The Counterfeit Heiress (Lady Emily Mystery, #9)

by Tasha Alexander

"After an odd encounter at a grand masquerade ball, Lady Emily becomes embroiled in the murder investigation of one of the guests, a sometime actress trying to pass herself off as the mysterious heiress and world traveler Estella Lamar. Each small discovery, however, leads to more questions. Was the intended victim Miss Lamar or the imposter? And who would want either of them dead? As Emily and Colin try to make sense of all this, a larger puzzle begins to emerge: No one has actually seen Estella Lamar in years, since her only contact has been through letters and the occasional blurry news photograph. Is she even alive? Emily and Colin's investigation of this double mystery takes them from London to Paris, where, along with their friend Cécile, they must scour the darkest corners of the city in search of the truth"--

• ISBN10: 1250024692
• ISBN13: 9781250024695
• Publish Date: 14 October 2014
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 30 June 2021
• Imprint: Minotaur Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 292
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

This should have been a lot creepier than it was and the dialogue failed in a lot of places, leaving Emily sounding like a boasting second grader at times and Colin a condescending but kindly nanny.   

Even though the story didn't quite meet the level of creepy it was capable of, it was still a good story and definitely not one that's been overused.  Cecil's odd childhood friend grew up to be an adventuress who always appeared in the news from a different spot on the globe.  

Then one night at a masquerade in London, Cecile is introduced to her friend, and it's an imposter.  The imposter turns up dead the next morning and everyone is off in search of a killer and, incidentally, to find the real Estelle.   I'm not sure if I'll read the next one or not - it does feature Jeremy Bainbridge and he's one of my favourite characters, but the odd dynamic between Colin and Emily really threw me off.   T

he author does include a note at the back explaining the historical connections to the creation of this plot, and I always enjoy these; I always learn a little something from each one.   Perhaps if the next book is on sale..