ARC Review: Death by Misadventure by Tasha Alexander

Death By Misadventure
Author: Tasha Alexander
Series: Lady Emily Mystery (Book 18)
Publication: Minotaur Books (September 24, 2024)

Description: In the latest installment of Tasha Alexander’s New York Times bestselling series, Lady Emily must solve a string of high stakes “accidents” while trapped in a lavish villa in the Bavarian Alps.

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.

My Thoughts: The eighteenth Lady Emily mystery finds Lady Emily and her husband at a house party in the Bavarian Alps. Baroness Ursula von Duchtel has built a lovely modern home and filled it with her eclectic collection of art. The house party is also eclectic since it includes her daughter and boorish son-in-law Kaspar, Kaspar's best friend and his love interest, a love interest of the daughter, and an art dealer from Munich hoping to make a sale among others. 

When a series of accidents targeting Kaspar occurs, Lady Emily and Colin investigate. But when tragedy finally strikes, it is the Baroness's daughter who is the victim. She was on a solitary sleigh ride with her husband when she was shot in the head. 

Bad weather keeps the police from arriving to investigate but also allows Lady Emily and Colin time to find the villain.

Meanwhile, there is another story woven into the main one. In 1868 a young man named Niels meets King Ludwig and the two begin a relationship much to the dismay of his father. Niels' father drags him back home and forces his marriage to a young woman who is no more eager for the marriage than Neils is. The couple are each determined to lead their own lives which isn't possible until the father's death. 

It only gradually becomes apparent how the two interwoven stories are connected and how events from the past impact the current murder. 

This was another entertaining episode in the Lady Emily series. I like the historical detail. 

Favorite Quote:

"He doesn't strike me as the murderous type."

"Precisely," I said, "and if he's responsible for the attacks on Kaspar, he's demonstrated that he's not particularly capable, either. He may, however, eventually get the hang of it."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Death by Misadventure by Tasha Alexander

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

The Friday 56 was hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice. This meme is currently on hiatus but many of us are still including a sentence from page 56 or from 56% of the ebook. Anne @ Head Full of Books is picking up the slack until Freda is ready to return. I think this link will get you to the correct place. 

Beginning:

Far too many -- if not most -- social gatherings would be immeasurably improved by the strategic removal of a troubling guest.

Friday 56:

"It certainly gives him a strong motive for wanting his wife dead. The fact that he didn't stand to gain financially from her demise would've otherwise suggested he's innocent."

This week I am spotlighting Death by Misadventure by Tasha Alexander. This book is from my review stack and is the eighteenth book in the Lady Emily Historical Mystery series. I've read the first one in the series and a couple more from late in the series. I've been gathering the books in between for a Lady Emily binge.

Here's the description from Amazon:

In the latest installment of Tasha Alexander’s New York Times bestselling series, Lady Emily must solve a string of high stakes “accidents” while trapped in a lavish villa in the Bavarian Alps.

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.

Audiobook Review: Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon

Marque and Reprisal
Author: Elizabeth Moon
Narrator: Cynthia Holloway
Series: Vatta's War (Book 2)
Publication: Tantor Audio (December 1, 2008)
Length: 14 hours and 21 minutes

Description: Although the exciting military career she hoped for never got off the ground, Ky Vatta ended up seeing plenty of combat when she took the helm of one of the commercial transport vessels in her family's fleet...and steered it into a full-blown war. Now the lessons she learned in that trial by fire are about to pay off - because this time, the war has come to her. Someone has launched a full-throttle offensive against Vatta Transport Ltd., Ky's father's interstellar shipping empire. In short order, most of Ky's family is killed, and subsequent attacks sever vital lines of communication, leaving Ky fighting, in every sense, to survive.

Ky is determined to identify the ruthless mystery enemy and avenge her family's name, but she needs not only firepower but information. And she gets both in spades - from the band of stranded mercenaries she hooks up with; from her black-sheep cousin, Stella, who has been leading a secret life; and from Stella's roguish ex-lover, Rafe. Together they struggle to penetrate the tangled web of political intrigue that is wreaking havoc within InterStellar Communications, on whose effective operation their own livelihoods - and perhaps lives - depend.

But the infighting proves to be infectious, and it isn't long before Ky's hired military muscle are turning their suspicions on the enigmatic Rafe, whose wealth of knowledge about ISC's clashing factions and startling new technologies has begun to make him smell like a rat...or a mole. With swift, violent destruction a very real possibility, the last thing Ky needs is a crew divided against itself - and she's prepared to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that Vatta stays in business, as well as in one piece.

What she is not prepared for is the shocking truth behind the terror - and a confrontation with murderous treachery from a source as unexpected as it is unrelenting.

My Thoughts: The second book in the Vatta's War series sees Ky dealing with treachery. She's survived a war but now she has to deal with direct attacks on her family which leaves her parents and uncle among the many Vatta dead. 

Ky has to use her underpowered and old ship to take the war to the enemy - once she identifies who the enemy is. Luckily, her aunt Gracie survived and sent Ky's cousin Stella to her with her father's implant which contains proprietary files and the command codes she'll need it she hopes to restore the Vatta shipping empire. 

Ky also rescues and young cousin who was the only survivor when the Vatta ship upon which he was apprenticing is blown up at dock. 

Stella's arrival also brings Rafe who is a shady character Stella worked with once as an undercover operative for Vatta. Turns out Rafe is also undercover for ISC which has a monopoly on interstellar communications which is also being attacked in this conspiracy. 

When Ky and her ship encounter another relative - Osman Vatta, they soon learn that his grudge against the family and his role as a pirate may have something to do with the reason Vatta was targetted. Osman is determined to capture Ky's ship and seize her implant for its Vatta information. Ky isn't going to let that happen even if she has to go active as a privateer according to the Marque that was sent her from Slotter's Key.

This fast-paced space opera was packed with action. Ky is a great character who is learning a lot about herself as she tries to survive and find her family's enemies. 

I bought this one in Kindle and Audible audiobook recently. I have the paperback in my keeper collection and have had them since 2008. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Ashes Never Lie by Lee Golden

Ashes Never Lie
Author: Lee Golden
Series: Sharpe & Walker (Book 2)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (September 17, 2024)

Description: The secrets hidden in smoldering ashes hold the fate of a city in an explosive thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.

Vacant homes in a new housing development are erupting into flames in broad daylight with no apparent cause. It’s a perplexing mystery for dogged arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his restless new partner, Andrew Walker, an ex–US marshal who craves action.

But as they puzzle over the blazes, another home miles away burns to the ground, leaving a man’s corpse in the ashes and homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone demanding answers. The burn patterns and charred body tell Sharpe a bizarre story that only creates more questions for Eve. So the four detectives team up to find the answers. Their investigation into the two unrelated cases leads to one shocking discovery after another.

Now they must gamble their lives to unmask a brilliant arsonist, crack open a massive swindle, track down a desperate fugitive with a terrifying secret, and race against time to save thousands of people from an agonizing death.

My Thoughts: Arson investigators Andrew Walker and Walter Sharpe are kept very busy investigating suspicious fires. The first they investigate is a burnt-out car which was used in a robbery and was burned in an area that is a jurisdictional nightmare. 

While they are looking at that one, they follow the fire department to another suspicious fire at a new housing development which has been dealing with protests from various environmental groups. The fire chief says it was a fault in the electrical system, but Sharpe disagrees. 

The third fire has a body which brings in Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan Pavone which leads to Ronin and Walker working together to discover why the victim committed suicide in such a thorough manner.

Then there is a second spectacular fire at the housing development which leads to the discovery that quite a few of the houses had been set up with bombs in the walls. There are suspects in that case including a disgruntled homeowner who went bankrupt and a shady contractor who was stealing supplies.

Meanwhile the spectacular suicide leads to a company making biological weapons of mass destruction and the possibility of a very unplanned release of the virus. Ronin and Walker are pushed aside by the FBI, Homeland Security and a number of other government entities, but they continue to investigate on their own even going so far as to attend ComicCon in costume.

This was a fast-paced and engaging thriller. I enjoyed the witty dialog and the strong relationships between the partners. I liked the way Walker is getting used to his new job as an arson investigator and I liked the chance to visit Eve Ronin again. 

Favorite Quote:

"We're not working the case, we're just being thoughtful," Walker said. "Because we care about people."

"Deeply," she said. "Think that explanation will save our careers if the FBI, Homeland Security, or CDC finds out what we're doing?"

"That depends if we find Justine Bryce before they do."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Killer Clue by Victoria Gilbert

A Killer Clue
Author: Victoria Gilbert
Series: A Hunter and Clewe Mystery (Book 2)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (September 24, 2024)

Description: Perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz and Jenn McKinlay, acclaimed author Victoria Gilbert is back with more devious clues and deadly secrets as Hunter and Clewe take on a new case in the second Hunter and Clewe mystery.

When Eloise Anderson, the owner of an antiquarian bookshop, arrives at the grand Aircroft estate to ask retired librarian Jane Hunter and eccentric collector Cameron Clewe for help, Jane and Cam expect a bookish inquiry. But the bookseller has a different sort of assistance in mind—clearing her mother’s name of a murder Eloise is convinced she didn’t commit.

Eloise’s mother has just died after spending many years in prison for allegedly killing Eloise’s father. Armed with new information found in her mother’s effects, the bookseller is determined to uncover the true killer so her mother can rest in peace, even though the case is now colder than ice. When Jane tracks down the original detective from the investigation and discovers him stabbed to death in Eloise’s bookshop, Jane and Cam are sure this murder is connected to the cold case. They think it’s the same killer, but the police unfortunately have their own prime suspect, and this time around it’s Eloise.

Cam and Jane’s cold-case sleuthing turns urgent—find who committed the murders or watch another innocent woman rot in jail as a cold-blooded killer walks free.

My Thoughts: Reclusive young businessman Cam Crewe and his librarian/amateur sleuthing partner retired librarian Jane Hunter have their next case walk in the door in the person of a young rare books dealer that Cam has worked with for years. Eloise Anderson wants Cam and Jane to prove that her mother did not murder her father despite the fact that her mother has recently passed away in prison having been convicted of the crime. 

When Jane travels the next day to interview Eloise at her bookstore, she discovers Eloise hunched in a corner and a body in the office. The body belongs to the detective who investigated the murder of Eloise's father who was also stabbed in the back. 

With Eloise arrested for the murder, Cam and Jane have lots of work to do to find the real killer although Jane isn't at all sure that Eloise isn't the killer. While investigating the recently retired and shady partner in the bookstore and a rival rare books collector, they come to learn that a missing but very valuable book might be the center of the crime. 

I enjoyed this mystery. Cam who suffers from social anxiety and Jane who is a no-nonsense woman make a great detecting team. 

Favorite Quote:

"I'm a little old to be Nancy Drew," I said, with a smile.

Bailey grinned and released my hands. "Miss Marple, then."

"And I'm too young for that," I said, playfully swatting at her.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Cold Light of Day by Anna Lee Huber

The Cold Light of Day
Author: Anna Lee Huber
Series: Verity Kent Mystery (Book 7)
Publication: Kensington (September 24, 2024)

Description: Remarkable heroine Verity Kent must follow the leads of a dangerous investigation that will pull her into a conspiracy spilling dangerously out onto the streets of Interwar Dublin, Ireland in the next installment of this highly acclaimed series.

June 1920, Ireland: The streets of Dublin seethe with revolution as the Irish Republican Army clashes with British authorities. Roving assassination squads mean nowhere is truly safe, particularly for Verity Kent and her war hero husband, Sidney. Given their celebrity as society darlings and intrepid sleuths, they must tread carefully to go unnoticed—nearly impossible when they are called upon to search for Verity’s fellow spy and friend . . .

Captain Alec Xavier has seemingly vanished after traveling to Dublin to infiltrate the IRA at its highest levels. Doing her best to maintain a modicum of normalcy and stay under the radar of both the rebels and British Intelligence, Verity works undercover by day and waltzes through the city’s elite social scene by night. Still, she fears the worst for Alec—until shocking evidence mounts that not only is he alive, but that he has switched sides . . .

Already disillusioned with the British government, the news leaves Verity and Sidney reeling. Worse, they learn of a conspiracy within Dublin Castle, where personal vendettas are being carried out and sanctioned by British Intelligence under the cover of revolution. With the distinction between friend and foe never more blurred—or the margin for error narrower—Verity and Sidney cannot turn a blind eye. Especially when a familiar adversary appears, bringing a threat almost too terrifying to confront—even in the cold light of day . . .

My Thoughts: Verity Kent and her husband Sidney are headed to Ireland in this seventh book in a series. June 1920 is a very unsettled time in Ireland. Many of the Irish are in revolt and the British government isn't sure how to deal with it but is trying to cover up just how bad things are. 

Verity and Sidney have two missions. First, they are searching for Verity former colleague Alec Xavier who has stopped communicating. Second, they are looking for the canister of phosgene which Lord Ardmore has imported into Ireland - somewhere. 

Once arrived, they are assigned another mission by the Lord Lieutenant: a young upper-class woman was attacked, had her hair shorn, and committed suicide. The Lord Lieutenant wants the perpetrators whom he believes to be member of the IRA found and punished. 

Dodging riots and spies of various types, Verity and Sidney look into all three problems. Along the way, Verity begins to question her government's response to the Ireland problem since it reminds her all to clearly of the German actions in Belgium which she observed firsthand. 

While some things are resolved others are left dangling in this episode. We do find out who murdered the young lady and Alec is discovered. But Lord Ardmore's plans and the phosgene are still unresolved issues. 

This was a very dense story filled with as much confusion as I'm sure the real situation was. Verity and Sidney don't know who to trust or who is working for which cause or side in this twisty tale. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard

The Killer Guide to San Francisco
Author: Michelle Chouinard
Publication: Minotaur Books (September 24, 2024)

Description: In Michelle Chouinard’s clever mystery The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, the granddaughter of a serial killer shows readers another side of the beloved city.

Welcome to San Francisco, a city with killer charm.

The chill of a San Francisco summer can be deadly. No one knows this better than Capri Sanzio, who makes her living giving serial killer tours of the city. Capri has been interested in the topic since she was a kid, when she discovered she’s the granddaughter of serial killer William ‘Overkill Bill’ Sanzio. She’s always believed in his innocence, though she's never taken the leap to fully dive into the case.

But now an Overkill Bill copycat has struck in San Francisco. And Capri’s former mother-in-law, Sylvia, just cut off Capri’s daughter’s tuition payments. Needing cash, Capri wonders if this is the time to exonerate her grandfather. The case is back in the news and the police will be looking to understand the past to catch a present-day killer. Capri could finally uncover the truth about Overkill Bill―documenting the process with a podcast and a book―and hopefully earn some money.

Before Capri can get very far, the cops discover the copycat’s latest victim: Sylvia. Capri soon finds herself at the heart of the police’s investigation for an entirely different reason. She and her daughter are prime suspects.

My Thoughts: Capri Sanzio is a tour guide in San Francisco and the granddaughter of a serial killer known as Overkill Bill. She's determined to clear her grandfather's name despite her father's insistence that she do nothing. But before she can work on that problem, she has to solve the murder of her former mother-in-law who was murdered in a copycat version of her grandfather's method.

As she looks into her socialite mother-in-law's life she finds all sorts of buried secrets. Somehow, the generations of San Franciso wealth have disappeared, and her mother-in-law has invested in some very chancy enterprises. Capri is suddenly looking into various internet frauds and trying to keep her daughter from being a suspect in the murder.

With an ex-husband who is lying about his whereabouts at the time of the murder and a daughter who is dodging the police for reasons of her own. Capri is having a hard time. However, she's dusting off the old journalism degree and looking into not only her grandfather's past but her mother-in-law's dealings too and sharing all that she finds with attractive police Detective Potito who isn't working fast enough for Capri's taste. 

This was an engaging story filled with all sorts of San Francisco tourist attractions. I enjoyed the story. 

Favorite Quote:

My mother had always been big on feelings. Exploring them, validating them, putting them under the microscope, until the only thing you were feeling was fed up with feelings. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.