Pale as the Dead

Natasha Blake Ancestor Detective #1

by Fiona Mountain

This is the first stunning installment of a riveting new mystery series that uncovers the secrets of the dead. "Pale as the Dead deals with the mysterious death of Lizzie Siddal, a real and fascinating historical figure whose beauty and tragic life have made her into a legend. (She was the model for the famous painting on the cover of the book.) Lizzie's death has always been shrouded in mystery. She is perhaps best known for the macabre story that tells of her husband, the Pre-Raphaelite artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti, having her coffin dug up to retrieve some poems he had buried with her. When the coffin was opened, Lizzie was said to be as beautiful as the day she died.
"Pale as the Dead is the story of how the disappearance of a young girl, Bethany, appears to be linked in some way to Lizzie Siddal. Our detective is Natasha Blake, a complex young genealogist with a passion for history. Natasha's career choice is partly driven by the mystery of her own roots--she was abandoned in the hospital as a newborn.
Her mother disappeared hours after giving birth, leaving a false name and address and a note on the back of a picture postcard that said simply, "Her name is Natasha."
Natasha is hired by the missng girl's lover, Adam, whose own life seems to have plenty of dark shadows. An old diary and famous graveyard lead Natasha into more danger than she bargains for--some people will do ANYTHING to keep a secret!

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Cozy

292 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 18, 2002

About the author

Fiona Mountain grew up in Sheffield and moved to London aged eighteen where she worked in the press office for Radio 1 for ten years, handling the PR for presenters including John Peel, Mark Radlcliffe and Steve Wright and traveling with the Radio 1 Summer Roadshow.

Her first novel, Isabella, tells the haunting love story of Bounty mutineer Fletcher Christian and his cousin, Isabella Curwen. It was short-listed for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2000, the first debut novel to reach the shortlist. It was followed with Pale as the Dead and Bloodline, which combine history with mystery and feature 'ancestor detective', Natasha Blake. Bloodline is the winner of the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award.

Fiona's novels have been published in America, Canada, Japan, Thailand, Italy, Germany, Holland and Australia. Though having enjoyed writing the mysteries, Lady of the Butterflies, published in 2009, marks her permanent return to historical fiction.

She lives in a seventeenth century house in the Cotswolds with her husband, Tim, a musician, and their four young children.

Her new book, 'The Keeper of Songs' out in 2021.

Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Bloodline first and then this book. Pale as the Dead by Fiona Mountain introduces us to Natasha and she's one of my favorite characters. She's like a long-lost friend that I can reconnect with every time I open the pages. The intrigue and mystery kept me turning the pages. Highly recommend!

My Rating: 5 stars

[Aravind NG · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book you can read lazily lying on the couch and sipping coffee without being too anxious about what's happening in the plot. And even without much action, there's enough suspense and happenings to keep you hooked. Altogether a very enjoyable read made even better by small chapters. Bond, Bourne and now Blake!

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an unusual mix of genealogy mystery and history, centred on the glamorous Pre-Raphaelite artists and Lizzie Siddal, the girl in the famous ‘Ophelia’ painting. Ancestry detective Natasha Blake meets a mysterious, beautiful young woman, Bethany, who is re-enacting the Lizzie Siddal scene for a photographer. Bethany confides in Natasha her fear that her family is cursed following the deaths of her sister and mother. After asking Natasha to research her family tree, Bethany goes missing. Has she run from a failing love affair, committed suicide, or has she been murdered?
The trail is cold. Natasha must turn detective in two senses: she searches the birth, marriage and death records, census returns and wills, to find Natasha’s ancestors; at the same time, she is being followed by someone driving a red Celica. Adam, the photographer, is also Bethany’s boyfriend but Natasha feels there is more to his story than he is telling.
The narrative wandered rather from the central story, complicated unnecessarily by Natasha’s own history and love life which added little. Perhaps this could have been avoided by telling part of the story from Lizzie Siddal’s point of view. There were so many peripheral characters, both in the present time and the historical story, that at times I lost my way. I was also unconvinced by the threat to Natasha - the red car, the break-in. These jarred, almost as if added as an afterthought to appeal to lovers of crime fiction which I think was unnecessary. The kernel of the story about Bethany and Lizzie is fascinating in its own right.
‘Pale as the Dead’ is the first of two Natasha Blake novels.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-revie...

[Bettina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prima verhaal, leuke mix van geschiedenis en detective. Twintig jaar geleden gelezen en nu herlezen, en dat viel niet tegen!

[Lizzie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genealogist Natasha Blake is retained by Bethany Marshall to research her family history. Their initial meeting takes place in the Cotswolds where Bethany is on a photo shoot. Here Natasha meets Adam Mason, the photographer, who is creating a series of photographs for an exhibition in Oxford, in the style of the pre-Raphaelite paintings, and with whom Bethany is having a relationship. Natasha is struck by Bethany’s fragility and fascinated by the girl’s obvious obsession with Lizzie Sidal, the famous pre-Raphaelite model and artist, and wife of Date Gabriel Rossette.

When Adam asks Natasha if he can photograph her for his series she reluctantly agrees, but when they meet, Adam tells Natash that Bethany has disappeared, but left behind an old and valuable diary, in which Natasha’s address has been loosely pined, and Natasha feels compelled to find her.

Recovering from the break up of a recent relationship, Natasha is both fascinated by, and distrusting of Adam. Aware that he attracts and disturbs her, she is drawn to him, but suspicious.

As the story unfolds, Natasha’s need to delve into the past, is in part explained by the mystery of her own ancestry.

The setting and atmosphere of the book was haunting, as Natasha’s need to find Bethany takes on an urgency as she learns more of the girl’s obsession with Lizzie Siddal, and Lizzie’s tragic death.

I loved this book; it draws the reader on giving promise that on the next page all will become clear, but the next page is as tantalising and as full of shadows as the one before. A quirky mystery. Highly recommended.
------
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ero alla disperata ricerca di questo libro ormai da anni, e finalmente posso dire un attesa così lunga ne è valsa la pena.
La storia è intrigante, è un thriller in cui alla genealogista Natascia Blake viene dato il compito di rintracciare una donna misteriosamente scomparsa, Bethany, partendo semplicemente da un diario appartenuto a quest'ultima ma scritto da una sua antenata in epoca vittoriana. Eh sì, anche se i protagonisti del romanzo vivono in epoca moderna, in realtà si percorreranno alcune generazioni indietro risalendo fino all'età vittoriana e precisamente all'epoca dei pittori preraffaelliti, che sono in realtà i veri protagonisti del romanzo.
Basato su fatti realmente accaduti, la figura principale del romanzo sarà Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal, anche conosciuta come Lizzie, una donna vissuta in epoca vittoriana e che fu al tempo stesso modella di un pittore preraffaellita, l'italo inglese Gabriel Dante Rossetti, ma anche essa stessa pittrice e poetessa, una donna molto bella ma anche molto sfortunata, praticamente il suo viso è stato immortalato nel celebre dipinto "Ophelia" di Millais ed anche nel dipinto "Beata Beatrix" di Rossetti.

Recensione completa su: http://thereaderblackcat.blogspot.com/

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this book was in a genre of its own, a kind of post-modern gothic art history mystery. I savor the creation of new things—especially well-written blended genre books with human heroines who are at times cringe-worthy in their painful awkwardness. And yet, this story was so real I found I did not like the main characters’ habits of behaving repeatedly like a caricature of an emo teen—only older (rhapsodizing, albeit, jadedly at times about the sensational and salacious lives of the pre-raphaelites; casual and, what felt to me like, callous inter-relationship drama), BUT the emo teen caricature also fits with the sense of homage to the gothic tradition, while maintaining this novel’s post- modern perspective. It’s a complex story. Overall, I think I liked it. But whether I did or didn’t, I can say it was really well done.

[Katie Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating concept that might be tailor-made for me -- a British murder mystery that features a professional genealogist placed in the detective role. It centers on a real case, the death of Dante Gabriel Rossetti's wife, Lizzie Siddal. A missing girl is obsessed with the case and tries to hire Natasha Blake to research her family history. But before she give many details, she disappears. Natasha does her best with census, marriage and death records to reconstruct the girl's family tree.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're in the mood for an atmospheric, introspective read, you might like this one. Bethany is fascinated by Elizabeth Siddal, muse and wife of one of the pre-Raphaelite painters, who died young. She talks to Natasha Blake about tracing her genealogy--a diary handed down in her family has some insights that she wonders about. But she admits to Natasha that she's living under an assumed name. When she disappears, her boyfriend, photograph Adam, hires Natasha to trace her. But Adam strikes Natasha as sinister and untrustworthy--just the kind of man insecure Natasha likes.

[tinalouisereadsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natasha Blake is a genealogist and is called in to help find a missing girl. Using her family tracing skills she dicovers that Bethany the missing girl has connections with Lizzie Siddal, who was a famous model and was married to Gabriel Rossetti. Well this was an OK thriller, and if you like family trees and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, then this book is for you. I had read Bloodline first which is the second book and have to say it was better than this one. What I did get out of this book was learning about Lizzie Siddal and found reading about her really intersting.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery surrounds the disappearance of a photographer's model, Bethany but it's not the police seeking the truth but rather a genealogist, Natasha. She delves into Bethany's ancestry to uncover clues as to where she is and in doing so unearths a long-held family secret. The novel combines three of my interests, history, genealogy and the pre-Raphaelites and so an enjoyable read albeit a bit slow-paced for me.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5 stars. Hard to describe. Bethany expresses an interest in hiring Natasha to try to trace her connection to the writer of a diary over a hundred years ago. But then Bethany disappears. Her boyfriend, Adam, hires Natasha in hopes that somehow her research will lead them to Bethany's current whereabouts.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moody atmosphere surrounds this story about a genealogist who gets sucked into someone's life and past. Natasha engages in some questionable and possibly dangerous behavior while using genealogical records to find a young woman in the present day. Her own family history is lacking so that may make her reckless. She does seem to know her genealogical resources though.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept

Very interesting idea. However, the book needs to be edited. I got bored with Natasha's endless musings and the search took to long. The characters seemed inconsistent to me. The whole bit with Marcus didn't really add interest to the story; it just made Natasha sound whiny and depressing. I did not engage with the characters.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genealogist Natasha Blake is asked to help a young photographer find his missing girlfriend Bethany. She has disappeared and the only trace left behind is an old diary written in the late 19th century. In order to find the present day person it will be necessary to trace Bethany's family history.

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dull,Dull,Dull

[Kate Merlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting concept to combine genealogy with sleuthing.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good mystery of past an present. Interested to see where the series goes as it reads like a stand alone. Engrossing to the point I lost track and read until 4am

[Jean Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot more creepy than your average cosy mystery. I loved it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genealogy, history and art wrapped in a true mystery.

[Marjo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish there was more emphasis on the mystery, and less on the existential angst of the protagonist. Also, the criminal essentially gets away with their crime at the end, and that's just depressing.

[Susan]

Wish there were more books in the series. Two not enough for me

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the premise of this unconventional detective is interesting, there was way too much “why did I feel so creepy” on every third page…

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic! I can't wait to read more from Fiona Mountain! Loved it!

[Karen Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the concept of a sleuth genealogist

[Fefi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bah... Abbastanza bruttino. Una storia che mi ha lasciato indifferente e che domani ho già scordato. Salvo solo l'idea di legare un personaggio al suo passato.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am certainly going to keep this author in my sights since I got some useful information about genealogical searches and the complex stuff about Rossetti and the Marshall family was interesting. It even included one of my favourite Christmas carols. MS Mountain may find that she doesn't want to put in quite such detailed locations in case her books become really popular and crowds appear walking her streets. She may have her English stuff down pat but there is no University of Vancouver; it is the University of B.C. or Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. She's in good company, though, since Desmond Bagley made the same error. Perhaps she's a Bagley fan & remembered it from Landslide. There's some strange psychology going on in here but it all seems to work. Through most of the book Bethany is a shadow, someone that slips in and out without anyone able to grip her. Tracking her down from the Pre-Raphaelites was an interesting route and the sudden and early deaths that kept showing up certainly added to the darkness of the story. I wonder if ancestor syndrome could account for many families feeling that they were under a curse. In order to have the Pre-Raphaelite story at all the set-up had to strip Bethany of any methods of identifying or finding her and it feels a little far-fetched for a person to strip themselves of all identifiers when they were going to place their image in such a very public place.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read two books by Fiona Mountain in quick succession, Pale As The Dead and Bloodline. My original review on DorothyL covered both books so to get at least a little caught up I'm just copying parts of it.
Natasha Blake, the protagonist, is a bit of an odd duck. She loves her
work as a genealogist, but hasn't been able to learn much of her own
parentage - she was a foundling, adopted in infancy, who didn't learn
of the adoption until she was a teenager. Natasha dresses in vintage
clothes and lives in a cottage in the Cotswolds with a red setter dog.
As the first book opens her latest boyfriend has left, or rather, been
driven away. Now, I confess I'm a sucker for books about people who
have cottages in the Cotswolds, so right away I was hooked.

There are plenty of mysteries to be solved in genealogy, but in a
detective story there should be a modern-day crime or at least the
possibility of one connected with the ancestor hunt. That's what
Natasha encounters in these two books. I enjoyed PALE AS THE DEAD,
which deals with the pre-Raphaelites and Virginia Siddall, artist and
muse of D. G. Rossetti, positing a surprising sort of crime in the
past; but I felt Ms. Mountain really hit her stride with BLOODLINE.
I'd recommend both books for lovers of genealogy, amateur women
detectives, and the Cotswolds.

[Katharine Ott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Pale as the Dead" - written by Fiona Mountain and published in 2002. The front cover includes the notation "A Genealogical Mystery," which will be a beckoning finger to me anytime. This somewhat murky chase down a rabbit hole of boudoir photography and nascent romances occurs in England, and the family studies aspect concentrates on their own particular resources, different from those available in the States.

Our genealogist and amateur sleuth Natasha has her own heredity problems which may be investigated in future books. In tracking down the missing Bethany she notes "I don't find people who are alive," and she begins to fear this might indeed be the case. Some of the major players in the story were Lizzie Siddal and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, but the charm of their involvement was a bit lost on my unenlightened art education.

Technology advances wait for no one and the research techniques portrayed here have largely been supplanted by the Internet. (That's not a bad thing though!) I enjoyed Natasha's "zing of elation" when a suspicion is confirmed and agree with her that "It was satisfying, plotting a summary of a life to be colored in afterwards." It was fun to watch her solve the puzzle!

[Andrew✌️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy book to read in a short time, but still an enjoyable read. The main character, Natasha Blake, is not a private detective with an office and filing cabinet full of files. Her work is rebuild the family tree of the people, through careful and sometimes unnerving researches. Hired by a young woman named Bethany Marshall to trace its origins, she finds herself to investigate her disappearance and the search will become the starting point to find her client in a frantic race against time. Like frame and background there are historical facts and characters, such as the Pre-Raphaelites, model and poet Lizzie Siddal, as well as some facts related to her. This, weaved with an intriguing and well written plot, for once without violence, make it a suitable book, maybe at home for a raining day.