Friends Unseen

By now you should all be familiar with my friend, author Catherine Cavendish. She's been a frequent guest blogger here and is a font of knowledge when it comes to the arcane, especially historical ghosts, witches, and other delightfully dark topics. She's got a new book coming out, Damned by the Ancients, the third novel in her Nemesis of the Gods trilogy, and she's stopping by to provide some delightfully creepy facts about a morbid museum in Vienna, which ties in nicely with the happenings in Damned by the Ancients.

Crime and Punishment Viennese Style

 Vienna. Its name alone conjures up images of the golden statue of Johann Strauss in the Stadtpark, eternally playing his violin; the Blue Danube (which is more a muddy grey colour actually) and Sachertorte accompanied by lashings of whipped cream. 

It is, without a doubt, one of the most culturally endowed, beautiful cities in the world. It is also renowned as one of the safest. 

Ironic then, that it should possess one of the goriest museums I have ever visited in my life.

Vienna is a city well populated by museums. Not just the many situated in the MuseumsQuartier on the Ring, but down side streets, off the beaten track and down mysterious alleyways. There is a separate museum for practically everything. From tobacco to trams, Sigmund Freud to theatre, as well as military, art, science, social and natural history. In total, there are well over 100, but perhaps the most curious is a little building, tucked away down a side street in the 2^nd District (Leopoldstadt).

You are highly unlikely to stumble upon it by accident, but a determined effort and a tram ride and there you are.

Although not intended to be exclusively concerned with the city’s grisliest murders, the lasting impression it leaves you with is that of skulls (of executed murderers) and images of mutilated bodies.

One such example of a skull belonged to a deceptively charming looking gentleman by the name of Hugo Schenk. He was a serial killer par excellence, preferring his victims to be female, young and attractive. In his hands, they wouldn’t stay that way for long. Rape and drowning awaited them, after he had wooed them, convincing them he was a Polish Count. Sometimes, he was even assisted in his evil crimes by his brother. 

Having apparently tired of his usual method of killing, he taught one unsuspecting victim to play Russian Roulette (assuring her it was an empty gun, of course!). Sad to say, the young woman paid for her naiveté with her life when she shot herself, saving him the trouble of tying a boulder to her feet and chucking her into the Danube.

When he was finally caught, Schenk was reported as having been in correspondence with at least 50 women – no doubt all of whom were destined to share the fate of their many predecessors.

This and many other stories await you within the dark and rambling confines of the Vienna Crime Museum.

Although I saw children there, I personally would not recommend it for anyone below the age of 13 or 14 or if you are of a particularly nervous or squeamish disposition. But for everyone else, next time you find yourself in Vienna on a rainy afternoon and fancy a trip to the dark side, get yourself along to:

 Kriminalmuseum

Große Sperlgasse 24, A-1020 Wien

(If you don't read German, you may need your dictionary as all the descriptions are in German but as the objects and images are graphic, you may find you don't need it as often as you might anticipate.)

In my novel – Damned by the Ancients – long dead archaeologist, Dr.Emeryk Quintillus has discovered a new family. The daughter has special vision and is perfect for his nefarious schemes. It’s a race against time… 

INFINITY IN DEATH

Vienna, 1908

Gabriele Ziegler is a young art student who becomes infatuated with charismatic archeologist Dr. Emeryk Quintillus. Only too late does she realize his true designs on her. He is obsessed with resurrecting Cleopatra and has retained the famed artist Gustav Klimt to render Gabriele as the Queen of the Nile, using ashes from Cleopatra’s mummy mixed with the paint. The result is a lifelike portrait emitting an aura of unholy evil . . .

Vienna, 2018

The Mortimer family has moved into Quintillus’s former home, Villa Dürnstein. In its basement they find an original Klimt masterpiece—a portrait of Cleopatra art scholars never knew existed. But that’s not all that resides within the villa’s vault. Nine-year-old Heidi Mortimer tells her parents that a strange man lives there.

Quintillus’s desire to be with Cleopatra transcends death. His spirit will not rest until he has brought her back from the netherworld. Even if he has to sacrifice the soul of a child . . .

Damned by the Ancients is available from:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Apple

Google

Kobo

Kensington Publishing

About the author:

Following a varied career in sales, advertising and career guidance, Catherine Cavendish is now the full-time author of a number of paranormal, ghostly and Gothic horror novels, novellas and short stories. Cat’s novels include the Nemesis of the Gods trilogy - Wrath of the Ancients, Waking the Ancients and Damned by the Ancients, plus The Devil’s Serenade, The Pendle Curse and Saving Grace Devine.

Her novellas include Linden Manor, Cold Revenge, Miss Abigail’s Room, The Demons of Cambian Street, Dark Avenging Angel, The Devil Inside Her, and The Second Wife

She lives with her long-suffering husband, and a black cat who has never forgotten that her species used to be worshipped in ancient Egypt. She sees no reason why that practice should not continue. Cat and her family divide their time between Liverpool and a 260-year-old haunted apartment in North Wales.

You can connect with Cat here:

 Catherine Cavendish

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