Publishers Weekly
10/28/2019
In 1902, Lady Emily Hargreaves and her husband, Colin, rent a villa near Pompeii in bestseller Alexander’s uneven 14th series mystery (after 2018’s Uneasy Lies the Crown). Exploring the ancient ruins, Colin and Emily discover a recently strangled corpse amid those felled by the Vesuvius’s 79 CE eruption. Archaeologist Callie Carter appears to have known the victim, American journalist Clarence Walker, better than she admits; Callie’s brother, Benjamin, is inexplicably antagonistic; and Walker’s past in Montana may offer clues as well. Meanwhile, Emily is shaken when a daughter Colin didn’t know he had, Kat von Lange, shows up and moves in with the couple. Kat’s over-the-top manipulations and Colin’s immediate surrender to them feel implausible, and the murder investigation is too diffuse to be suspenseful, but the author does a fine job evoking the setting’s rich history, particularly in the chapters written as the journal entries of Pompeian poet Quinta Flavia Kassandra. Though this is far from Alexander’s strongest historical, lovers of classical culture should be pleased. Agent: Anne Hawkins, John Hawkins & Assoc. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
"Tasha Alexander brings both eras to life through meticulous research, and the dual stories come together in a chilling finale. Scenes set among the ruins of Pompeii and in the city pre-disaster have such depth that it feels like we’re walking directly into them...an urbane thriller with a big heart." —Bookpage
"Alexander’s precise attention to historical details invests her series about Lady Emily Hargreaves with an unshakeable background that she expertly weaves into solid plots…[her] skills shine in In the Shadow of Vesuvius…pitch-perfect." —Sun-Sentinel
“A captivating story of Pompeii... engaging.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[Evokes] the setting’s rich history…lovers of classical culture should be pleased.” —Publishers Weekly
Praise for Uneasy Lies the Crown:
“Engrossing…English history lovers will be enthralled.”—Publishers Weekly
“Readers are in the author’s trustworthy hands, and the working out of the puzzle will delight mystery and history buffs alike.” —Booklist
Praise for Death in St. Petersburg:
"Alexander is at the top of her game...(her) impeccable research and smart storytelling keep readers on the edge of their seats...A gripping tale by a grand mistress of the genre."—RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)
Praise for the Lady Emily Mysteries:
“Tasha Alexander has created Victorian London's most colorful and delightfully eccentric sleuth.” —Jacqueline Winspear, New York Times bestselling author of the Maisie Dobbs Series
“Consistently witty, smart, and entertaining.”—Booklist
MAY 2020 - AudioFile
Lady Emily; her husband, Colin; and friends travel to Pompeii in 1902, where they uncover a most unusual murder in the ancient city. Narrator Bianca Amato uses a variety of cultured tones to portray Lady Emily and her friends as they investigate this complex case. An alternating story told by former slave Quinta Flavia Cassandra, scribe and writer, recited in Amato’s soft tones, is set in 79 CE. The convoluted murder forces Lady Emily and Colin to investigate the dig and the many people involved. Amato effortlessly shifts accents from British to American, capturing the essence of each character. In sharp contrast, she portrays the ancient Romans using a combination of tonal shifts and pacing. The entwined stories and Amato’s passionate narration will remain in listeners’ minds long after the mysteries are solved. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2019-10-14
An invitation from a friend introduces an Edwardian couple to yet another odd murder.
Lady Emily Hargreaves and her husband, Colin, agent of the British Crown, are no strangers to unusual murders (Uneasy Lies the Crown, 2018, etc.), but they expect no more than a pleasant vacation when their friend Ivy Brandon invites them to visit Pompeii. They rent a villa and get a scholarly tour of the ruins from Ivy's new friends. Callie Carter is an archaeologist who got her job only because her artist brother, Benjamin, is on hand to chaperone her. While exploring the ruins, they discover that one of the many bodies apparently preserved when Vesuvius erupted is disconcertingly modern. As Emily and Colin investigate the contemporary murder, alternating chapters explore the ancient story of Quinta Flavia Kassandra, a Greek slave and talented poet whose father, a tutor for a wealthy family, buys their freedom in the year 79. Kassandra has fallen under the spell of Titus Livius Silvanus, but he marries Lepida, her former mistress. Although Kassandra thinks he'll seek to bed her, his actual desire is to have her secretly write poetry he can claim as his own. Back in 1902, the newly dead man is identified as journalist Clarence Walker, who seemed more dutiful than enthusiastic about the story he was writing. The Hargreaves' lives are turned upside down by the arrival of a young woman named Katharina von Lange, who announces herself as Colin's daughter. Her mother, Kristiana, who died when Katharina was a child, was a fellow agent Colin was in love with before meeting Emily; she'd refused to marry him and never told him about the pregnancy. Kat is a manipulative loose cannon who resents and ignores Emily while trying her own hand at sleuthing and seeking her father's approval. Questioning the crew at the archaeological site reveals a trove of hidden secrets. Which of them will provide a motive for murder?
A captivating story of Pompeii in which the city's mysterious past proves more engaging than the modern mystery.
