend Camilla's new maid. The matter isn't purely domestic curiosity since the request comes from Camilla's husband, who is chief of the Vienna police. Sophie navigates Vienna's seedier elements to find out whether Anni Nachtigall is innocent, dangerous or both.

As we'd expect for a novella, the plot is pretty straightforward compared to the author's full-length novels, but I suspect there may be repercussions beyond this single episode. As usual, I enjoyed how Sophie tells her tale with a combination of cynicism, snark and conscience.