Death by Misadventure

Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries #18

by Tasha Alexander

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

In the winter of 1906, Lady Emily and husband Colin are invited to the opulent home of Baroness Ursula von Duchtel in the Bavarian alps. Outside is a mountainous winter wonderland with a view of Mad King Ludwig's fairy tale castle. Inside, the villa hosts a magnificent but eclectic art collection--as well as an equally eclectic collection of fellow guests, among them a musician, an art dealer, a coquette from the demi-monde, and Kaspar, the Baroness' boorish son-in-law, whom, it begins to appear, someone wants dead.

Almost forty years earlier, Niels, a young German lord, sings to himself in the forest surrounding those same alps, capturing the attention of a not-yet-mad King Ludwig. Niels and the king become fast friends, their relationship deepening into something more as their time together stretches on. But while King Ludwig is content to live out a fantasy where their responsibilities don't matter and the outside world doesn't affect them, Niels knows that their bliss cannot last forever...

Decades later, Emily continues to investigate Kaspar's increasingly lethal "mishaps" when tragedy strikes, ensnaring the guests in a web of fear and suspicion. It's up to Emily to sift through old secrets and motivations, some stretching far into the past, to unmask the killer.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Germany

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 2024

About the author

The 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.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Well, it's another dual-timeline plot, like several previous books in this series. At least this time the secondary storyline is somewhat related to the main one. But this dual timeline structure is getting really tiresome, and it doesn't really add to the Emily/Colin plot. It's more like the author needed to pad out a pretty thin mystery and said, "hey, I'll throw in some research I did on King Ludwig!". The resolution to the main mystery plot felt forced and unimaginative. Overall, it was a rather disappointing novel.

[Nicole Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to be honest: I am really tired of the "two stories in one book" thing that Alexander has been doing for her past several novels. It detracted a lot from my enjoyment of the Lady Emily series. It felt like a gimmick and made me think that Alexander just couldn't think up a plot that would fill an entire book, so she had to add in another story to fill space. This time the gimmick works better, though, because there is a much tighter nexus between the Lady Emily mystery and the secondary storyline. It actually deals with the early life of one of the characters in the book. Let's hope this trend continues, because I really enjoy the characters in the series, and I think Alexander is a talented writer.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of the book! I was not influenced by the free copy while writing this review.

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death in the Bavarian Mountains!

It’s 1906. Colin and Emily Hargreaves have been invited to the opening of Baroness Ursula von Düchtel’s striking new villa in the mountains of Bavaria near Schloss Neuschwanstein, “mad” King Ludwig’s castle and retreat. They’d been invited through Emily’s friend Cécile du Lac.
Baroness Ursula is an extensive collector of art which she’ll house in this fascinating building. The collection is large enough to have had her hire a curator to catalogue all the treasures. Emily as a connoisseur and modest collector is entranced by the Baroness’s works.
Running alongside this story, beginning in 1868, is that of King Ludwig and his companions, including Niels von Schön.
Niels’ father, a baron, forces Niels into marriage with a woman Niels continues to refer to as the Valkyrie. The first time he sees her is in front of the Bishop.
The lives of these three, Ludwig, Niels and the Valkyrie, will meld into that of drama and loss, in a searingly distressing way. A story that will hold significance for the now.
However in Colin and Emily’s times it appears someone is trying to kill Kaspar Allerspach, the Baroness’s boor of a son-in-law.
The awful mystery of who the murderer is, is finally revealed, but not without heartbreak and despair.
A somewhat dark and sobering addition to this absorbing series.

A St. Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

[Star Gater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you St. Martin's Press -- Minotaur Books for allowing me to read and review Death by Misadventure, A Lady Emily Mystery, by Tasha Alexander on NetGalley.

Published: 09/24/24

Stars: 4.5

Fun. I enjoyed the relationship of Emily and Colin. The two were mindful and respectful of each other and I appreciate the author writing these characters with these qualities.

This is the eighteenth book in the series and my first. I don't feel like I missed anything. This is a true standalone.

I try to shy away from series in general, and try hard not to pick up #18. This was not an accident. I am a cover person. Upon seeing the cover I heard Streisand singing Memories and me carrying a backpack up a hill miles and miles, okay maybe a mile but it was really hot and arriving to Neuschwanstein Castle and not caring. This was the era of travelers checks, passport, currency exchanges, and thieves stealing everything not nailed down. Sadly, that is my memory.

However, I hold no grudges. Alexander showed me a good time. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters.

Yes, I recommend wholeheartedly. The book is a good time. I look forward to reading another Alexander book in the future.

[Kelli Santistevan · Rating 1 out of 5]

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

Thank you Minotaur Books for sending me an ARC of this book! I decided to DNF it at 65 pages. I can’t get into it and I don’t like that this story has dual timelines.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

In the winter of 1906, Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves are among several invited guests staying at a modern new villa built in the Bavarian Alps by Baroness Ursula von Düchtel. Over the next several days, it begins to snow heavily and after several mishaps, the guests soon realize they are trapped with someone bent on deadly mischief.

Nearby is Hohenschwangau Castle, the boyhood home of Ludwig II, who became known as the Mad King of Bavaria. A second timeline set in 1868 introduces the character Niels von Schön, who it seems has ties to someone amongst those at the new villa nearly 40 years later.

This was a lovely setting for a mystery, very atmospheric, and I quite enjoyed spending some time in the beautiful Bavarian Alps. I especially enjoyed the chapters about the relationship between Niels and young Ludwig. As for the mystery, I found the 'whodunit' quite easy to pinpoint but the motive came as a total surprise. Lady Emily and Colin once again figure it all out.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of the new cozy mystery via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

[Homerun2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fear Ms. Alexander has lost interest in this series, and sadly, so have I. They used to be tongue-in-cheek, bantering, swashbuckling adventures. The last few have been overburdened with characters and shackled by a dual historical narrative which was fine for a gimmick but is wearying after several books.

This time Colin and Emily are in the vicinity of Mad King Ludwig's castle. That historical narrative is interspersed with their jaunt to see a fabulous art collection with an odd assortment of characters, one of whom, of course, ends up murdered. I hope Ms. Alexander turns her many talents to something new and fresh.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ashlyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't like this one for whatever reason. I had such a hard time focusing on the audiobook. It just didn't pull me in like I had hoped it would. I probably should have DNFed because this was probably unfair to the book itself since it was more the audiobook that I wasn't loving, but whatever. I really enjoyed a previous book I had read in this series, so I was really hoping that this one would be amazing too. Unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy it.

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

A "Lady Emily Mystery" is the first book I've read from this author; and it did not disappoint.

There are two time lines in this story. It begins in the winter of 1906 in Bavaria where Lady Emily and her husband, Colin, have been invited by the Baroness Ursula von Duchtel.

Then the story reverses back to 1868 to the Royal Court of King Ludwig ll. The connection to the story was confusing until the end; therein lies the mystery to the story.

[Betty Strohecker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read all of Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily books and have been a big fan. However, I regret to say that this book was a disappointment. The duel timeline connection was apparent halfway through the book, and the unexpected twist at the end are what saved my rating from being lower. I felt most of the eclectic group of characters in the main story to be very unlikable, so that it was difficult to care about any of them. Emily's and Colin's parts didn't seem to be up to their usual standards. As the book progressed, I found myself more interested in the secondary story, featuring mad King Ludwig II. However, since there is still a mystery about how he died, that was also unsatisfactory, leaving many questions.

A positive was the beautiful description of Bavaria, covered in snow in the main story. We were given glimpses of it in the summer, with a lovely lake and wooded area in the duel timeline. On the whole, I found this book depressing. I must say I enjoyed the earlier books in this series much more before Alexander switched to the duel timeline versions. They just seemed to have a greater depth, but that is just my personal opinion.

[Regan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. I've followed this series since it started, looked forward to each new addition and been saddened that each one has gotten weaker and weaker. The dual time lines are annoying but I read the earlier time period first and then go back and read the current. The older time period in this one read more like a junior high student's first draft than what I've come to expect and anticipate from Alexander. It should have been a novella that took part in 1906 with maybe a few memories from one of the characters, even anonymously, of the whole Niels / Ludwig thread. I get hooked on some series and when each book, like this and A Cold Highland Wind before it read so badly I start to feel like the series has run its course

[Kate Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 / 5.0 Stars

This is yet another wonderful adventure in the Lady Emily mystery series. It's 1906 and Lady Emily and Sir Colin Hargreaves are called to a house party at the Villa von Düchtel in Bavaria - the newly built mountain home of Baroness Ursula von Düchtel. They only know one attendee who is a close friend of the Baroness. It does not take long for them to be warmly received among the others. As they all spend lots of time with one another, the hostess' boorish son-in-law appears to be within someone's crosshairs. It all seems like scary pranks until a dead body dampens everyone's spirits.

In alternating chapters, the year is 1868, also set in the same Bavarian region, and features the story of the Fairytale King - King Ludwig II. His is a tragic tale, which to this day, it's not definitively known whether he was murdered or committed suicide.

Author Tasha Alexander writes an exquisite narrative capturing two stories set a mere forty years apart, with a narrow thread connecting them. Both are centered in the pre-alpine splendor of Bavaria, not distant from Schloss Hohenschwangau and Schloss Neuschwanstein. The author has captured well the awesome rugged and desolate mountainous terrain in its white winter raiment. The research into the King Ludwig II story is tremendous and well delivered throughout the story. The touches of French and German phrases, appropriately spoken by the various characters add to the richness of the story's mise en scène. The references to Wagnerian operas left melodic threads as sweet soundtracks for the story's setting. Eventually, the two stories are connected across the short divide and the stories draw to a satisfactory unified conclusion.

I am grateful to Minotaur Books for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.


Publisher: ‎ Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
Number of Pages:‎ 304
ISBN:‎ 978-1250872364

[T · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really liked the early books of the Lady Emily series, but once Tasha Alexander committed to the trite dual plot line, there is far less Lady Emily involvement, and in this book, almost no detail about Lady Emily at all. Another failure in this dual plot line, is that the connection isn't made until the final quarter of the book, so for nearly the whole book, the reader is left wondering "what is the point to the Niels and Ludwig story?" And then once you finish the book, you realize that the connection is just barely relevant to the conclusion. If you can't do a dual plot line really, really well, don't do it at all! Half of this book is dull and pointless. And OMG, why so often in her books does she include some horrifically bitchy comment about a woman's beauty?! Nope, I'm done. Tasha Alexander has lost her ability to write a good book.

[Melissa’s Bookshelf]

As an ardent fan of the Lady Emily mysteries, I eagerly picked up this latest book in the series. I didn’t bother reading the back & was slightly disappointed after reading to learn that one of the main plots involved a gay couple. While there were no intimate details, I found the subject matter a little off putting as it’s not my cup of tea.

The mystery set during Lady Emily’s lifetime was interesting with a house party full of guests & suspects. When one of them winds up dead, it’s up to Emily & Colin to find the killer. The ending was surprising in how it tied to the story of the “mad” King Ludwig of Bavaria.

The story of the mad king was historically interesting. I didn’t know much about him going in, but found his life & mysterious death rather sad. A young German Lord who has issues with both his overly demanding father & placating mother finds peace & solace in the king’s friendship.

Despite it not being my cup of tea, I enjoyed the mystery featuring Lady Emily & how all the pieces fit together. I received an advanced copy from the publisher with no expectation of a positive review. All opinions are my own & provided voluntarily.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an egalley of this book! I love the Lady Emily series - I’ve been reading them for about a decade and I could read an installment every year for the rest of my life, they’re always fun.

I loved this installment - the buildup to the initial present day crime was a bit of a change from past books, which I really enjoyed and built up the suspense.

Like most readers of this series, the dual timeline can be a bit hit or miss for me - it’s never worked as well for me as it did with Philip’s story. However, I really enjoyed it in this book, it tied in nicely with the present day mystery and honestly would have loved more of it.

I also loved seeing Cecile again, as much as I wish Jeremy was in every single book.

Can’t wait for the next installment!

[Joanna C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mysterious occurrences at a house party. It was quite intriguing I was not expecting a couple of the twists that happened. It did jump back and forth between the main story and another one as well. However, both were interesting, and simultaneously, the story with the King and Niels was unique in that the King seemed so happy to be surrounded by only beautiful things. He did not hesitate to get rid of things or people he found ugly. I knew there was something special between King and Niels, but it was unfortunate that nothing could come out of it. I loved Lady Emily and her husband. Not only do they have a beautiful relationship, but they also work well together during their investigations. Overall, it was enjoyable if you want to read a detective mystery.

Thank you to the publisher!

[Jane Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Net galley for an advance copy of this book.
I have read all the Lady Emily novels and loved the early ones and usually enjoyed the later ones. This latest, not so much. With Emily, Colin and Cecelia in Bavaria for some odd reason, a murder is committed and a snowstorm prevents the police from getting to the location. So of course, Lady Emily and Colin must figure things out. The remaining characters are mostly paper thin and dislikable. The dialogue is blunt and even the relationship between Emily and Colin is off. I think he has already taught her everything . The secondary story is boring and although it ties in at the end doesn’t really advance the story much.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Lady Emily series by Tasha Alexander and am always waiting for the next in the series to come out. I was thrilled when I received this e-galley on Netgalley and I was not disappointed. I grew up for the most part in Germany and have been to Neuschwanstein Castle many times. For me, this made for a fantastic dual-timeline setting for a Lady Emily mystery. There are times when I have like one of the story lines more than the other, but these were equally as captivating. A great read.

[NrsKelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an absolutely fun historical fiction series. Lady Emily proves how adept women can be in solving crime. With dual timelines set 40 years apart in Bavaria, I spent most of the book looking for the connecting threads! And as always Tasha Alexander does not disappoint.
If you love cozy mysteries with historical elements you’ll love this book. 3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4/5 for me.
I received a ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved every Lady Emily book, though admittedly the past few books haven't quite been as good as previous releases of her adventures. To me, there was a disconnect between the back story and the current happenings. This one, though, brought everything together in a neat package and while I thought I'd figured out the murderer, I was wrong and quite surprised. Looking forward to the next adventure already!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had all the elements I enjoy but it didn’t grab me

[Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance during Murder Most Foul (February-May 2025)

Once Cécile du Lac invites you into her charmed circle you will forever be in her orbit. And you will adore every minute of it. Cécile and the Baroness Ursula von Düchtel have been fast friends since they commiserated over losing an auction for an early Manet that went to someone nowhere near worthy. Ursula's art collection is eclectic, to say the least, with her collection encompassing objects from across the centuries, with Renaissance art sharing space with Gustav Klimt. For years she has been dreaming of building a house worthy of her collection and the Villa von Düchtel situated in the Bavarian Alps with the barest glimpse of Schloss Neuschwanstein in the distance is finally ready for guests. A striking modern villa of mosaic glass and concrete with a long wide gallery for her collection. For the occasion Ursula has invited friends, neighbors, artists, art dealers, journalists, critics, and poets. Sadly the family also showed up. Cécile, knowing that Lady Emily would never forgive her if she didn't extend her an invitation to see Ursula's ancient art has arrived with Emily and of course Colin in tow. It always pays to make sure one is surrounded by attractive men. At the gathering Emily wonders if it's beyond the pale to contemplate murdering a house guest who is boorish and a lout just so she can go talk to the intelligentsia. Yes, she does know it's morally wrong, but whomever made up the rules had clearly never met Kaspar Allerspach, Ursula's odious son-in-law. Ursula regrets every day that her daughter Sigrid married Kasper and not the delightful Max Haller who is a virtuoso on the tuba. Max has also been invited, because one never knows. In fact once the reception is over they will be a reduced house party indeed, made up of just family and a few hangers-on. Kaspar has brought his best friend Felix Brinkmann and socialite Birgit Göltling who may or may not be involved with Felix. But Liesel Fronberg is the most out of place, being an art dealer from Berlin, and being more servant than guest. So while Cécile was hopeful of an intellectual gathering, the likes of which Ursula is known for, it's a gathering brought low by the uncouth Kasper and company. Though the reception has one more surprise in store before the masses depart, Kaspar is approached by one of the journalists in attendance and is informed that they were told to come to the Villa von Düchtel for the wake of Kaspar Allerspach. At first Kaspar is taken aback, but then he decides it must be nothing more than a joke. The first attempt on his life happens when they are all out skiing, Lady Emily failing spectacularly at it. The second attempt is when they are visiting Schloss Neuschwanstein. Someone takes a pot-shot at him. As the winter weather worsens, Emily and Colin realize that the escalation of events is quite concerning. They are virtually trapped in the Bavarian Alps so the culprit who wants to put the wind up Kaspar must be one of their party. Things take a deadly turn when out on a sleigh ride with his wife Sigrid is murdered, not Kaspar, the killer apparently missing their mark. But was Kaspar the intended victim? The campaign of terror would indicate as such, but what if it was all a ruse? What if there's something more at play? To solve this mystery Emily will have to look to the past, to a King who was either insane or eccentric, who was either murdered or died by his own hands, and who had a love of German legends and Wagner and built Schloss Neuschwanstein while bankrupting Bavaria.

Each and every installment in Tasha Alexander's beloved series makes me fall more in love with the characters and with Tasha's writing. There's just such a wonderful balance of mystery, art, culture, and history. Here we lean a little more into the art and culture, but I think that is perfectly wonderful for a story set in the land of fairy tale castles. Also, for the mystery lovers among us, I think this is Tasha's most Agatha Christie book yet. All mysteries owe a lot to Agatha Christie. Even if a story is just using the same basic building blocks that many people have, if Agatha did it, Agatha is the one who gets credit. I can't help but think of a book I loved, Sofia Slater's Auld Acquaintance , which was lambasted by critics because it was a fun retelling of And Then There Were None. They might have omitted the "fun" part. So walking the "Agatha Christie" edge is a delicate balance. Too much and you're ripping her off, too little, and obviously she would have done it better. So there's no avoiding Agatha Christie when talking mystery, and while some might point to Lady Emily's trip down the Nile in 2022 as her most Christie mystery, personally I think Secrets of the Nile was way more Amelia Peabody. But to each there own. The point of all this is that Death by Misadventure is just deliciously Agatha Christie enough to draw the reader in; oh, a beautiful house in the Bavarian Alps you say? And trapped by snow with these reprobates? Oh, intriguing. And then it's all a wonderful locked room mystery after that. In fact I also have to thank Tasha for this book because it was part of three books I read back-to-back that finally pulled me out of a serious reading slump. It was so horrifically bad I was choosing to play FarmVille or sleep over reading. And if you want to avoid a similar fate, never ever ever read Scattered All Over the Earth by Yōko Tawada. OK back to happy thoughts! Bavaria! OK, here's the thing about me and history. If it's US history, I know it, if it's British history, I know it, if it's French history, I'm OK, but anything else to do with Europe prior to WWI, well, it wasn't taught to me in school and I didn't take any extra classes once in college so I'm very vague with it. I know Germany wasn't a united country until sometime around WWI because of the saying how every time Germany united we got a World War. So I'm going in basically blind, though I did just watch a seventies miniseries, Fall of Eagles, which was decent on the German history and the Habsburgs and Hohenzollerns, but I literally just watched that so when I read this I was totally in the dark. I just knew they had pretty fairy tale castles, not that the fairy tale castles had this amazing backstory of King Ludwig II bankrupting the country to build them and his fascination with Wagner and how he "killed" himself and how this was all happening just as Bavaria was about to become a part of Germany. Damn. Bavaria, you are one fascinating country. I need to learn more about you and your "mad" king who really is responsible for how much tourism you now have. Thanks to Tasha, I have a starting off point. Because that's what great books make you do, want to learn more, read more, see more. They expand your worldview and Tasha excels at this.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In alternating chapters, Alexander relates the 1906 visit of Lady Emily and her husband Colin to a new schloss in the Bavarian alps, and the fate, years earlier, of a young Bavarian nobleman and his friendship with King Ludwig II. The schloss is owned by a wealthy countess, and someone in the house party seems to dislike her son-in-law; at least several attempts on his life are made. But he's not the one who ends up murdered. As Emily and Colin investigate, the party is snowed in by a storm and the not particularly pleasant characters are soon at odds. Meanwhile, the connection between the young singer and the main story becomes evident. I usually enjoy these stories more, perhaps because I find their settings more sympathetic.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have followed this series since book one. This one just did not grab me. I’m sorry to say the misadventure was the book as a whole. The dual time line didn’t really throw me off, since I read time slip novels that deal with two distinctive periods in time. The problem was the chemistry between the characters. The books through the years have been tight, and exciting. It seemed rather disjointed, and not cohesive. It was rather just meh! Not awful, but not memorable. I got my copy from the library, so I did not have to buy it. I hope the next one reverts back to her books from the past. These last couple feel a bit stale. 2.5 rounded to a 3.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting history of Neuschwanstein Castle and Ludwig II and a very interesting story interwoven decades after his death.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entry in the Lady Emily series is a bit of a mixed bag.

Alexander has been using the dual timeline strategy for many books in this series now with mixed results. While, in general, I don’t care for this type of storytelling and would much prefer one complete story rather than what feels like two poorly fleshed out ones, this entry does the best job with the dual timelines. The historical story was interesting and taught me about an aspect of history I had no prior knowledge of (mad king Ludwig II of Bavaria), but it also DIRECTLY connected to the mystery Lady Emily was attempting to solve. I actually really liked how the two stores interconnected, however I think it would have been far better had the historical story’s POV been focused on the Baroness rather than on her husband.

The “modern” storyline featuring Lady Emily was a bit lacking. One problem with splitting the narration with a story from a different time is that we don’t ever get to really know our suspects. The suspects in this book all seemed rather flat and unlikable. I wish we had seen a bit more of the murder victim prior to her demise and had discovered her love affair before her death. I wish her lover had been more of a focus of the plot. These things would have made the mystery more interesting to me and would have increased suspicion around the other characters. Lady Emily also seems to be losing a bit of her personality. She is turned on by her husband, asks questions, and likes art. That’s basically all there is to her character in this book. She seems a shadow of her former self and her and her husband have become a bit cringy. I’m not sure if this is a symptom of the dual timeline or maybe it’s her reason for it. Has Alexander become so bored by her own heroine that she is creating dual narratives to provide herself more excitement when writing? Not sure. And again the results of this tactic have been mixed. Looking at other reviews it’s clear that many fans are not enjoying the dual timelines, but I think sometimes they work nicely, as it did in this particular book.

There were several surprises and the culprit was a surprise to me but things felt rushed. However, overall, I enjoyed this book. The winter setting made it a perfect read over Christmas break. This book requires little knowledge from the rest of the series so it could be read by anyone. I recommend it and think it deserves 4/5 stars.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Death by Misadventure is the 18th Lady Emily cozy mystery by Tasha Alexander. Released 24th Sept 2024 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

The author is prolific and adept. She does a more than capable job setting the scene and time period with both the dialogue and by wrapping the fiction skillfully around a framework of actual historical occurrences. The mystery itself is cleverly constructed and full of fair play clues which invite readers to figure out "whodunnit" alongside the story, with a closed pool of suspects, a remote chalet in the Alps, and lots of interesting historical trivia about Ludwig II of Bavaria who is a major element of the story told in dual timelines.

The plot is driven on parallel storytelling, with one main subplot set in Ludwig's Bavaria and the other in the "current" timeline (Late Victorian period).

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours, 31 minutes and is capably narrated by series narrator Bianca Amato. She has a distinct South African accent, but it's not obtrusive or indeed obvious at all after the first few minutes of narration. She has a pleasantly modulated voice and she's adept at giving all the characters distinct and distinguishable voices. Most of the characters have distinct and varied accents, and she navigates them well.

It's partly an homage to Christie, but Ms. Alexander's writing stands perfectly well on its own merits. Heartily recommended to fans of the series; potentially also recommended for fans of the canonical works. Although the setup, mystery, denouement, and resolution are self-contained, there's a significant amount of development in earlier books which will partially spoil the characters and their relationships if read out of order. With 18 books extant in the series, it would make a great choice for a binge read, especially for fans of golden age and historical mysteries.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Jean Kolinofsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves have been involved in murder investigations and intrigue in Italy, Russia, Egypt and a number of other locations. Now visiting a villa in Bavaria for a party hosted by Baroness Ursula von Duchtel they are once again drawn into an investigation. It started with what everyone believed was a prank. A newspaper representative arrives to write the obituary of Kaspar, Ursula’s son-in-law, who is attending the party and is very much alive. It becomes more serious when the bindings on his skis are cut, causing an accident. Kaspar shrugs off any concern until a bullet just misses him as they tour Neuschwanstein. The episodes escalate until someone is killed. Ursula’s guests include her daughter Sigrid, Kaspar’s friend Felix and his date Birgit, Max, a friend of the family, and Liesel, an art dealer who hoped to sell Ursula a painting. Emily and Colin are there as guests of Cecile, Ursula’s closest friend. Uneasy after the first prank, they begin to investigate after Kaspar’s accident. There have been winter storms and the snow has closed the roads for the police, so it is up to them.

The villa has beautiful views of Neuschwanstein and Tasha Alexander’s story covers two time frames. The party occurs in 1906, while alternating chapters take place in 1868. In the past, Niels von Schon encounters King Ludwig II when he travels to Bavaria to escape his disapproving father. He becomes a close friend of the king as they share a love of music and Ludwig’s plans to build his castle. As the story progresses Alexander eventually ties Niels’ story to Ursula’s history, giving Emily and Colin a direction for their investigation. The discovery of hidden documents finally reveal the reason Ursula’s family has been targeted and the motive for murder. Lady Emily and Colin are wonderful characters and Alexander has once again given them a mystery to solve that is filled with suspects. Her story of King Ludwig and Niels is an emotional one at times and ends with the question of the King’s death, whether murder or suicide, and its’ effect on Niels. With a fascinating period of history and characters to love, this is another excellent entry in Alexander’s series. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for providing this book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexander's now-expected narrative structure of alternating storylines: 1st person Lady Emily in 1906 and 3rd person Nils von Schön in 1868; both take place in Bavaria. It's fairly easy to figure out how the two timelines are connected, but that doesn't detract from the book's entertainment value. A straightforward mystery mixes with a look at King Ludwig II, aka the "Mad King," known for building Schloss Neuschwanstein (famously known for inspiring Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle).

[CelesteCreates · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF - Did not finish
I have loved this series all the way through till now. This one was slow to develop and I did not enjoy the story of mad King Ludwig and his homosexual relationship. Not fun at all. May not read another. Very disappointed