A Terrible Beauty

August 22, 2016
Bestseller Alexander’s agreeable 11th Lady Emily mystery (after 2015’s The Adventuress) finds Lady Emily Hargreaves and her husband, Colin, looking forward to a trip to Greece with friends. But their pleasant excursion becomes a nightmare when Emily’s first husband, long-believed-dead, shows up at the door of their villa on the island of Santorini. Is he really Lord Philip Ashton, who supposedly died so long ago in Africa? A decade changes a man, but he can relate details of their life together that only Ashton would know. When a ruthless dealer in black market antiquities sends an assassin to Santorini to retrieve a priceless relic he believes is in Philip’s possession, Emily is suddenly in danger of losing all she holds dear. The story falters at the unlikely way Emily manages to unravel Philip’s secret. Still, Emily is an appealing protagonist and a believable Victorian woman. Some interesting twists, a vivid setting, and engaging characters fill out a tale sure to please historical mystery lovers. Agent: Anne Hawkins, John Hawkins & Associates.

An unlikely visitor from the past throws the lives of an aristocratic couple into disarray.Lady Emily and her husband, sometime spy Colin Hargreaves, have traveled to Greece with their closest friends, Jeremy Sheffield and Margaret Michaels, to stay in the house on Santorini Emily inherited from her first husband, Philip, the Viscount Ashton, who died on safari soon after their marriage. Emily remembers him even less well than his old friend Colin. Before they leave, Emily gets a postcard addressed to Viscountess Ashton and thinks she catches glimpses of Philip on the trip, leaving her uneasy. Emily and Margaret, both interested in Greek and Roman history, are pleased to find an archaeological dig on Santorini. But Emily's delight turns to discomfort when unexpected guests arrive, a man claiming to be Philip and a colleague badly injured in a fall. Although his physical appearance is changed by the 10 hard years since he allegedly died in 1888, the man seems to know so many intimate details of both Emily's and Hargreaves' lives that they're hard-pressed to deny that he's Philip. He claims to have been too ill and too poor to return until he found Emily married to his best friend. Philip, who's decided not to claim his fortune, has been working at his passion, archaeology, and making extra money by selling items of trifling historical significance. Now he says he's been attacked and threatened by the minions of a man who wants the tiny piece of a helmet he found that may have belonged to Achilles. The unsavory dealer doesn't believe Philip's claim that the relic has been stolen from him, and the threat has followed him to Santorini, putting the entire group in danger. As Emily struggles with her guilt, she resolves to find the truth about the helmet and come to terms with her mixed feelings. Not Alexander's best mystery, but its continuing focus on the problems of mistaken identity (The Adventuress, 2016, etc.) provides many opportunities for information on Greece's glorious past along with some difficult choices for her intrepid heroine. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2016
The eleventh in the popular Lady Emily Ashton series opens with a brief prologue, showing Lady Emily laying her first husband, Philip, to rest. Fast-forward to 1899, where she and a small traveling party are headed to Greece. Emily is looking forward to indulging in two of her favorite thingsGreek history and her dashing husband, Colin Hargreaves. However, her holiday is interrupted by the reappearance of her late husband. Could Philip really have been alive all this time? Had he stayed away to keep Emily safe from the antiquities dealer who believes Philip has a priceless relic from the Trojan War? Series fans will be touched to see the frequently glib Lady Emily struggle with her feelings. (Not at the expense, of course, of solving multiple mysteries and trading quips with her family and friends.) Though over a decade old, this series could still be a delightful surprise for fans of plucky Victorian heroines like Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody and Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2016

How pleasant for Lady Emily to visit her villa on the glorious island of Santorini. And how shocking when the housekeeper tells her that the master of the house, Emily's late husband, has returned. Do you believe in ghosts? More fun in the New York Times best-selling series.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2016

The 11th book in Alexander's Victorian series (after The Adventuress) sees our heroine on holiday in her beloved Greece, along with husband Colin and longtime friends Jeremy and Margaret. Emily receives the surprise of her life when her first husband shows up at their villa, as he was presumed dead years ago in Africa. Philip offers various proofs of his identity, but why has it taken him so long to make himself known? One reason could be that he's having a hard time accepting that Emily has remarried, especially since Colin was his best friend. If the situation wasn't complicated enough, add in a dead body or two and a priceless fragment of Achilles's helmet that everyone wants to get their hands on. Poor Emily! VERDICT Descriptions of the gorgeous Santorini scenery will make readers long for their own vacation in the Greek Isles. Alexander remains a consistently good writer, allowing her characters to grow as she puts them in complicated emotional situations. A treat for longtime fans, but the title could also serve as a stand-alone for new readers. [See Prepub Alert, 4/10/16.]--Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2016
An unlikely visitor from the past throws the lives of an aristocratic couple into disarray.Lady Emily and her husband, sometime spy Colin Hargreaves, have traveled to Greece with their closest friends, Jeremy Sheffield and Margaret Michaels, to stay in the house on Santorini Emily inherited from her first husband, Philip, the Viscount Ashton, who died on safari soon after their marriage. Emily remembers him even less well than his old friend Colin. Before they leave, Emily gets a postcard addressed to Viscountess Ashton and thinks she catches glimpses of Philip on the trip, leaving her uneasy. Emily and Margaret, both interested in Greek and Roman history, are pleased to find an archaeological dig on Santorini. But Emilys delight turns to discomfort when unexpected guests arrive, a man claiming to be Philip and a colleague badly injured in a fall. Although his physical appearance is changed by the 10 hard years since he allegedly died in 1888, the man seems to know so many intimate details of both Emilys and Hargreaves lives that theyre hard-pressed to deny that hes Philip. He claims to have been too ill and too poor to return until he found Emily married to his best friend. Philip, whos decided not to claim his fortune, has been working at his passion, archaeology, and making extra money by selling items of trifling historical significance. Now he says hes been attacked and threatened by the minions of a man who wants the tiny piece of a helmet he found that may have belonged to Achilles. The unsavory dealer doesnt believe Philips claim that the relic has been stolen from him, and the threat has followed him to Santorini, putting the entire group in danger. As Emily struggles with her guilt, she resolves to find the truth about the helmet and come to terms with her mixed feelings. Not Alexanders best mystery, but its continuing focus on the problems of mistaken identity (The Adventuress, 2016, etc.) provides many opportunities for information on Greeces glorious past along with some difficult choices for her intrepid heroine.

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.