Set in , the story follows Max Liebermann, a young doctor and student of Sigmund Freud, as he teams up with Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt to solve grizzly, high-stakes crimes.
This title refers to the popular British-Austrian psychological thriller series (known in Russian as Venskaya krov or Ubiystvo po Freudu ). Set in , the story follows Max Liebermann,
"I prefer a simple thief with a knife, Max," Oskar grumbled, though he signaled the waiter for two coffees. "At least with a knife, I know where I stand." "At least with a knife, I know where I stand
Their investigation led them from the gilded ballrooms of the aristocracy to a shadowy "Dream Salon" in the Leopoldstadt district. There, a rogue hypnotist was charging elites to live out their darkest fantasies while under a deep slumber. Max realized the victim hadn't been poisoned by a substance, but by a psychological suggestion: the hypnotist had convinced the man he was drowning while sitting in the dry carriage, causing his brain to shut down his lungs. "He died of a broken heart, Oskar," Max
"He died of a broken heart, Oskar," Max Liebermann said, adjusting his spectacles as he stepped into the cramped carriage.
"You see, Oskar," Max remarked, cleaning his glasses. "The mind is the most dangerous weapon in Vienna. It can kill you without ever drawing a blade."
Detective Oskar Rheinhardt stood over the body in the middle of the Prater amusement park. The victim was a high-ranking clerk from the Ministry of Finance, found perfectly slumped in a Ferris wheel carriage. There were no marks of violence—no blood, no bruising—only a look of absolute, frozen terror on his face.