Lady Emily Mystery

18 primary works • 20 total works

And Only to Deceive

by Tasha Alexander

Published 11 October 2005

From New York Times bestselling author Tasha Alexander comes a stunning novel of historical suspense set in Victorian England, meticulously researched and with a twisty plot that involves stolen antiquities, betrayal, and murder

Lady Emily's first mystery . . .

For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the Viscount Ashton, was just an easy way to escape her stifling home life and overbearing mother. So when her new husband dies on safari soon after the wedding, she feels little grief. After all, she barely knew the man.

Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new image of her dead husband and immerses herself in his intellectual pursuits, studying Greek and spending time in the quiet corridors of the British Museum.

But there, amid priceless ancient statues, she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries - and as she sets out to solve the crime she discovers even more surprises about the husband she never knew . . .

Praise for Tasha Alexander

'This engaging, witty mix of Victorian cozy and suspense thriller draws its dramatic spark from the endearingly headstrong heroine's growth in life and love. A memorable debut' Booklist

'Enchanting... Alexander keeps readers guessing until the very end' Publishers Weekly

'Tasha Alexander is one to watch - and read... despite her cliffhanger climaxes and witty repartee, there's a depth of sensitivity that sets her apart' The Huffington Post

'Fans of Anne Perry and Elizabeth Peters will welcome this debut novel' The Denver Post

A Poisoned Season

by Tasha Alexander

Published 10 April 2007

From New York Times bestselling author Tasha Alexander comes the second Lady Emily mystery set in Victorian England, meticulously researched and with a twisty plot that involves an audacious cat burglar and a brewing scandal for Lady Emily . . .

London's social season is in full swing, and the aristocracy can't stop whispering about a certain gentleman who claims to be the direct descendant of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Drawing rooms, boudoirs and ballrooms are also abuzz with the latest news of an audacious cat burglar who has been making off with precious items that once belonged to the ill-fated queen.

But light gossip turns serious when the owner of one of the pilfered treasures is murdered and the thief develops a twisted obsession with Lady Emily Ashton. It takes all of Lady Emily's wit and perseverance to unmask her stalker and ferret out the murderer, all while faced with a brewing scandal that threatens both her reputation and her romance with the dashing Colin Hargreaves.

Praise for Tasha Alexander

'Historical mystery at its best. Ms. Alexander has delivered an amazing sequel to her debut novel' Fresh Fiction

'Immediately engrossing and thoroughly entertaining... Alexander writes with a fullness and richness that leaves the reader extremely satisfied' Crimespree

'Sometimes touching, sometimes funny and always absorbing, this Victorian-era mystery hits all the right notes' Romantic Times

'The vivacious and well-read Emily is back in rare form... Alexander has vividly captured Victorian mores, and the society intrigues are fascinating' The Tennessean

'Enchanting... Alexander keeps readers guessing until the very end' Publishers Weekly

'Tasha Alexander is one to watch - and read... despite her cliffhanger climaxes and witty repartee, there's a depth of sensitivity that sets her apart' The Huffington Post

A Fatal Waltz

by Tasha Alexander

Published 20 May 2008

From New York Times bestselling author Tasha Alexander comes the third Lady Emily mystery.

A deadly dance between two implacable enemies . . .

At her friend Ivy's behest, Lady Emily Ashton reluctantly agrees to attend a house party at the country estate of Lord Fortescue, a man she finds as personally odious as he is politically powerful. But on arrival she finds him to be the least of her problems. Among the guests is Kristiana von Lange, an Austrian countess who had once been linked romantically with Emily's fiance, Colin Hargreaves, and she makes no secret of that fact, tormenting Emily for her own amusement.

Annoying for Emily - but then matters turn deadly serious when Lord Fortescue is found murdered and his protege, Robert Brandon - Ivy's husband - is arrested for the crime. Emily's efforts to clear her friend's name take her to Vienna, a place of glittering balls, sordid back streets, chic cafes . . . and home to her nemesis, the Countess von Lange.

Praise for Tasha Alexander

'A thoroughly enjoyable adventure with both historical texture and emotional depth' Anne Perry

'Captivating characters are superbly brought to life in this riveting historical . . . [a] cleverly plotted and suspenseful mystery' FreshFiction

'A captivating addition to the adventures of an irresistible Victorian iconoclast' Booklist

'Immediately engrossing and thoroughly entertaining . . . Alexander writes with a fullness and richness that leaves the reader extremely satisfied' Crimespree

'Sometimes touching, sometimes funny and always absorbing, this Victorian-era mystery hits all the right notes' Romantic Times

'Enchanting... Alexander keeps readers guessing until the very end' Publishers Weekly

'Tasha Alexander is one to watch - and read... despite her cliffhanger climaxes and witty repartee, there's a depth of sensitivity that sets her apart' The Huffington Post

Tears of Pearl

by Tasha Alexander

Published 1 September 2009

Looking forward to the joys of connubial bliss, newlyweds Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves set out toward Turkey for an exotic honeymoon. But on their first night in the city, a harem girl is found murdered - strangled in the courtyard of the Sultan's lavish Topkapi Palace. Sir Richard St. Clare, an Englishman who works at the embassy in Constantinople, is present and recognizes the girl as his own daughter who was kidnapped twenty years earlier. Emily and Colin promise the heartbroken father they'll find her killer. As a woman, Emily is given access to the forbidden world of the harem and quickly discovers that its mysterious, sheltered walls offer no protection from a ruthless murderer. Soon, the Valide (mother to the Sultan) is found strangled with a silken bowstring and the head Eunuch is brutally slain. When the killer strikes again, kidnapping a concubine and threatening to kill her unless Emily agrees to meet him in secret, she cannot wait for Colin or the authorities to come to her rescue. In a heart-stopping finale, Emily must rely on her own sharp wits if she is to stop a killer bent on taking revenge no matter how many innocent lives he leaves in his wake.

Dangerous to Know

by Tasha Alexander

Published 26 October 2010

After escaping death at the hands of a ruthless murderer while honeymooning in Constantinople (Tears of Pearl), Lady Emily is recuperating from her wounds at her mother-in-law's estate in Normandy when, while out horseback riding in the countryside, she comes across the body of a young woman who has been horribly murdered. Her wounds are identical to those inflicted on the victims of Jack the Ripper, who is wreaking havoc across the channel in London. Lady Emily and Colin learn that the victim is the daughter of a high born family of French aristocrats who had been committed to an asylum for the insane. While there, she had given birth to an illegitimate child who was spirited away and may be dead. As Lady Emily pursues a trail of clues (and bodies) to the beautiful medieval city of Rouen and a crumbling chateau in the country, she begins to worry about her own sanity: she hears the cries of a little girl she cannot find and discovers blue ribbons left in the child's wake. Emily is on the verge of solving the mystery, when she is suddenly taken captive by the killer and held in an isolated tower where she once again hears the eerie cries of the lost child.
She has to muster all her courage in a terrifying game of wits against a cold and brilliant murderer or she will be his next victim.

A Crimson Warning

by Tasha Alexander

Published 25 October 2011

Newly returned to her home in Mayfair, Lady Emily Hargreaves is looking forward to enjoying the delights of the season. The delights, that is, as defined by her own eccentricities - reading The Aeneid, waltzing with her dashing husband, and joining the Women's Liberal Federation in the early stages of its campaign to win the vote for women. But an audacious vandal disturbs the peace in the capital city, splashing red paint on the neat edifices of the homes of London's elite. This mark, impossible to hide, presages the revelation of scandalous secrets, driving the hapless victims into disgrace, despair, and even death. Soon, all of London high society is living in fear of learning who will be the next target, and Lady Emily and her husband, Colin, favourite agent of the crown, must uncover the identity and reveal the motives of the twisted mind behind it all before another innocent life is lost. With "A Crimson Warning", Tasha Alexander plunges Lady Emily into a completely new mystery - and brings her beloved series back for another waltz with her rapidly growing fan base.

Death in the Floating City

by Tasha Alexander

Published 16 October 2012

Years ago, Emily's childhood nemesis, Emma Callum, scandalized polite society when she eloped to Venice with an Italian count. But now her father-in-law lies murdered, and her husband has vanished. There's no one Emma can turn to for help but Emily, who leaves at once with her husband, the dashing Colin Hargreaves, for Venice. There, her investigations take her from opulent palazzi to slums, libraries, and bordellos. Emily soon realizes that to solve the present day crime, she must first unravel a centuries old puzzle. But the past does not give up its secrets easily, especially when these revelations might threaten the interests of some very powerful people.

Behind the Shattered Glass

by Tasha Alexander

Published 15 October 2013

Anglemore Park is the ancestral home of Lady Emily Hargreaves' husband Colin. But the stately calm of country life is destroyed when their neighbor, the Marquess of Montagu, bursts through the French doors from the garden and falls down dead in front of the shocked gathering. But who has a motive for murdering the young aristocrat--the lovely cousin who was threatened by his engagement, the Oxford friend he falsely accused of cheating, the scheming vicar's daughter he shamelessly seduced, or the relative no one knew existed who appears to claim the Montagu title? Who is the mysterious woman seen walking with him moments before he was brutally attacked? The trail takes readers into the gilded world of a British manor house and below stairs to the servants who know all the secrets. One family's hidden past and a forbidden passion are the clues to a puzzle only Lady Emily can solve.

The Counterfeit Heiress

by Tasha Alexander

Published 14 October 2014

"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"--

Star of the East

by Tasha Alexander

Published 28 October 2014

The Adventuress

by Tasha Alexander

Published 13 October 2015

"Emily and husband Colin have come to the French Riviera for what should be a joyous occasion - the engagement party of her lifelong friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge, and Amity Wells, an American heiress. But the merrymaking is cut short with the shocking death of one of the party in an apparent suicide. Not convinced by the coroner's verdict, Emily must employ all of her investigative skills to discover the truth and avert another tragedy"--

That Silent Night

by Tasha Alexander

Published 20 October 2015

'Tis the season for murder, mayhem, and mistletoe from New York Times bestselling author Tasha Alexander.

In this new short story from Tasha Alexander, Lady Emily - called "Victorian London's most colourful and delightfully eccentric sleuth"* - and her dashing husband Colin are spending a few days in London, doing some last-minute Christmas shopping and making the most of the time alone, when they find themselves in the middle of an unexpected mystery. The couple is just getting cozy, not at all bothered by the storm outside. But when Lady Emily looks out the window to see a woman standing in the blowing snow, without a coat, an eerie feeling falls over her, and she rushes out to help, only to find that the woman has disappeared. Colin is convinced her eyes were playing tricks on her, but Emily is haunted by the woman's image. Clearly, there is something spooky afoot, and she is determined to get to the bottom of it. . . .

Complete with the vivid descriptions and period detail Lady Emily fans have come to expect from this series, That Silent Night is a delicious morsel of a mystery, with an irresistible ghost story at its heart.

*Jacqueline Winspear, New York Times bestselling author of the Maisie Dobbs series

A Terrible Beauty

by Tasha Alexander

Published 11 October 2016

On a quest to distract her lifelong friend Jeremy from his recent heartbreak, Lady Emily organizes a holiday in Greece, enjoying ancient ruins, lively debates with Margaret, and more scandalous endeavors with her dashing husband, Colin. But the pleasantries end when a man long believed dead arrives: Lord Philip Ashton, Colin's best friend and Emily's first husband.

Death in St. Petersburg

by Tasha Alexander

Published 10 October 2017

"After the final curtain of Swan Lake, an animated crowd exits the Mariinsky theatre brimming with excitement from the night's performance. But outside the scene is somber. A ballerina's body lies face down in the snow, blood splattered like rose petals over the costume of the Swan Queen. The crowd is silenced by a single cry-- "Nemetseva is dead!" Amongst the theatergoers is Lady Emily, accompanying her dashing husband Colin in Russia on assignment from the Crown. But it soon becomes clear that Colin isn't the only one with work to do. When the dead ballerina's aristocratic lover comes begging for justice, Emily must apply her own set of skills to discover the rising star's murderer. Her investigation takes her on a dance across the stage of Tsarist Russia, from the opulence of the Winter Palace, to the modest flats of ex-ballerinas and the locked attics of political radicals. A mysterious dancer in white follows closely behind, making waves through St. Petersburg with her surprise performances and trail of red scarves. Is it the sweet Katenka, Nemetseva's childhood friend and favorite rival? The ghost of the murdered étoile herself? Or, something even more sinister?" -- provided by publisher.

Uneasy Lies the Crown

by Tasha Alexander

Published 30 October 2018

"In Uneasy Lies the Crown, the thrilling new mystery in Tasha Alexander's bestselling series, Lady Emily and her husband Colin must stop a serial killer whose sights may be set on the new king, Edward VII. On her deathbed, Queen Victoria asks to speak privately with trusted agent of the Crown Colin Hargreaves, slipping him a letter with her last, parting command: Une sanz pluis. Sapere aude. "One and no more. Dare to know." The year is 1901 and the death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch has sent all of the Empire into mourning. But for Lady Emily and her dashing husband Colin, the grieving is cut short as another royal death takes center stage. A body has been found in the Tower of London, posed to look like the murdered medieval king Henry VI. Soon after a second dead man turns up in London's exclusive Berkeley Square, his mutilated remains staged to evoke the violent demise of Edward II, it becomes evident that the individual behind the crimes plans to kill again and again. The race to find him takes Emily deep into the capital's underbelly, with its secret gangs, street children, and sleazy brothels. But the clues aren't adding up, and even more puzzling are the anonymous letters Colin has been receiving since Victoria's death. Is someone threatening her successor, Edward VII?"--

In the Shadow of Vesuvius

by Tasha Alexander

Published 7 January 2020

Some corpses lie undisturbed longer than others. But when Emily discovers a body hidden in plain sight amongst the ruins of Pompeii, she sets in motion a deadly chain of events that ties her future to the fate of a woman whose story had been lost for nearly two thousand years.

Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves, have accompanied her dear friend Ivy Brandon on a trip to Pompeii. When they uncover a corpse and the police dismiss the murder as the work of local gangsters, Emily launches an investigation of her own. She seems to be aided by the archaeologists excavating the ruins, including a moody painter, the enigmatic site director, and a free-thinking American capable of sparring with even the Duke of Bainbridge. But each of them has secrets hiding among the ruins.

The sudden appearance of a beautiful young woman who claims a shocking relationship to the Hargreaves family throws Emily’s investigation off-course. And as she struggles to face an unsettling truth about Colin’s past, it becomes clear that someone else wants her off the case - for good. Emily’s resolve to unearth the facts is unshakable. But how far below the surface can she dig before she risks burying herself along with the truth?

The Dark Heart of Florence

by Tasha Alexander

Published 9 March 2021

In 1903, tensions between Britain and Germany are starting to loom over Europe, something that has not gone unnoticed by Lady Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves. An agent of the Crown, Colin carries the weight of the Empire, but his focus is drawn to Italy by a series of burglaries at his daughter’s palazzo in Florence—burglaries that might have international ramifications. He and Emily travel to Tuscany where, soon after their arrival, a stranger is thrown to his death from the roof onto the marble palazzo floor. Colin’s trusted colleague and fellow agent, Darius Benton-Stone, arrives to assist Colin, who insists their mission must remain top secret. Finding herself excluded from the investigation, Emily secretly launches her own clandestine inquiry into the murder, aided by her spirited and witty friend, Cécile. They soon discover that the palazzo may contain a hidden treasure dating back to the days of the Medici and the violent reign of the fanatic monk, Savonarola—days that resonate in the troubled early twentieth century, an uneasy time full of intrigue, duplicity, and warring ideologies. Emily and Cécile race to untangle the cryptic clues leading them through the Renaissance city, but an unimagined danger follows closely behind. And when another violent death puts Emily directly in the path of a killer, there’s much more than treasure at stake…

Secrets of the Nile

by Tasha Alexander

Published 4 October 2022

Lady Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves, have joined his formidable mother on a holiday to visit the exotic treasures of Egypt. Their host, Lord Bertram Deeley, is a renowned amateur British collector of antiquities, who has invited his closest friends on a lavish cruise up the Nile to his home at Luxor. But on the first night of their journey, he suddenly collapses after offering a welcome toast, a victim of the lethal poison cyanide. Who amongst this group of his nearest and dearest would want to kill their generous host?

Emily and Colin's investigation soon reveals that even his closest friends had reasons to want him dead: was it the archeologist whose dig Deeley was poised to fund until he suddenly withdrew support? The powerful politician whose career Deeley had secretly destroyed? The dyspeptic aristocratic English spinster whose hired travelling companion seems determined to protect her employer? Or could it be Mrs. Hargreaves herself, who may have spurned the advances of Lord Deeley when they were both younger?

A key clue may lie with several ancient ushabtis, exquisite three-thousand-year-old sculptures that played a role in a hidden story from the time of Ancient Egypt, one of a sister's unshakeable loyalty to her brother, a tale of betrayal and revenge. In an unforgettable finale, Emily and Colin gather their fellow travelers together to unmask a killer whose motive is as shocking as it is brilliant.

A Cold Highland Wind

by Tasha Alexander

Published 20 November 2023

Lady Emily, husband Colin Hargreaves, and their three sons eagerly embark on a family vacation at Cairnfarn Castle, the Scottish estate of their dear friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge. But a high-spirited celebration at the beginning of their stay comes to a grisly end when the duke’s gamekeeper is found murdered on the banks of the loch. Handsome Angus Sinclair had a host of enemies: the fiancée he abandoned in Edinburgh, the young woman who had fallen hopelessly in love with him, and the rough farmer who saw him as a rival for her affections. But what is meaning of the curious runic stone left on Sinclair’s forehead?

Scotland, 1676. Lady MacAllister, wife of the Laird of Cairnfarn Castle, suddenly finds herself widowed and thrown out of her home. Her sole companion is a Moorish slave girl who helps her secretly spirit out her most prized possessions from the castle: her strange books. Her neighbors are wary of a woman living on her own, and when a poppet - a doll used to cast spells - and a daisy wheel are found in her isolated cottage, Lady MacAllister is accused of witchcraft, a crime punishable by death.

Hundreds of years later, Lady Emily searches for the link between Lady MacAllister’s harrowing witchcraft trial and the brutal death of Sinclair. She must follow a trail of hidden motives, an illicit affair, and a mysterious stranger to reveal the dark side of a seemingly idyllic Highland village.

Death by Misadventure

by Tasha Alexander

Published 14 October 2024

In the winter of 1906, Lady Emily and husband Colin are invited to the opulent home of Baroness Ursula von Duchtel in the Bavarian alps. Outside is a mountainous winter wonderland with a view of Mad King Ludwig’s fairy tale castle. Inside, the villa hosts a magnificent but eclectic art collection - as well as an equally eclectic collection of fellow guests, among them a musician, an art dealer, a coquette from the demi-monde, and Kaspar, the Baroness’ boorish son-in-law, whom, it begins to appear, someone wants dead.

Almost forty years earlier, Niels, a young German lord, sings to himself in the forest surrounding those same alps, capturing the attention of a not-yet-mad King Ludwig. Niels and the king become fast friends, their relationship deepening into something more as their time together stretches on. But while King Ludwig is content to live out a fantasy where their responsibilities don't matter and the outside world doesn't affect them, Niels knows that their bliss cannot last forever...

Decades later, Emily continues to investigate Kaspar's increasingly lethal “mishaps' when tragedy strikes, ensnaring the guests in a web of fear and suspicion. It’s up to Emily to sift through old secrets and motivations, some stretching far into the past, to unmask the killer.