What do you think?
Rate this book
Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries #5
Dangerous to Know
Set in the lush countryside of Normandy, France, this new novel of suspense featuring Lady Emily Hargreaves is filled with intrigue, romance, mysterious deaths, and madness.
Returning from her honeymoon with Colin Hargreaves and a near brush with death in Constantinople, Lady Emily convalesces at her mother-in-law's beautiful estate in Normandy. But the calm she so desperately seeks is shattered when, out riding aÌýhorse, she comes upon the body of a young woman who has been brutally murdered. The girl's wounds are identical to those inflicted on the victims of Jack the Ripper, who has wreaked havoc across the channel in London. Emily feels a connectionÌýto the young woman and is determined to bring the killer to justice.
Pursuing a trail of clues and victims to the beautiful medieval city of Rouen and a crumbling chateau in the country, Emily begins to worry about her own sanity: she hears the cries of a little girl she cannot find and discovers blue ribbons left inÌýthe child's wake. As Emily is forced to match wits with a brilliant and manipulative killer, only her courage, keen instincts and formidable will to win can help her escape becoming his next victim.
306 pages, Hardcover
First published October 26, 2010
220 people are currently reading
2,585 people want to read
About the author
Tasha Alexander
37Ìýbooks2,513ÌýfollowersThe daughter of two philosophy professors, I grew up surrounded by books. I was convinced from an early age that I was born in the wrong century and spent much of my childhood under the dining room table pretending it was a covered wagon. Even there, I was never without a book in hand and loved reading and history more than anything. I studied English Literature and Medieval History at the University of Notre Dame. Writing is a natural offshoot of reading, and my first novel, And Only to Deceive, was published in 2005. I'm the author of the long-running Lady Emily Series as well as the novel Elizabeth: The Golden Age. One of the best parts of being an author is seeing your books translated, and I'm currently in love with the Japanese editions of the Emily books.
I played nomad for a long time, living in Indiana, Amsterdam, London, Wyoming, Vermont, Connecticut, and Tennessee before settling down. My husband, the brilliant British novelist Andrew Grant (I may be biased but that doesn't mean I'm wrong) and I live in southeastern Wyoming. I still don't have a covered wagon, but a log house goes a long way toward fulfilling my pioneer fantasies. Andrew makes sure I get my English characters right, and I make sure his American ones sound American.
I played nomad for a long time, living in Indiana, Amsterdam, London, Wyoming, Vermont, Connecticut, and Tennessee before settling down. My husband, the brilliant British novelist Andrew Grant (I may be biased but that doesn't mean I'm wrong) and I live in southeastern Wyoming. I still don't have a covered wagon, but a log house goes a long way toward fulfilling my pioneer fantasies. Andrew makes sure I get my English characters right, and I make sure his American ones sound American.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 496 reviews
March 9, 2011
Very few authors are capable of creating a series in which the characters remain the same or, better yet, grow more mature or improve and sadly, this isn't one of them. Each book of this series seems to get farther away from the character of Emily presented in the first book, going from strong and intelligent to childish and incapable of seeing how her actions affect anyone but herself.
Emily weeps in almost every chapter of this book. Every. Chapter. If she were actually broken up about events that happened in the last book (which we're told is the problem), then I'd understand her weepiness, but she is actually weepy because she feels guilty because she doesn't really feel sad about what happened. I had trouble understanding why she got overcome every time someone mentioned babies or children or the loss of a child when she doesn't seem to want one, although there was supposedly a moment in the last book when she came to the realization that she did. So imagine my surprise when we're back to her attitude again of not wanting it to happen because it would disrupt her life and freedom. It's as if she completely forgot that at the end of the last book that she decided she really did want a child. How did that happen?
I kept thinking didn't anyone tell her that sex with her husband would lead to children? I kept thinking didn't they discuss this before they were married? Emily makes note that they had discussed her need for independence, that they be equals, before she and Colin married and yet they didn't discuss this? Nonsense.
Emily in this book is shrill and stubborn, all but shouting "My freedom! My indpendence!" whenever her husband tries to discuss his very honest and raw feelings about her safety. She simply doesn't want to hear it. I was all but waiting for her to stick her fingers in her ears and tunelessly sing "la-la-la-la-la-la-la" when her husband tries to reason with her.
By this time, she has been advised by her good friend Margaret who is a strong independent woman, her good friend Cecile who is a strong independent woman, and Colin's mother, a strong woman who we find out is a campaigner for woman's rights, that perhaps she should consider her safety and not keep doing the detective work, to find another outlet for her intelligence and spirit, but Emily doesn't want to listen to anyone. Not one of these women have told her she isn't capable, but that she should consider how hard it is on Colin when she's in danger. Emily can't seem to care how anyone but herself feels.
She keeps saying it is her hard-won freedom. How is that? She married a man whom she barely knew, didn't bother to get to know and who conveniently died shortly after their wedding. She is left living in his home on his income, but with the knowledge that none of it is really hers. Then she marries Colin. I'm confused about how she was ever independent. Did she go out and earn a living? No. Did she buy her own home? No. Did she actually accomplish anything to become independent? No.
Her independence is all in her mind and then she married Colin.
The mystery in this one is okay. Interesting, sort of meanders and lots of running about, going here, going there.
The only thing I really did like in this one was Emily getting to know Colin's mother. The diary entries from his mother were entertaining as she gave some not-so-nice opinions about Emily. Those added to the story. The first book was wonderful, full of snappy dialogue that made me laugh and cry and hope Emily would find happiness. Now I think she should concern herself at least a bit with her husband's happiness.
I'm not sure if this is a series I'd recommend at this point.
Emily weeps in almost every chapter of this book. Every. Chapter. If she were actually broken up about events that happened in the last book (which we're told is the problem), then I'd understand her weepiness, but she is actually weepy because she feels guilty because she doesn't really feel sad about what happened. I had trouble understanding why she got overcome every time someone mentioned babies or children or the loss of a child when she doesn't seem to want one, although there was supposedly a moment in the last book when she came to the realization that she did. So imagine my surprise when we're back to her attitude again of not wanting it to happen because it would disrupt her life and freedom. It's as if she completely forgot that at the end of the last book that she decided she really did want a child. How did that happen?
I kept thinking didn't anyone tell her that sex with her husband would lead to children? I kept thinking didn't they discuss this before they were married? Emily makes note that they had discussed her need for independence, that they be equals, before she and Colin married and yet they didn't discuss this? Nonsense.
Emily in this book is shrill and stubborn, all but shouting "My freedom! My indpendence!" whenever her husband tries to discuss his very honest and raw feelings about her safety. She simply doesn't want to hear it. I was all but waiting for her to stick her fingers in her ears and tunelessly sing "la-la-la-la-la-la-la" when her husband tries to reason with her.
By this time, she has been advised by her good friend Margaret who is a strong independent woman, her good friend Cecile who is a strong independent woman, and Colin's mother, a strong woman who we find out is a campaigner for woman's rights, that perhaps she should consider her safety and not keep doing the detective work, to find another outlet for her intelligence and spirit, but Emily doesn't want to listen to anyone. Not one of these women have told her she isn't capable, but that she should consider how hard it is on Colin when she's in danger. Emily can't seem to care how anyone but herself feels.
She keeps saying it is her hard-won freedom. How is that? She married a man whom she barely knew, didn't bother to get to know and who conveniently died shortly after their wedding. She is left living in his home on his income, but with the knowledge that none of it is really hers. Then she marries Colin. I'm confused about how she was ever independent. Did she go out and earn a living? No. Did she buy her own home? No. Did she actually accomplish anything to become independent? No.
Her independence is all in her mind and then she married Colin.
The mystery in this one is okay. Interesting, sort of meanders and lots of running about, going here, going there.
The only thing I really did like in this one was Emily getting to know Colin's mother. The diary entries from his mother were entertaining as she gave some not-so-nice opinions about Emily. Those added to the story. The first book was wonderful, full of snappy dialogue that made me laugh and cry and hope Emily would find happiness. Now I think she should concern herself at least a bit with her husband's happiness.
I'm not sure if this is a series I'd recommend at this point.
April 3, 2024
3,7 stars rounded up to 4.
Another mystery very hard to solve, this time set in wonderful Normandy ( France ).
I love to read the "Lady Emily mystery series", because it leads me through the most beautiful places in Europe and through the history, art and real-life historical figures of its charming regions, cities and towns, in the late Victorian era and later in the series in the early 1900s.
****
__ PLOT IN BRIEF __ 1892. After a disastrous honeymoon in Constantinople, where Lady Emily risked her life and lost the child she was carrying, she is now convalescing, accompanied by her husband Colin, at her mother-in-law's residence in Normandy .
Here Emily not only meets characters of the caliber of Monet and Maurice Leblanc, but she meets the fascinating thief Sebastian and comes across a terrible murder and perhaps even a ghost.
***
___THINGS I LOVED ___
As you may have guessed from the plot, there's a lot of stuff in this installment #5.
The mystery begins immediately with the gruesome discovery of a corpse, in which the killer's modus operandi brings to mind London's famous Jack the Ripper.
The discoveries regarding the victim's past, however, lead to different paths and Lady Emily, still very sad and sensitive for the loss of the child, finds herself facing other difficult issues:
-> mental disorders and the shame that family members often felt when someone he was affected by it in his family.
->The etiquette of good society and the terrible pressure that women underwent at that time in not being able to show their feelings and suffering, the lack of freedom in expressing themselves and the absurd submission that was imposed on wives by their husbands... and despite Emily's modernity and the declared equality of the 2 spouses within the marriage declared by Colin, we will see that this couple in love will also have big problems in this regard.
In addition to the murder, from the beginning of the story, we meet the supporting characters, among which the famous Claude Monet, impressionist painter who had just married his lover of many years Alice Hoschedé and the writer Maurice Leblanc, father of Arsène Lupin and who was then still a young journalist.
Tasha Alexander, the author, allows us to have tea with the famous painter in his beautiful home in Giverny, and it is fantastic to find ourselves immersed in the beautiful gardens that Monet loved so much.
We breathe in the enchanting atmosphere of the village of Giverny with its half-timbered houses and rolling hills.
No less enchanting is the atmosphere of the medieval towns of Rouen, in which Lady Emily recalls that Joan of Arc was burned.
Not much is said about personal life of Maurice Leblanc, but is good to watch him to take part from time to time in this investigation. The author also makes the reader understand that Leblanc was inspired by the friendly and charming gentleman thief Sebastian Capet (fiction obviously, in fact Sebastian is a fictional character) to write the his future novels starring the legendary Arsène Lupin.
As I already said, each historical mystery in the Lady Emily series is a journey through history and different places, interesting to visit and that will make you want to travel right away!
The descriptions range from landscapes to city streets, from historical events to the traditional gastronomy of the place, from habits and customs to the fashion of the time and place.
This does not prevent the author from creating complicated puzzles in each book in which it is really difficult to guess the culprit.
__LITTLE THINGS I LIKED A LITTLE LESS ___
Perhaps the thing that made me lower my rating for the book was the prolonged argument between Emily and her husband Colin. Not because the discussion itself bothered me, on the contrary, I liked seeing the couple with problems of misunderstanding, more similar to reality than a perfect sappy relationship that doesn't exist in any couple in the world...
What bothered me was Colin's unexpected arrogance and his alternation: imposition and "I love you", imposition and prohibitions and then again "you know I love you"... Wow, it really made me nervous and it made me even more angry with Emily, who, despite being dissatisfied, was trying to submit to this... true at the time it was like that, but it really made me nervous and even if they finally made peace... I wasn't satisfied with the motivation.
I like Emily's independent spirit and wish she had done more to be respected.
Another thing that had a negative impact on my rating was the presence of what was believed to be a ghost. Tasha Alexander often includes fake ghosts in her short stories (I have read all those published in the series) and it is a topic which I don't like very much and if it can fascinate me once, if it is repeated in several books of the same series, it tires me.
___ SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE MORE IN THE SERIES ___
The only topic would like to see more often and I could never get bored is actually a side character: Sebastian, the thief with refined taste... I love him!
He is charming, gallant, always ready with a joke and unpredictable, even if he may look predictable.
He appears for the first time in book #3 (A Fatal Waltz, set in Vienna), where it is impossible not to fall in love with him. He reappears here and will reappear in book #12 ( Death in St. Petersburg ), which I read last year and I highly recommend it, it's a great read.
I already know that Sebastian will not appear in more books than those named by me ( among those already published), but I hope to have the pleasure of his presence in future books in the series.
I've read many books in this series out of chronological order and although the stories are connected to each other by Lady Emily's personal life, they all are readable as a standalone.
Clean language, no sex or kissing scenes, no violence, no gruesome descriptions.
Therefore a historical mystery also suitable for the youngest and those who love cozies.
If you choose to read the book, I hope you will enjoy it the same as me.
Thank you for reading my review and please forgive my bad English, because it is not my native language.
Another mystery very hard to solve, this time set in wonderful Normandy ( France ).
I love to read the "Lady Emily mystery series", because it leads me through the most beautiful places in Europe and through the history, art and real-life historical figures of its charming regions, cities and towns, in the late Victorian era and later in the series in the early 1900s.
****
__ PLOT IN BRIEF __ 1892. After a disastrous honeymoon in Constantinople, where Lady Emily risked her life and lost the child she was carrying, she is now convalescing, accompanied by her husband Colin, at her mother-in-law's residence in Normandy .
Here Emily not only meets characters of the caliber of Monet and Maurice Leblanc, but she meets the fascinating thief Sebastian and comes across a terrible murder and perhaps even a ghost.
***
___THINGS I LOVED ___
As you may have guessed from the plot, there's a lot of stuff in this installment #5.
The mystery begins immediately with the gruesome discovery of a corpse, in which the killer's modus operandi brings to mind London's famous Jack the Ripper.
The discoveries regarding the victim's past, however, lead to different paths and Lady Emily, still very sad and sensitive for the loss of the child, finds herself facing other difficult issues:
-> mental disorders and the shame that family members often felt when someone he was affected by it in his family.
->The etiquette of good society and the terrible pressure that women underwent at that time in not being able to show their feelings and suffering, the lack of freedom in expressing themselves and the absurd submission that was imposed on wives by their husbands... and despite Emily's modernity and the declared equality of the 2 spouses within the marriage declared by Colin, we will see that this couple in love will also have big problems in this regard.
In addition to the murder, from the beginning of the story, we meet the supporting characters, among which the famous Claude Monet, impressionist painter who had just married his lover of many years Alice Hoschedé and the writer Maurice Leblanc, father of Arsène Lupin and who was then still a young journalist.
Tasha Alexander, the author, allows us to have tea with the famous painter in his beautiful home in Giverny, and it is fantastic to find ourselves immersed in the beautiful gardens that Monet loved so much.
We breathe in the enchanting atmosphere of the village of Giverny with its half-timbered houses and rolling hills.
No less enchanting is the atmosphere of the medieval towns of Rouen, in which Lady Emily recalls that Joan of Arc was burned.
Not much is said about personal life of Maurice Leblanc, but is good to watch him to take part from time to time in this investigation. The author also makes the reader understand that Leblanc was inspired by the friendly and charming gentleman thief Sebastian Capet (fiction obviously, in fact Sebastian is a fictional character) to write the his future novels starring the legendary Arsène Lupin.
As I already said, each historical mystery in the Lady Emily series is a journey through history and different places, interesting to visit and that will make you want to travel right away!
The descriptions range from landscapes to city streets, from historical events to the traditional gastronomy of the place, from habits and customs to the fashion of the time and place.
This does not prevent the author from creating complicated puzzles in each book in which it is really difficult to guess the culprit.
__LITTLE THINGS I LIKED A LITTLE LESS ___
Perhaps the thing that made me lower my rating for the book was the prolonged argument between Emily and her husband Colin. Not because the discussion itself bothered me, on the contrary, I liked seeing the couple with problems of misunderstanding, more similar to reality than a perfect sappy relationship that doesn't exist in any couple in the world...
What bothered me was Colin's unexpected arrogance and his alternation: imposition and "I love you", imposition and prohibitions and then again "you know I love you"... Wow, it really made me nervous and it made me even more angry with Emily, who, despite being dissatisfied, was trying to submit to this... true at the time it was like that, but it really made me nervous and even if they finally made peace... I wasn't satisfied with the motivation.
I like Emily's independent spirit and wish she had done more to be respected.
Another thing that had a negative impact on my rating was the presence of what was believed to be a ghost. Tasha Alexander often includes fake ghosts in her short stories (I have read all those published in the series) and it is a topic which I don't like very much and if it can fascinate me once, if it is repeated in several books of the same series, it tires me.
___ SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE MORE IN THE SERIES ___
The only topic would like to see more often and I could never get bored is actually a side character: Sebastian, the thief with refined taste... I love him!
He is charming, gallant, always ready with a joke and unpredictable, even if he may look predictable.
He appears for the first time in book #3 (A Fatal Waltz, set in Vienna), where it is impossible not to fall in love with him. He reappears here and will reappear in book #12 ( Death in St. Petersburg ), which I read last year and I highly recommend it, it's a great read.
I already know that Sebastian will not appear in more books than those named by me ( among those already published), but I hope to have the pleasure of his presence in future books in the series.
I've read many books in this series out of chronological order and although the stories are connected to each other by Lady Emily's personal life, they all are readable as a standalone.
Clean language, no sex or kissing scenes, no violence, no gruesome descriptions.
Therefore a historical mystery also suitable for the youngest and those who love cozies.
If you choose to read the book, I hope you will enjoy it the same as me.
Thank you for reading my review and please forgive my bad English, because it is not my native language.
June 3, 2011
I think I’m going to put the Lady Emily series on warning; I find that since the first two books, they are rolling steadily downhill and losing the charm that hooked me into this character in the first place. The characters seemed flat (even the ones I have loved in previous installations of the series) and the story hollowly improbable. I didn’t like the diary entries by Emily’s mother in law at the end of some chapters. I think a lot of the dialogue needed some work; I found that all the French maids speaking in colloquial English silly and the whimsical references to sex tiring and overdone. I was also perturbed by the loose ends flapping at the end of the novel (especially in regards to the Lucy storyline). This series seems to have fallen victim to its own popularity with quality declining as quantity increases.
May 11, 2011
After the traumatic events at the end of the fourth Lady Emily novel, Tears of Pearl, Lady Emily is taken by her husband Colin to Normandy, France to his mother’s place to recuperate. Although not entirely enamoured with the idea of being pregnant in the previous novel, now that she is no longer, Lady Emily finds herself in quite a state of melancholy, one that she cannot seem to shake. She is listless and withdrawn, very unlike herself. Her convalescence isn’t helped by the fact that her mother in law seems to find so much to disapprove of about her and isn’t having much trouble making those feelings known.
Whilst out riding one day, Lady Emily discovers the brutally mutilated body of a young woman who could almost be her twin. With the Jack the Ripper murders of London fresh in people’s mind, Lady Emily feels a need to find the murderer of the woman and bring them to justice. It’s just the sort of distraction she needs that could take her mind off the loss that has plagued her recently, even if it does mean she’s putting herself in danger once again. As she begins an investigation, she learns that the victim was the daughter of a wealthy local family (whose mother happens to be friends with Lady Emily’s French friend Cecile) and that she was an escapee from an institution for the mentally unwell. Lady Emily soon begins hearing voices, that of a small girl, and sees faces in windows where there should not be faces and sees a blue ribbon appear and disappear. This ties in with the local ‘myth� of a young girl who fell to her death due to maternal neglect and it is said that she roams the countryside searching for a better mother than the one she was born to. Lady Emily begins to fear for her own sanity, especially as what she is hearing and seeing is the same thing the murdered woman reported hearing and seeing before her family decided to commit her to the mental facility.
Colin is also having second thoughts about his wife investigating crimes after the horrible way things turned out during the last investigation and he is warring internally with himself about just how much he will let her take part in. The relationship between the two becomes strained as Lady Emily is devastated at his new frame of mind and admits to herself that if he forbids her any involvement, she will acquiesce to his wishes simply because she loves him. That does not prevent her from becoming depressed over this new turn of events, and given that the dashing jewel thief Sebastian is back from A Poisoned Season to provide her with some much needed intrigue and assistance, Colin might just have to rethink his stance.
Wow. This book was just a major step back in character development for both Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves. Lady Emily, although a bit irritating at times, has always been admirable from a reader point for not caring much about the ways of Victorian society and doing precisely what she wants to do � learn Ancient Greek, remain a widow and refuse the hands of eligible men, travel to France and Greece, solve murders. And Colin has always been equally admirable in the way that he has not sought to confine her free spirit or thirst for knowledge, nor her lack of regard for society. In this book � they both reverse their characters.
After being shot at the end of Tears of Pearl, losing her baby and being informed of possibly not being able to conceive another one, Lady Emily becomes a pale shadow of her former self, listless and lifeless, lazing around. She has abandoned her Greek studies and doesn’t really show much of an interest in anything until discovering the gruesome body and deciding that she must attempt to put right what happened to the poor murdered girl. Colin also takes a massive step back in this novel, not only expressing doubts about the involvement Lady Emily has in the investigation but pondering whether or not to flat out ban her from any such involvements in the future. He puts restrictions on her involvement in this case, forbidding her to do a couple of things and Lady Emily can only nod weakly and agree while she sobs and agonizes on the inside.
I always liked Colin before this novel, I thought he was funny and very progressive and actually, quite a good match for Lady Emily, often too good a match. He was quite prepared for her to live her life the way she wanted to and not impose any 19th Century Victorian-husband type rules upon her. Yes she ended up in danger in the last book but she had the sense to get herself out of it and actually figured out the murderer before he did. It was extremely disappointing to see him to revert to this sort of “you’re my wife and if I say you won’t be involved, then you won’t be, I forbid it! Understand me?� sort of character and it was almost as disappointing to see Lady Emily agree to this because she loves him so much and will have to abide by his orders if he chooses to enforce them. I felt like reaching into the pages of this novel and shaking her. Where was the woman who refused to marry him at first because she didn’t want to be tied down in such a conventional way? Where was the woman who learned Ancient Greek just because she wanted to? Where was the woman who traveled to foreign countries and enjoyed life? She might’ve been irritating at times but she was a heck of a lot more interesting than the shadow of a person who haunted this book!
I’ve questioned why I keep reading these when really I’ve only actually enjoyed 1 out of 4. The rest have been sort of okay or just the other side of okay, not quite bad, but not quite good either. I think it’s because I’m craving books of this type - Victorian mysteries with a tiny bit of romance where characters are breaking out of the traditions of the time. I’ve been looking for these sort of books lately and latching on to anything that I find, such as these and even though they’re not great, I keep reading them. I still have #3 in this series to read and because I can get them from the library I will read it but now that I’m caught up, I am guessing I’ll have forgotten all about this series by the time the next one is released.
This book could really have been about entirely different people than the others in the series.
Whilst out riding one day, Lady Emily discovers the brutally mutilated body of a young woman who could almost be her twin. With the Jack the Ripper murders of London fresh in people’s mind, Lady Emily feels a need to find the murderer of the woman and bring them to justice. It’s just the sort of distraction she needs that could take her mind off the loss that has plagued her recently, even if it does mean she’s putting herself in danger once again. As she begins an investigation, she learns that the victim was the daughter of a wealthy local family (whose mother happens to be friends with Lady Emily’s French friend Cecile) and that she was an escapee from an institution for the mentally unwell. Lady Emily soon begins hearing voices, that of a small girl, and sees faces in windows where there should not be faces and sees a blue ribbon appear and disappear. This ties in with the local ‘myth� of a young girl who fell to her death due to maternal neglect and it is said that she roams the countryside searching for a better mother than the one she was born to. Lady Emily begins to fear for her own sanity, especially as what she is hearing and seeing is the same thing the murdered woman reported hearing and seeing before her family decided to commit her to the mental facility.
Colin is also having second thoughts about his wife investigating crimes after the horrible way things turned out during the last investigation and he is warring internally with himself about just how much he will let her take part in. The relationship between the two becomes strained as Lady Emily is devastated at his new frame of mind and admits to herself that if he forbids her any involvement, she will acquiesce to his wishes simply because she loves him. That does not prevent her from becoming depressed over this new turn of events, and given that the dashing jewel thief Sebastian is back from A Poisoned Season to provide her with some much needed intrigue and assistance, Colin might just have to rethink his stance.
Wow. This book was just a major step back in character development for both Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves. Lady Emily, although a bit irritating at times, has always been admirable from a reader point for not caring much about the ways of Victorian society and doing precisely what she wants to do � learn Ancient Greek, remain a widow and refuse the hands of eligible men, travel to France and Greece, solve murders. And Colin has always been equally admirable in the way that he has not sought to confine her free spirit or thirst for knowledge, nor her lack of regard for society. In this book � they both reverse their characters.
After being shot at the end of Tears of Pearl, losing her baby and being informed of possibly not being able to conceive another one, Lady Emily becomes a pale shadow of her former self, listless and lifeless, lazing around. She has abandoned her Greek studies and doesn’t really show much of an interest in anything until discovering the gruesome body and deciding that she must attempt to put right what happened to the poor murdered girl. Colin also takes a massive step back in this novel, not only expressing doubts about the involvement Lady Emily has in the investigation but pondering whether or not to flat out ban her from any such involvements in the future. He puts restrictions on her involvement in this case, forbidding her to do a couple of things and Lady Emily can only nod weakly and agree while she sobs and agonizes on the inside.
I always liked Colin before this novel, I thought he was funny and very progressive and actually, quite a good match for Lady Emily, often too good a match. He was quite prepared for her to live her life the way she wanted to and not impose any 19th Century Victorian-husband type rules upon her. Yes she ended up in danger in the last book but she had the sense to get herself out of it and actually figured out the murderer before he did. It was extremely disappointing to see him to revert to this sort of “you’re my wife and if I say you won’t be involved, then you won’t be, I forbid it! Understand me?� sort of character and it was almost as disappointing to see Lady Emily agree to this because she loves him so much and will have to abide by his orders if he chooses to enforce them. I felt like reaching into the pages of this novel and shaking her. Where was the woman who refused to marry him at first because she didn’t want to be tied down in such a conventional way? Where was the woman who learned Ancient Greek just because she wanted to? Where was the woman who traveled to foreign countries and enjoyed life? She might’ve been irritating at times but she was a heck of a lot more interesting than the shadow of a person who haunted this book!
I’ve questioned why I keep reading these when really I’ve only actually enjoyed 1 out of 4. The rest have been sort of okay or just the other side of okay, not quite bad, but not quite good either. I think it’s because I’m craving books of this type - Victorian mysteries with a tiny bit of romance where characters are breaking out of the traditions of the time. I’ve been looking for these sort of books lately and latching on to anything that I find, such as these and even though they’re not great, I keep reading them. I still have #3 in this series to read and because I can get them from the library I will read it but now that I’m caught up, I am guessing I’ll have forgotten all about this series by the time the next one is released.
This book could really have been about entirely different people than the others in the series.
February 21, 2011
I really liked Lady Emily in And Only to Deceive,the first book of this series. Didn't like her so much in the 4th, Tears of Pearl, because her arrogance and fight for independence and equality were a bit overbearing and quite obnoxious. The Emily of Dangerous to Know is much more like the Emily of And Only to Deceive. For example, I loved her interchange with Laurent after she barged into his rooms and ignored his demands that she leave:
Laurent: Are you simple-minded? Do you not understand the most basic commands?
Lady E: I understand them perfectly well. But I've always had a problem following them. My mother insists it's deliberate, but I think it's innate to my personality.
See? It's the old Emily, but without the obnoxiousness. Granted, she and Colin are still working out how to handle her role in their investigations and sometimes Emily's opinions are a little too 21st century. She's a Victorian, I think it'd be okay if she were to have a few opinions that matched her times.
I also really liked having Sebastian back....he's more interesting than Colin has been since he and Emily were married, and I hope he continues to make appearances in future Lady Emily novels.
Laurent: Are you simple-minded? Do you not understand the most basic commands?
Lady E: I understand them perfectly well. But I've always had a problem following them. My mother insists it's deliberate, but I think it's innate to my personality.
See? It's the old Emily, but without the obnoxiousness. Granted, she and Colin are still working out how to handle her role in their investigations and sometimes Emily's opinions are a little too 21st century. She's a Victorian, I think it'd be okay if she were to have a few opinions that matched her times.
I also really liked having Sebastian back....he's more interesting than Colin has been since he and Emily were married, and I hope he continues to make appearances in future Lady Emily novels.
February 25, 2011
After suffering a terrible loss on her honeymoon in Constantinople, Lady Emily is whisked off for R&R at her mother-in-law's house in Normandy. Does anyone spot the obvious plot yet? Of course, things are not smooth sailing with Colin's mother, and of course, there's a dead body or two to deal with. And Sebastian (yeah!!!) is back, with all refined tastes and selective burglaring.
I really disliked Colin's treatment of Emily in the book. I realize that it may be typical of the era, but I didn't find it true to the characters. And even more, I disliked her reactions to the things he did. With everyone else, she stayed somewhat true to her pushing some boundaries while respecting others, deciding how liberal she wanted to be. But with him, she cried a little and caved!
I guessed much of the plot, but it took me a long time to figure out the why.
I really disliked Colin's treatment of Emily in the book. I realize that it may be typical of the era, but I didn't find it true to the characters. And even more, I disliked her reactions to the things he did. With everyone else, she stayed somewhat true to her pushing some boundaries while respecting others, deciding how liberal she wanted to be. But with him, she cried a little and caved!
I guessed much of the plot, but it took me a long time to figure out the why.
April 28, 2019
RATING: 4 STARS
Colin and Emily are back in the game of MURDERRRRRRRR! Colin has taken Emily to his mother's house in country to recover...but the two independent freethinking women clash from the moment they meet. Emily on a ride in the country discovers a young woman brutally murdered reminiscent of Jack the Ripper. Mix in Cecile, Sebastian and a journalist writing about ghosts. I am starting to really like this series especially due to Colin.
Colin and Emily are back in the game of MURDERRRRRRRR! Colin has taken Emily to his mother's house in country to recover...but the two independent freethinking women clash from the moment they meet. Emily on a ride in the country discovers a young woman brutally murdered reminiscent of Jack the Ripper. Mix in Cecile, Sebastian and a journalist writing about ghosts. I am starting to really like this series especially due to Colin.
September 14, 2016
This was another great Lady Emily mystery from Tasha Alexander. While recuperating with husband Colin at his mother's Normandy estate, Emily discovers the mutilated body of a young woman as she is taking her morning ride. At once she and Colin are thrown into another murder mystery, much to Colin's dismay. He has become very protective of Emily since his wife's devastating encounter with a murderer on their recent honeymoon, an encounter causing her to lose their unborn child before they even knew she was pregnant. It also is disconcerting that the murdered woman looks a lot like Emily.
While Alexander presents a number of likely suspects, including speculation that the murder could be the work of Jack the Ripper, I was able to guess the culprit early on, but was totally surprised when his method and reason for committing this horrible crime was revealed. This and other parts of the mystery surrounding the victim still made the book a suspenseful and enjoyable read. I didn't want to put it down during the last hundred pages.
Returning characters to the series were Emily's French friend Cecile, always a delight, and the enigmatic Sebastian Capet, thief extraordinaire. These two will always add to the story when they are included. A new character introduced is Colin's mother, Anne Hargreaves, a widow who has refused to return to England since her husband's death. She does not take to Emily upon their first meeting, and in fact causes some dissention as she makes her disapproval obvious. Alexander gives insight into this character as we are privy to her thoughts expressed in her journal. Expect to see more of her in future books.
This is a wonderful series!
While Alexander presents a number of likely suspects, including speculation that the murder could be the work of Jack the Ripper, I was able to guess the culprit early on, but was totally surprised when his method and reason for committing this horrible crime was revealed. This and other parts of the mystery surrounding the victim still made the book a suspenseful and enjoyable read. I didn't want to put it down during the last hundred pages.
Returning characters to the series were Emily's French friend Cecile, always a delight, and the enigmatic Sebastian Capet, thief extraordinaire. These two will always add to the story when they are included. A new character introduced is Colin's mother, Anne Hargreaves, a widow who has refused to return to England since her husband's death. She does not take to Emily upon their first meeting, and in fact causes some dissention as she makes her disapproval obvious. Alexander gives insight into this character as we are privy to her thoughts expressed in her journal. Expect to see more of her in future books.
This is a wonderful series!
April 5, 2019
I experience that wonderful feeling of satisfaction that comes from completing another well-written novel. The characters are well developed; the dialogue flows and is totally believable. The background is well researched and just lovely!
February 18, 2025
Amateur Sleuth, Lady Emily Hargreaves and her husband, Colin, have decided to vacation in Normandy as guests of Colin's mother. Lady Emily had recently suffered a miscarriage, and Colin Hargreaves thinks the rest away from England would benefit his wife. The story begins in July 1892.
But while in Normandy a murder as been committed near the estate of Mrs. Hargreaves. The victim is a young girl that Lady Emily discovered while walking near the woods.
While Lady Emily and Colin are pursuing all possible leads to apprehend the murderer, more killings have occurred. Lady Emily and Colin believe that the deaths are connected.
As with all the other Lady Emily murder mysteries, this mystery is not want of colorful characters.
But while in Normandy a murder as been committed near the estate of Mrs. Hargreaves. The victim is a young girl that Lady Emily discovered while walking near the woods.
While Lady Emily and Colin are pursuing all possible leads to apprehend the murderer, more killings have occurred. Lady Emily and Colin believe that the deaths are connected.
As with all the other Lady Emily murder mysteries, this mystery is not want of colorful characters.
December 31, 2010
I enjoyed the plot of this book more than I did the last one, Tears of Pearl. Despite the unlikely aspects story, the plot was rather more interesting, and didn't have me rolling my eyes nearly as much.
I also very happy to see Ms. Alexander re-introduce the character of Sebastian--he truly never ceases to amuse me.
That being said, I still am somewhat annoyed by Emily's character--I sympathize with her mother-in-law. In the first book, she really seemed like a strong, independent woman. Since then, seems like she's gone downhill quickly to the "damsel in distress" category. However, I felt like she showed some signs of climbing back up towards independent woman towards the end of this book. On a related note, the ongoing struggle between Emily & Colin on how involved she can/should be in murder investigations is also getting quite stale.
All in all though, an entertaining and quick read.
I also very happy to see Ms. Alexander re-introduce the character of Sebastian--he truly never ceases to amuse me.
That being said, I still am somewhat annoyed by Emily's character--I sympathize with her mother-in-law. In the first book, she really seemed like a strong, independent woman. Since then, seems like she's gone downhill quickly to the "damsel in distress" category. However, I felt like she showed some signs of climbing back up towards independent woman towards the end of this book. On a related note, the ongoing struggle between Emily & Colin on how involved she can/should be in murder investigations is also getting quite stale.
All in all though, an entertaining and quick read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2021
Easily my favorite so far. I was actually interested in the murder, I'm usually only here for the characters, and was interesting with the way the mysteries progress. There was family and relationship drama that I really liked.
October 16, 2018
*Special Content only on my blog, during Alexander Autumn (October-November 2018)
Emily is still reeling from her miscarriage in Constantinople. A happy honeymoon filled with intrigue and connubial bliss destroyed by one bullet. She must take solace in the fact that she saved a young girl's life and caught a killer and not dwell on the fact that she and Colin might never be able to have children now. Ensconced in Normandy, Emily's recuperation would be far more successful if it wasn't under the gimlet eye of her mother-in-law. The feeling of being a constant disappointment to Colin and his mother pushes Emily continually outside the four walls of the house that feel like they're closing in on her. But soon even the countryside won't offer her respite. On one of her rides she comes upon a young girl brutally murdered. So brutal that when she is finally able to lead the police back to the crime scene there are murmurs that Jack the Ripper might be calling Normandy his new home. Emily gets a little bit of celebrity with the locals for finding the body, but Colin worries if perhaps it's best if Emily's attention was drawn elsewhere. She doesn't need to investigate the most dangerous of crimes and be continually putting herself in danger.
Colin is therefore a little relieved when his mother's neighbors, George and Madeline Markham, have a diversion for Emily to occupy herself with. They are great art collectors and a new Monet painting has just appeared in their fortress like house. Emily's dear friend Cecile, arriving from Paris, recognizes the piece as one just finished and stolen from Giverny. Emily correctly comes to the conclusion that her favorite thief, Sebastian Capet, has returned to spice up her life with Greek quotations left on her pillow each night. But even Sebastian, with his laissez-faire attitude, can not deny that danger lurks near at hand for Emily. The murdered girl looked eerily like Emily and once it's discovered she wasn't the Rippers typical victim, being from a well-to-do family who had placed her in an asylum, Colin is all for Emily heading straight back to England and waiting for him there. Yet Emily can not do that. Yes, she wants to obey Colin, but never before has that meant leaving his side. But could retreating be in her best interest? She just doesn't know! She can no longer trust her mental faculties after she sees the ghostly apparition of a young child. Is this her grief over her own loss or is she on the path to the asylum like the Ripper's victim?
At the end of each adventure with Lady Emily I think to myself, the next volume couldn't possibly be better, and yet each and every time Tasha proves me wrong. This volume instantly became my favorite, but who knows what will happen when I read the next book? But I don't know how it could surpass the Gothic goodness of Dangerous to Know! This book almost felt like I was reading one of Emily's favorite authors! But could Mary Elizabeth Braddon come up with such a tale that Jack the Ripper, the Norman Heathcliff, and the ghostly apparition of a child people the pages!?! If she did I'm sure she wouldn't be able to capture the meta humor that Emily arches her eyebrows at with her love/hate relationship with Normandy's version of Wuthering Heights. But what called to me most was the Jack the Ripper angle. Long before the term Murderino came into existence I was one. I would watch all the Unsolved Mysteries I could, especially if they were historical. Therefore it shouldn't be surprising that I'm a bit of a Ripperologist. I have watched or read every movie, book, comic, TV series I can on Jack the Ripper. Therefore this inclusion in Emily's investigation made by blood sing! Oh, to combine my favorite heroine with what I find the most intriguing unsolved murders of the 1800s? How did Tasha know that this would be my wish for a perfect book!?!
Though I think the inclusion of Jack the Ripper in a story wherein Emily is dealing with the loss of her child would be significant only to a Ripperologist. What could I mean you ask? Well, let me break it down. Let's look to the canonical five. The first victim, Mary Ann Nichols suffered abdominal incisions, which were seen again in the second victim Annie Chapman. But all this was leading up to what would be done to the fifth and final victim, Mary Jane Kelly. All her internal organs from her abdomen, in particular her reproductive organs, were removed, and her breasts were cut off. While there are theories, much like with the Black Dahlia, that these wounds could have been used to cover up a botched abortion, one thing is clear, Jack the Ripper was targeting women who made their money from sex and then killed them in such a way as to destroy what made them female, the ability to reproduce, only fully succeeding with Mary Jane Kelly. And as for the theories of Mary Jane Kelly's daughter... well, all this shows that by including Jack the Ripper in Dangerous to Know Tasha was adding another level of gut punch to Emily. Not only would she be traumatized by finding the poor girl in the field mutilated to such a degree, but to then have the reminder that her miscarriage basically scooped out her insides and made them as empty as Mary Jane Kelly's... chilling.
Tasha then compounds this loss with the ghostly child who leaves behind blue ribbons. So many ghost stories of the Victorian era or written about the Victorian era deal with children and mothers who have lost their children. Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White, which Emily was sure to have read, Susan Hill's , a more modern classic, and even a book that Tasha recommended to me, by Arthur Phillips, these are three books just off the top of my head that I thought of while reading Dangerous to Know. I am sure there are a plethora more, even Henry James's for example. But what Tasha does is she is smart enough to create her own mythology, first the story of the young girl who fell off a cliff, then the local gossip surrounding a young child that was killed at George and Madeline Markham's house that Madeline has conflated with her own pregnancy losses. Then there's the poor victim and what she endured... but where Tasha excels is that she draws a parallel between these stories and the loss endured by Victorian women. I believe it is Cecile who comments that she doesn't think she can think of a single one of their friends who hasn't suffered a similar loss to Emily's. Childbirth and childhood were dangerous undertakings during this time and the ghost stories are almost a way to normalize the fear these women constantly felt, even if it has the effect of unsettling them at the time.
For all that I loved there's one thing that made me go WTF!?! And that was Colin's behavior. Emily married Colin because he accepted who she was and wanted to be by his side, investigating and solving crimes, and now he's trying to wrap her up in cotton wool and let nothing bad ever happen to her again. YOU KNEW WHO SHE WAS WHEN YOU MARRIED HER YOU DUMBASS! She wouldn't have married him if she knew he was going to pull a 180 and decide to become the typical Victorian husband. She had that once and while at the time what Philip offered was what she thought she wanted, she has grown since then and become this awesome hoyden. Sure, she was badly injured and their unborn child was lost, but Dear God Colin, she doesn't need you pulling this shit when she's trying to piece her life back together. And yes, I know this is a plot device, one to destabilize Emily even more as well as show what marriages were really like during the Victorian era, but that doesn't mean it stopped my blood from boiling. Though it does actually all tie back into the killer, whose motives I did not see coming, and the idea of what we are willing to do for love. Would we break the will of our loved one if we think it's in their best interest? Would we imprison them for their safety? Would we kill for them?
Yet one thing is certain, I don't think Colin's mother would approve of his coddling of Emily. Madame Hargreaves is who I think Emily will evolve into. Yes, it's trite to say that boys marry women who remind them of their mothers, but going beyond that, Colin believes in the rights and equality of women, so it would make sense that he would find a woman he viewed as his equal to marry. At first I, like Emily, was wary of her mother-in-law, but I grew to really appreciate her, so much so that she better be returning in a later book! I love the little insights into the mind of Mrs. Hargreaves with her journal entries, a device Tasha has used from the first book in this series starting with Philip's journal and later being letters from her various friends, that give us insight that Emily herself doesn't have that acts as a catalyst to the plot. What tickles me is that Mrs. Hargreaves is so hard on Emily, she just doesn't see what Colin does. But we, as readers, see that all her criticisms are because Emily has turned inward and is recovering and that the "real" Emily would perfectly match her mother-in-laws' expectations. By the end of the book they have come to an understanding, but I can't wait to meet them again now that they are on equal footing. The government of England better send out a warning, because these women want the right to vote! Long live strong women!
Emily is still reeling from her miscarriage in Constantinople. A happy honeymoon filled with intrigue and connubial bliss destroyed by one bullet. She must take solace in the fact that she saved a young girl's life and caught a killer and not dwell on the fact that she and Colin might never be able to have children now. Ensconced in Normandy, Emily's recuperation would be far more successful if it wasn't under the gimlet eye of her mother-in-law. The feeling of being a constant disappointment to Colin and his mother pushes Emily continually outside the four walls of the house that feel like they're closing in on her. But soon even the countryside won't offer her respite. On one of her rides she comes upon a young girl brutally murdered. So brutal that when she is finally able to lead the police back to the crime scene there are murmurs that Jack the Ripper might be calling Normandy his new home. Emily gets a little bit of celebrity with the locals for finding the body, but Colin worries if perhaps it's best if Emily's attention was drawn elsewhere. She doesn't need to investigate the most dangerous of crimes and be continually putting herself in danger.
Colin is therefore a little relieved when his mother's neighbors, George and Madeline Markham, have a diversion for Emily to occupy herself with. They are great art collectors and a new Monet painting has just appeared in their fortress like house. Emily's dear friend Cecile, arriving from Paris, recognizes the piece as one just finished and stolen from Giverny. Emily correctly comes to the conclusion that her favorite thief, Sebastian Capet, has returned to spice up her life with Greek quotations left on her pillow each night. But even Sebastian, with his laissez-faire attitude, can not deny that danger lurks near at hand for Emily. The murdered girl looked eerily like Emily and once it's discovered she wasn't the Rippers typical victim, being from a well-to-do family who had placed her in an asylum, Colin is all for Emily heading straight back to England and waiting for him there. Yet Emily can not do that. Yes, she wants to obey Colin, but never before has that meant leaving his side. But could retreating be in her best interest? She just doesn't know! She can no longer trust her mental faculties after she sees the ghostly apparition of a young child. Is this her grief over her own loss or is she on the path to the asylum like the Ripper's victim?
At the end of each adventure with Lady Emily I think to myself, the next volume couldn't possibly be better, and yet each and every time Tasha proves me wrong. This volume instantly became my favorite, but who knows what will happen when I read the next book? But I don't know how it could surpass the Gothic goodness of Dangerous to Know! This book almost felt like I was reading one of Emily's favorite authors! But could Mary Elizabeth Braddon come up with such a tale that Jack the Ripper, the Norman Heathcliff, and the ghostly apparition of a child people the pages!?! If she did I'm sure she wouldn't be able to capture the meta humor that Emily arches her eyebrows at with her love/hate relationship with Normandy's version of Wuthering Heights. But what called to me most was the Jack the Ripper angle. Long before the term Murderino came into existence I was one. I would watch all the Unsolved Mysteries I could, especially if they were historical. Therefore it shouldn't be surprising that I'm a bit of a Ripperologist. I have watched or read every movie, book, comic, TV series I can on Jack the Ripper. Therefore this inclusion in Emily's investigation made by blood sing! Oh, to combine my favorite heroine with what I find the most intriguing unsolved murders of the 1800s? How did Tasha know that this would be my wish for a perfect book!?!
Though I think the inclusion of Jack the Ripper in a story wherein Emily is dealing with the loss of her child would be significant only to a Ripperologist. What could I mean you ask? Well, let me break it down. Let's look to the canonical five. The first victim, Mary Ann Nichols suffered abdominal incisions, which were seen again in the second victim Annie Chapman. But all this was leading up to what would be done to the fifth and final victim, Mary Jane Kelly. All her internal organs from her abdomen, in particular her reproductive organs, were removed, and her breasts were cut off. While there are theories, much like with the Black Dahlia, that these wounds could have been used to cover up a botched abortion, one thing is clear, Jack the Ripper was targeting women who made their money from sex and then killed them in such a way as to destroy what made them female, the ability to reproduce, only fully succeeding with Mary Jane Kelly. And as for the theories of Mary Jane Kelly's daughter... well, all this shows that by including Jack the Ripper in Dangerous to Know Tasha was adding another level of gut punch to Emily. Not only would she be traumatized by finding the poor girl in the field mutilated to such a degree, but to then have the reminder that her miscarriage basically scooped out her insides and made them as empty as Mary Jane Kelly's... chilling.
Tasha then compounds this loss with the ghostly child who leaves behind blue ribbons. So many ghost stories of the Victorian era or written about the Victorian era deal with children and mothers who have lost their children. Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White, which Emily was sure to have read, Susan Hill's , a more modern classic, and even a book that Tasha recommended to me, by Arthur Phillips, these are three books just off the top of my head that I thought of while reading Dangerous to Know. I am sure there are a plethora more, even Henry James's for example. But what Tasha does is she is smart enough to create her own mythology, first the story of the young girl who fell off a cliff, then the local gossip surrounding a young child that was killed at George and Madeline Markham's house that Madeline has conflated with her own pregnancy losses. Then there's the poor victim and what she endured... but where Tasha excels is that she draws a parallel between these stories and the loss endured by Victorian women. I believe it is Cecile who comments that she doesn't think she can think of a single one of their friends who hasn't suffered a similar loss to Emily's. Childbirth and childhood were dangerous undertakings during this time and the ghost stories are almost a way to normalize the fear these women constantly felt, even if it has the effect of unsettling them at the time.
For all that I loved there's one thing that made me go WTF!?! And that was Colin's behavior. Emily married Colin because he accepted who she was and wanted to be by his side, investigating and solving crimes, and now he's trying to wrap her up in cotton wool and let nothing bad ever happen to her again. YOU KNEW WHO SHE WAS WHEN YOU MARRIED HER YOU DUMBASS! She wouldn't have married him if she knew he was going to pull a 180 and decide to become the typical Victorian husband. She had that once and while at the time what Philip offered was what she thought she wanted, she has grown since then and become this awesome hoyden. Sure, she was badly injured and their unborn child was lost, but Dear God Colin, she doesn't need you pulling this shit when she's trying to piece her life back together. And yes, I know this is a plot device, one to destabilize Emily even more as well as show what marriages were really like during the Victorian era, but that doesn't mean it stopped my blood from boiling. Though it does actually all tie back into the killer, whose motives I did not see coming, and the idea of what we are willing to do for love. Would we break the will of our loved one if we think it's in their best interest? Would we imprison them for their safety? Would we kill for them?
Yet one thing is certain, I don't think Colin's mother would approve of his coddling of Emily. Madame Hargreaves is who I think Emily will evolve into. Yes, it's trite to say that boys marry women who remind them of their mothers, but going beyond that, Colin believes in the rights and equality of women, so it would make sense that he would find a woman he viewed as his equal to marry. At first I, like Emily, was wary of her mother-in-law, but I grew to really appreciate her, so much so that she better be returning in a later book! I love the little insights into the mind of Mrs. Hargreaves with her journal entries, a device Tasha has used from the first book in this series starting with Philip's journal and later being letters from her various friends, that give us insight that Emily herself doesn't have that acts as a catalyst to the plot. What tickles me is that Mrs. Hargreaves is so hard on Emily, she just doesn't see what Colin does. But we, as readers, see that all her criticisms are because Emily has turned inward and is recovering and that the "real" Emily would perfectly match her mother-in-laws' expectations. By the end of the book they have come to an understanding, but I can't wait to meet them again now that they are on equal footing. The government of England better send out a warning, because these women want the right to vote! Long live strong women!
April 12, 2025
Lady Emily series 05 Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander
challengingÌýdarkÌýmysteriousÌýreflectiveÌýsadÌýtense
edium-paced
Plot or character-driven?ÌýA mix
Strong character development?ÌýYes
Loveable characters?ÌýYes
Diverse cast of characters?ÌýYes
Flaws of characters are a main focus?ÌýYes
4.0ÌýStars
I'm not sure that I could stand living in the past. I get so frustrated when Lady Emily is disuaded from her nature purpose to solve mysteries.
She is imminently qualified, but sadly one person or another stops her from fulfilling her genuine purpose.
During this story, I got really mad at Colin for doing what he did. It could've been the end of the series...by his own fullishness.
That's not to say that Lady Emily always makes the best decisions. She, at times, is VERY careless. It does heighten the tension of the narrative, that's for sure.
I'm not sure that Colin's mother is a good person. I know that Lady Emily does NOT fit in the box that most all women lived in. Lady Emily had to cause other women, especially women of the previous generation to fits, for she bucks convention and forges her own way...with an incredible independent streak (for sure).
Also, the stories are getting better told, and I look forward to picking up the next novel in the series...06 A Crimson Warning.
challengingÌýdarkÌýmysteriousÌýreflectiveÌýsadÌýtense
edium-paced
Plot or character-driven?ÌýA mix
Strong character development?ÌýYes
Loveable characters?ÌýYes
Diverse cast of characters?ÌýYes
Flaws of characters are a main focus?ÌýYes
4.0ÌýStars
I'm not sure that I could stand living in the past. I get so frustrated when Lady Emily is disuaded from her nature purpose to solve mysteries.
She is imminently qualified, but sadly one person or another stops her from fulfilling her genuine purpose.
During this story, I got really mad at Colin for doing what he did. It could've been the end of the series...by his own fullishness.
That's not to say that Lady Emily always makes the best decisions. She, at times, is VERY careless. It does heighten the tension of the narrative, that's for sure.
I'm not sure that Colin's mother is a good person. I know that Lady Emily does NOT fit in the box that most all women lived in. Lady Emily had to cause other women, especially women of the previous generation to fits, for she bucks convention and forges her own way...with an incredible independent streak (for sure).
Also, the stories are getting better told, and I look forward to picking up the next novel in the series...06 A Crimson Warning.
November 13, 2020
I was curious to see what Lee Child's sister in law was like as an author.
Unfortunately, she writes in the "really olden days".. late 1800's.
A time when life was so backward and women were "allowed" by men to do whatever, and daughters could be locked up by parents if suitors weren't up to their idle standards. The poor victim, Edith Prier, had been sent to an asylum by her horrible family because they didn't approve of her suitor. After she escaped, she was murdered "Ripper Style"
Lady Emily recently married "Colin Hargreaves". His mother is one of those dreary women who tries to turn her son's role in her life into a husband, now that she's a widow and ridiculously jealous of her new daughter in law.
They're all part of the wealthy aristocratic families where "ladies" cannot get dressed without a maid, where, if you go horseback riding, someone else takes care of the horses. I have trouble respecting people who cannot do things for themselves. Not a matter of money, but competence.
Tasha Alexander writes well, but if I was supposed to be surprised by who the murderer was that didn't happen. I figured out who as soon as the murderer was introduced. I was pretty close to guessing motive though the actions and motives were even worse than I had predicted.
/
I do have one more of these books from the library. I hope in that one Emily is rid of her chauvinistic husband and has moved on with Sebastian who is much more interesting.
Unfortunately, she writes in the "really olden days".. late 1800's.
A time when life was so backward and women were "allowed" by men to do whatever, and daughters could be locked up by parents if suitors weren't up to their idle standards. The poor victim, Edith Prier, had been sent to an asylum by her horrible family because they didn't approve of her suitor. After she escaped, she was murdered "Ripper Style"
Lady Emily recently married "Colin Hargreaves". His mother is one of those dreary women who tries to turn her son's role in her life into a husband, now that she's a widow and ridiculously jealous of her new daughter in law.
They're all part of the wealthy aristocratic families where "ladies" cannot get dressed without a maid, where, if you go horseback riding, someone else takes care of the horses. I have trouble respecting people who cannot do things for themselves. Not a matter of money, but competence.
Tasha Alexander writes well, but if I was supposed to be surprised by who the murderer was that didn't happen. I figured out who as soon as the murderer was introduced. I was pretty close to guessing motive though the actions and motives were even worse than I had predicted.
/
I do have one more of these books from the library. I hope in that one Emily is rid of her chauvinistic husband and has moved on with Sebastian who is much more interesting.
March 1, 2013
Tasha Alexander no decepciona. Su protagonista, Lady Emily, vive en una auténtica sociedad victoriana en la que la mujer estaba confinada a la maternidad y el matrimonio, por lo que a veces resulta sofocante. Lady Emily debe luchar constantemente entre sus deseos de libertad y lo que la sociedad impone, y sus frustraciones son muy realistas.
El caso de asesinato de este número es interesante, sobre todo por lo que afecta de modo personal a los protagonistas. Como siempre, sublimes los cameos de auténticos personajes de la época con los protagonistas ficticios. Esta vez les ha tocado a Monet y a Maurice LeBlanc, el creador de Arsene Lupen!
El caso de asesinato de este número es interesante, sobre todo por lo que afecta de modo personal a los protagonistas. Como siempre, sublimes los cameos de auténticos personajes de la época con los protagonistas ficticios. Esta vez les ha tocado a Monet y a Maurice LeBlanc, el creador de Arsene Lupen!
September 24, 2019
L'intrigue est bien ficelée, Emily fait face aux conséquences du tome précédent, on découvre belle-maman, et Colin descend de son piédestal pour devenir un homme à qui on mettrait bien des claques à certains moments 🙄 peut-être 3,5 au final, mais juste 3 me paraît rude, donc 4 alors...
August 25, 2023
This was a bad installment in this series.
I think given the reviews this is an off book.
So I'll read the next book in the series and decide.
I think given the reviews this is an off book.
So I'll read the next book in the series and decide.
March 4, 2011
I enjoyed this, but struggled against the sense that it was a rush job, either in writing, publication, or both. In at least 7 places, various characters use the word "beyond" as a descriptive addition - if it were just one character, it might be passed off as a manner of speech - but it is many characters. This might not seem like a big deal, but much of the reason it was so irritating to me is that Ms. Alexander is a better writer than to need to rely on such sloppy crutches. Thus my conclusion that this title was rushed through its process without sufficient editing or proof reading.
Another small problem I had with this one was the lack of consistency in Emily's response to the tragedy she suffered in the last book; it changed, or seemed to to me (and I read it fairly recently, so I'm pretty sure I'm right, in part because I remember her words) - which again is a level of sloppiness I had not previously seen in Ms. Alexander's work.
I like the evolution of Emily's relationship with her mother-in-law, but had a harder time believing the extremely emo nature of her responses to several of the events in this story. Colin, too, seemed to have undergone some changes to some fairly fundamental personality traits. One could, I suppose, argue that these are the result of the aforementioned tragedy from the last title... and perhaps that is what Ms. Alexander intended. But as the reader they just felt like sloppy inconsistencies.
That being said, I still enjoyed the book (albeit less so than the others), and will continue to read the series - although I am sad to have caught up to Ms. Alexander: now I have to wait for the next one!
Another small problem I had with this one was the lack of consistency in Emily's response to the tragedy she suffered in the last book; it changed, or seemed to to me (and I read it fairly recently, so I'm pretty sure I'm right, in part because I remember her words) - which again is a level of sloppiness I had not previously seen in Ms. Alexander's work.
I like the evolution of Emily's relationship with her mother-in-law, but had a harder time believing the extremely emo nature of her responses to several of the events in this story. Colin, too, seemed to have undergone some changes to some fairly fundamental personality traits. One could, I suppose, argue that these are the result of the aforementioned tragedy from the last title... and perhaps that is what Ms. Alexander intended. But as the reader they just felt like sloppy inconsistencies.
That being said, I still enjoyed the book (albeit less so than the others), and will continue to read the series - although I am sad to have caught up to Ms. Alexander: now I have to wait for the next one!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2011
Just a warning: some may find this review slightly spoilerish...beware.
**
I only recently discovered Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily series. Since then, I've devoured the first four books, but I found this installment to be a disappointment. It started strong. Ms. Alexander wasted no time getting to the mystery element of the story - Lady Emily stumbles upon the victim of a Jack the Ripper-esque murder within the first few pages. She is Edith Prier, a madwoman recently escaped from the local asylum. Or is she? Edith's case plunges Lady Emily into a tangled mystery of murder, madness and superstition. However, after an intriguing beginning to Edith's case, the story seemed to derail a little bit. A large section of the book focuses more heavily on Lady Emily's reactions to the events of Tears of Pearl, her changing relationship with Colin and her (somewhat difficult) interactions with her mother-in-law. The Edith storyline almost seemed tacked on as an afterthought - until the last 75 pages or so. Suddenly, what happened to Edith takes center-stage, and when the villain is finally unmasked, he turns out to be so cartoonishly evil and crazy that I found it difficult to believe that no one ever suspected a thing. He mast have been some kind of evil genius or something. In fact, the whole plot, while intriguing, kind of reminded me of an old Saturday morning episode of Scooby Doo. In my opinion, Dangerous to Know isn't Lady Emily's strongest outing, due in part to some questionable plot elements and uneven pacing. It's a good book but not a great one.
But I did enjoy encountering Sebastian again. :)
**
I only recently discovered Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily series. Since then, I've devoured the first four books, but I found this installment to be a disappointment. It started strong. Ms. Alexander wasted no time getting to the mystery element of the story - Lady Emily stumbles upon the victim of a Jack the Ripper-esque murder within the first few pages. She is Edith Prier, a madwoman recently escaped from the local asylum. Or is she? Edith's case plunges Lady Emily into a tangled mystery of murder, madness and superstition. However, after an intriguing beginning to Edith's case, the story seemed to derail a little bit. A large section of the book focuses more heavily on Lady Emily's reactions to the events of Tears of Pearl, her changing relationship with Colin and her (somewhat difficult) interactions with her mother-in-law. The Edith storyline almost seemed tacked on as an afterthought - until the last 75 pages or so. Suddenly, what happened to Edith takes center-stage, and when the villain is finally unmasked, he turns out to be so cartoonishly evil and crazy that I found it difficult to believe that no one ever suspected a thing. He mast have been some kind of evil genius or something. In fact, the whole plot, while intriguing, kind of reminded me of an old Saturday morning episode of Scooby Doo. In my opinion, Dangerous to Know isn't Lady Emily's strongest outing, due in part to some questionable plot elements and uneven pacing. It's a good book but not a great one.
But I did enjoy encountering Sebastian again. :)
November 29, 2011
Another clear victory for Tasha Alexander! In previous reviews I've admired her style and character development, and the fifth book in the Lady Emily series does not disappoint. In this book Tasha Alexander pits Lady Emily against her new mother-in-law and, even at times her husband. I enjoyed the way that Emily is again put in a situation where she has to find a balance between what society expects and what she wants with the additional view of taking into consideration what her husband wants as well. It's a hard and painful book for Lady Emily, having just lost a child in the previous book, and Tasha Alexander balances the book well between the emotions that Emily is having to work through, the mystery itself, and the reappearance of Sebastian, who lends humor to the book. I was impressed because this book could have been very dark and dismal. Despite the setting being described as beautiful and picturesque, I couldn't imagine anything more cheerful than a "Jane Eyre"-like setting. However, the darkness of the book was well countered by Sebastian and his "noble-thief" antics. I also enjoyed the way that Tasha Alexander wrote out Colin and Emily's first real fight, it seemed to me to be entirely realistic. The over-protectiveness Ms. Alexander brought out in Colin was intriguing, if not entirely unexpected. Over all I am again well pleased with Tasha Alexander's literary efforts. I enjoyed the plot, the side stories, and the way it all ended. I hope the sixth book is as good.
January 12, 2012
This is the fifth installment in the Lady Emily series. Emily and Colin are staying in Normandy with his mother to allow Emily to rest and recover from her trauma in Constantinople. However, things are not as restful for Emily as Colin had hoped; she struggles with her relationship with her mother-in-law and while out riding, she is shocked to find a young woman who has been brutally murdered, in the style of Jack the Ripper. Colin is deeply worried about Emily and wants to shield her, and Emily is not herself, weeping and worrying whether she will be able to have children. Her spirits are buoyed by her friend Cecile, and the return of cat burglar, Sebastian, who adds some lightness and humor to the storyline. The banter between Sebastian and Emily is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the story. When the woman is identified as the daughter of a local family who had been sent to a mental institution, She begins to doubt her own sanity as she hears the cries of a child and begins to find blue ribbons. Is this the local ghost or is Emily being haunted by her own mind? Emily cannot resist digging into the mystery despite Colin's disapproval. The two mysteries takes some interesting twists before a harrowing conclusion. I hope that Emily gets back some of her true personality in the next book and is able to create a balance between her and Colin. It was interesting to see the diary except's from Colin's mother and I hope we will see more of her in future books and see her relationship with Emily grow stronger.
October 25, 2010
The Lady Emily series continues to impress.
In this installment, our lead characters have been transported from the Ottoman Empire--the site of Alexander's last book--to Normandy. The change brings Emily and Colin to the home of Colin's disapproving mother, Lady Hargreaves. And what an interesting creature she is! While she and Emily have their battles, her addition to the series is quite welcome and I look forward to the added element of adventure she is sure to add.
Two other characters return from previous installments: Cecile with her spunky little dogs in tow, and the dashing Sebastian Capet. Both characters add spice to a well-done mystery and like Lady Hargreaves I look forward to seeing them again. Especially Sebastian and those eyes, "precisely the color of sapphires."
Each of Alexander's novels has its own flavor--something I adore in a series--and this particular tale has an eerie, unearthly feel. With a murderer who favors the style of the Ripper, a supporting cast of unhinged individuals, an asylum, and the presence of a ghostly child, the reader is sure to empathize with Emily's haunted frame of mind.
Reading one Lady Emily mystery always whets my appetite for the next and with this novel's release date still a couple days away, I'm ready for another.
And that's the highest praise I can give any novel.
Many thanks to Tasha for a great read and to Minotaur for the beautiful advance readers' edition. Can't wait for the next one!
In this installment, our lead characters have been transported from the Ottoman Empire--the site of Alexander's last book--to Normandy. The change brings Emily and Colin to the home of Colin's disapproving mother, Lady Hargreaves. And what an interesting creature she is! While she and Emily have their battles, her addition to the series is quite welcome and I look forward to the added element of adventure she is sure to add.
Two other characters return from previous installments: Cecile with her spunky little dogs in tow, and the dashing Sebastian Capet. Both characters add spice to a well-done mystery and like Lady Hargreaves I look forward to seeing them again. Especially Sebastian and those eyes, "precisely the color of sapphires."
Each of Alexander's novels has its own flavor--something I adore in a series--and this particular tale has an eerie, unearthly feel. With a murderer who favors the style of the Ripper, a supporting cast of unhinged individuals, an asylum, and the presence of a ghostly child, the reader is sure to empathize with Emily's haunted frame of mind.
Reading one Lady Emily mystery always whets my appetite for the next and with this novel's release date still a couple days away, I'm ready for another.
And that's the highest praise I can give any novel.
Many thanks to Tasha for a great read and to Minotaur for the beautiful advance readers' edition. Can't wait for the next one!
January 28, 2011
Ok, if you like VIctorian mysteries, intelligent heroines, dashing heroes, and clever writing and haven't read these books yet, what are you thinking??? (I'm looking at you Traci, Heidi, Julie)
I once again thoroughly enjoyed this adventure of Emily and Colin. I don't know if it was because I read this on vacation and finished it in a couple days instead of weeks or if I just enjoyed this one more but I felt like this was one of my favorite in the series.
This one finds Emily and Colin at his mother's house in the South of France. They are there to help Emily recover from her traumatic experience in India. (India? I'm pretty sure that was where the fourth book was.) While they are there Emily discovers a dead body on her ride around the countryside and from there the mysteries evolove. I loved having Sebastian back. He's quite the character. I also enjoyed the mystery itself and of course, LOVED the relationship between Colin and Emily. Sigh. He's still super dreamy.
I once again thoroughly enjoyed this adventure of Emily and Colin. I don't know if it was because I read this on vacation and finished it in a couple days instead of weeks or if I just enjoyed this one more but I felt like this was one of my favorite in the series.
This one finds Emily and Colin at his mother's house in the South of France. They are there to help Emily recover from her traumatic experience in India. (India? I'm pretty sure that was where the fourth book was.) While they are there Emily discovers a dead body on her ride around the countryside and from there the mysteries evolove. I loved having Sebastian back. He's quite the character. I also enjoyed the mystery itself and of course, LOVED the relationship between Colin and Emily. Sigh. He's still super dreamy.
January 15, 2011
This series for the most part has struck me as a slightly inferior version of the Lady Julia Grey series, although the two are quite similar. So similar that this time around as I read the two most recent books back to back I found myself confusing the characters in my head. As I read Dark Road to Darjeeling, I kept thinking that Julia and Brisbane had just been on their honeymoon in Constantinople, and didn't she just lose a baby.? But, no I remembered, that was Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves. It made for confusing reading.
Dangerous to Know I liked almost as much as Dark Road to Darjeeling. Even though there were a few inconsistencies and unanswered questions, I liked the dark and slightly Gothic mood and the touch of the paranormal and madness angle. I liked the setting in the Normandy countryside and a unique cast of characters.
Next time I will give myself some space between reading about Lady Julia and Lady Emily's adventures.
Dangerous to Know I liked almost as much as Dark Road to Darjeeling. Even though there were a few inconsistencies and unanswered questions, I liked the dark and slightly Gothic mood and the touch of the paranormal and madness angle. I liked the setting in the Normandy countryside and a unique cast of characters.
Next time I will give myself some space between reading about Lady Julia and Lady Emily's adventures.
August 25, 2018
I picked this up from the mystery shelves at random and quickly realized I was jumping in mid-series and should've started at the beginning to know all the backstory. But the characters were so likable and fun that I couldn't wait and had to read it right away. No regrets. It was light but still got my blood pumping in the end; I was sure I knew who the murderer was but nope. Gotta run to the library for #1.
November 17, 2022
I'm loving this series.
Read
April 22, 2019Colin Hargreaves and his new wife retire to his widowed mother's home in Normandy after the traumatic start to their honeymoon in Constantinople. While Julia confronts hostility and disappointment from her new mother-in-law, the newlyweds are soon caught up in yet another murder when Julia happens upon either a victim or copycat crime of Jack the Ripper, who might for some reason have crossed the channel to wreck havoc in the French countryside? The origin of the famous Arène Lupin stories is also proposed.
August 26, 2012
The Lady Emily Books are well done popcorn books - which is how I tend to describe a fun, quick read. Tasha Alexander takes care with her history. She tweaks what is necessary for the story, of course, but it's obvious she's done her homework. I adore the characters of Lady Emily and Colin and their growing relationship. And, while it occasionally make Emily a frustrating character, I truly appreciate that Alexander has taken pains not to just make Lady Emily a 21st century woman in a Victorian corset. She is an enlightened woman who is always thinking, learning and progressing, but is still very much a woman of her era. It not going to occur to her to question every social norm and constraint and she makes her decisions accordingly. Alexander's supporting characters are delightful! The mysteries are always a little easy to solve, but such is often the case with mystery novels. Basically, when I want to spend a few hours immersing myself in utterly charming characters saying witty, charming things, this is my favorite series to turn to of late.
Regarding Dangerous to Know specifically, the mystery was good and the return of two beloved supporting characters in particular was delightful. I found the use of Colin's mother's diary entries for the epistolary component of the novel interesting as this is the first time we've read third person descriptions of Emily that are not complimentary. It adds another level to the story and sets up another great, hopefully recurring, character. The only thing I didn't like were the rough patches in Colin and Emily's relationship. Don't get me wrong, I think it was a necessary story arc, was handled well, and helped demonstrate once again that although our characters are enlightened, they are still very much of their own era, not ours. But at the same time, I don't enjoy reading about them on the outs nearly as much as their flirtatious bliss. I imagine that, once I pick up the next book, I will like it better for this reason.
Regarding Dangerous to Know specifically, the mystery was good and the return of two beloved supporting characters in particular was delightful. I found the use of Colin's mother's diary entries for the epistolary component of the novel interesting as this is the first time we've read third person descriptions of Emily that are not complimentary. It adds another level to the story and sets up another great, hopefully recurring, character. The only thing I didn't like were the rough patches in Colin and Emily's relationship. Don't get me wrong, I think it was a necessary story arc, was handled well, and helped demonstrate once again that although our characters are enlightened, they are still very much of their own era, not ours. But at the same time, I don't enjoy reading about them on the outs nearly as much as their flirtatious bliss. I imagine that, once I pick up the next book, I will like it better for this reason.
July 15, 2015
While I understand Colin's view on Emily's vulnerabilities and lack of physical strength (to some degree), I dislike the phrasing and the discussions of it. I've never understood why men who object to the women they love doing something because they aren't trained for it don't just train them themselves. Now, this is Victorian England and a romance novel to some degree, so I don't expect anything big, but "I'm your husband, and I will be obeyed" is a ridiculous notion to put in a book about a woman who is before her time. Colin doesn't seem worried about her so much as he seems dismissive of her desires. Compromises can be reached and no one ever seems to think of that in books. Drama for the sake of drama is stupid. Moreover, Colin doesn't seem to be doing anything in this book; Emily appears to have investigated more thoroughly. Or maybe's that just because it's told from her point of view or because he has to follow more official channels--I don't know. All I know is I really didn't like Colin in this book, and I didn't like him all that much in any of the others I've read (note that I haven't read them in order). He and Emily both seem very bland, and it's the mysteries and side characters that offer more interest than themselves.
It was an interesting mystery, though, I'll give the author that. I'm not sure it was good but it was interesting. Probably my least favourite out of the ones I've read so far.
It was an interesting mystery, though, I'll give the author that. I'm not sure it was good but it was interesting. Probably my least favourite out of the ones I've read so far.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 496 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.