And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander
Aug. 1st, 2008 01:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snugglekittyI have been trying to figure out where I saw a recommendation for this series, but I really don't know. I saw a book later in this series, A Fatal Waltz, and I found it intriguing. I believe it was online. Indiebound? A list of new mysteries on amazon.com? I'm not really sure. Anyway, I like to read series from the beginning where possible, and I enjoy Victorian mystery, so I thought I'd give it a try. I was not at all disappointed.
The plot of this book reminded me a fair amount of Silent in the Sanctuary.* Lady Emily Ashton was a young bride only recently married when her husband died while on a hunting trip. Lady Ashton didn't know her husband well, and she feels mostly a sense of relief when he passes away, revelling in her newfound independence as a widow. But a series of mysterious events call into question many of Emily's beliefs about her place, her life, and the man she married.
This is a cozy mystery - more an engaging story of intrigue and suspense, even, than a mystery per se. There are extensive quotations from Homer, and descriptions of Greek art. Those parts were not my favorites, as I'm not a big classics buff. But the interactions between Lady Ashton and her friends, family, and suitors were very interesting. I also liked the ways that she chose to ignore convention and the ways she tried to respect it. I wanted to keep reading even though I had a pretty good sense of how the mystery plot was going to turn out. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this series. Three stars.
*Both books feature young Victorian widows finding out surprising things about their late husbands. I may do a character comparison at some point. It makes sense that more than one author would choose this - widows had more independence than most women in upper-class Victorian society.
The plot of this book reminded me a fair amount of Silent in the Sanctuary.* Lady Emily Ashton was a young bride only recently married when her husband died while on a hunting trip. Lady Ashton didn't know her husband well, and she feels mostly a sense of relief when he passes away, revelling in her newfound independence as a widow. But a series of mysterious events call into question many of Emily's beliefs about her place, her life, and the man she married.
This is a cozy mystery - more an engaging story of intrigue and suspense, even, than a mystery per se. There are extensive quotations from Homer, and descriptions of Greek art. Those parts were not my favorites, as I'm not a big classics buff. But the interactions between Lady Ashton and her friends, family, and suitors were very interesting. I also liked the ways that she chose to ignore convention and the ways she tried to respect it. I wanted to keep reading even though I had a pretty good sense of how the mystery plot was going to turn out. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this series. Three stars.
*Both books feature young Victorian widows finding out surprising things about their late husbands. I may do a character comparison at some point. It makes sense that more than one author would choose this - widows had more independence than most women in upper-class Victorian society.
