Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Death in the Floating City by Tasha Alexander


About the Book:

A Lady Emily Mystery (#7)

"Years ago, Emily's childhood nemesis, Emma Callum, scandalized polite society when she eloped to Venice with an Italian count. But now her father-in-law lies murdered, and her husband has vanished. There's no one Emma can turn to for help but Emily, who leaves at once with her husband, the dashing Colin Hargreaves, for Venice. There, her investigations take her from opulent palazzi to slums, libraries, and bordellos. Emily soon realizes that to solve the present day crime, she must first unravel a centuries old puzzle. But the past does not give up its secrets easily, especially when these revelations might threaten the interests of some very powerful people."

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Absolutely enchanting!  

Death in the Floating City is one of the best in the Lady Emily mystery series and has the same beautiful and elegant writing that first captured my attention in And Only to Deceive. 

The Victorian-era Venetian setting is rich and beautifully depicted, and the mystery is truly intriguing involving poetry, art, illuminated manuscripts, and ancient Venetian noble families. When Lady Emily and Colin are summoned to Venice to begin a murder investigation,  their  detective work unveils a tragic tale of 15th-century lovers.  The star-crossed couple were cruelly denied their  happiness as their respective families were involved in an ancient blood feud and refused to allow them to marry.  Their ill-fated love story broke my heart and reading of their lifelong pain and longing was very touching.  Tasha Alexander wrote their story with such depth and sensitivity that I was brought to tears. How this love story is connected to the murder is a puzzle, and Lady Emily and Colin must piece together ancient clues and clues left at the present-day crime scene to determine the culprit and the motive for murder.

But have no fear, it's not all a tale of woe, and this latest installment has me already anticipating the next book and all of its wonderful possibilities. I hope she's busy writing it!

 An absolute must-read for fans of Lady Emily and Colin!

4.5/5 stars

Title: Death in the Floating City
Author: Tasha Alexander
St. Martin's Press
2012
308 pages
genre: historical mystery

11 comments:

Kimberlee said...

I can't wait to read this book. I have it on hold at the library and they haven't released it yet. They are SO slow..I love this series and I'm glad that you liked this one.

Kimberlee
http://girllostinabook.blogspot.com

Joanne said...

Kimberlee, I was not as thrilled with the last few installments and was beginning to lose interest....but I thought this one was terrific and I'm back in love with the series! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Melissa @ Confessions of an Avid Reader said...

I'm so glad this one gets the series back on track! I'll definitely add it to my wish list...and make an effort to read the one that comes before it (the name has totally escaped me) soon.

Joanne said...

Hi, Melissa -- Personally, skip it and just read this one! You can always go back to A Crimson Warning and you won't really miss anything.

Staci said...

I need to meet Lady emily!!!

Joanne said...

Staci - oh yes you do!

Mystica said...

I am going to start looking for this author now.

Book of Secrets said...

A historical mystery set in Venice does sound enchanting. I'm also curious about the connection to the tragic 15th-century lovers. Great review!

Mystica said...

Thanks for an amazing review.

Holly (2 Kids and Tired) said...

I haven't read this author yet and this sound really good. I adore Venice and books set there. I need to look into this series.
2 Kids and Tired Books

Unknown said...

Well, I guess I'm the odd 'man' out -- I didn't like this book nearly as much as the others!
I did like the background story all the way through and sometimes skipped the Lady Emily sections to read the 15th century story.

Favorite Period Dramas

Mount TBR

Joanne's to-read book montage

On a Highland Shore
A Light on the Veranda
Entwined
The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile
The Edwardians
Maisie Dobbs
Howards End
Lady's Maid
Instruments Of Darkness
When Maidens Mourn
Where Shadows Dance
What Remains of Heaven
Where Serpents Sleep
Why Mermaids Sing
When Gods Die
Shadowfever
Before Ever After
The Sugar Queen
Garden Spells
After the Night


Joanne's favorite books »
}