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Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries #7
Death in the Floating City
The Huffington Post calls "Tears of Pearl" author Tasha Alexander "one to watch--and read" and her new Lady Emily mystery set in Venice proves it.
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.
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.
309 pages, Hardcover
First published October 16, 2012
200 people are currently reading
2833 people want to read
About the author
Tasha Alexander
32 books2,590 followersThe 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 441 reviews
December 4, 2012
Hm. Well, I like this better than the last few, but there is still something missing. I think Colin and Emily are what is missing. I got not one single idea of either of their personalities in this book, not any of the snappy dialogue or interaction that made the first few books such fun. They seem to be slogging along and spend far too much of this particular book apart.
The murder mystery, again as in the last book, is of a person whom the reader has never met so can't really be too concerned about which I think is the start of the problem. And during the course of the book the things learned about him don't make one feel much better toward him. If his death is not perceived as a terrible crime, it makes it much harder to connect with the plot.
I don't know if the bits of the late wife's room and garden are supposed to be particular to the plot or merely poorly done bits of a poorly done red herring thread, but there is much like that which goes nowhere, add nothing to the story and are, in fact, just boring.
I tired of reading descriptions of places and floating about the canals and would have appreciated more plot and less place. Yes, it is Venice and I'm sure Venice is beautiful, but just more plot and less place would have pleased me immensely.
Again, as in the last few books, Emily is dashing hither and yon in search of clues and suspects. It's okay. It isn't great and isn't really involving for the reader, at least not to this reader, but it is better than the last plot of the last book which was quite convoluted.
However, the glimpses from the past are what really moved me. That love story pulled me in and the heartbreak is fully felt, even from characters long dead, centuries gone. Besina's story is beautiful and I think without it, this book would have been very dry. The heart of the story is Besina's and that story is beautifully told. I wish Alexander would do more of this writing of which she is so capable and less of Emily trouncing about here and there.
The cast of characters in Emily's day is almost overwhelming. She would be off to see this person or that person and I'd have to pause to think, who is this again and how are they involved.
I have said that Emily and Colin feel a bit stagnant, that their story isn't moving along and that is coming to an end, or so it appears. How Emily is going to deal with her new obligations should make for interesting reading in the next book. Yep, I'll sign on for it and hope it gets better and back to more of the original Emily and Colin.
The murder mystery, again as in the last book, is of a person whom the reader has never met so can't really be too concerned about which I think is the start of the problem. And during the course of the book the things learned about him don't make one feel much better toward him. If his death is not perceived as a terrible crime, it makes it much harder to connect with the plot.
I don't know if the bits of the late wife's room and garden are supposed to be particular to the plot or merely poorly done bits of a poorly done red herring thread, but there is much like that which goes nowhere, add nothing to the story and are, in fact, just boring.
I tired of reading descriptions of places and floating about the canals and would have appreciated more plot and less place. Yes, it is Venice and I'm sure Venice is beautiful, but just more plot and less place would have pleased me immensely.
Again, as in the last few books, Emily is dashing hither and yon in search of clues and suspects. It's okay. It isn't great and isn't really involving for the reader, at least not to this reader, but it is better than the last plot of the last book which was quite convoluted.
However, the glimpses from the past are what really moved me. That love story pulled me in and the heartbreak is fully felt, even from characters long dead, centuries gone. Besina's story is beautiful and I think without it, this book would have been very dry. The heart of the story is Besina's and that story is beautifully told. I wish Alexander would do more of this writing of which she is so capable and less of Emily trouncing about here and there.
The cast of characters in Emily's day is almost overwhelming. She would be off to see this person or that person and I'd have to pause to think, who is this again and how are they involved.
I have said that Emily and Colin feel a bit stagnant, that their story isn't moving along and that is coming to an end, or so it appears. How Emily is going to deal with her new obligations should make for interesting reading in the next book. Yep, I'll sign on for it and hope it gets better and back to more of the original Emily and Colin.
October 25, 2012
It seems that many of the books I have looked forward to this fall have been disappointing. This is another one. I have enjoyed Tasha Alexander's other Lady Emily mysteries as light, fun reads but this one was tedious and often felt repetitive. Emily's childhood nemesis asked her to come to Venice to investigate her father-in-law's death. With the help of her husband, Colin, Emily researched the ancient family feud for clues to the present day murder. It just seemed that Emily and company were forever going to see this person and then that person and then the first person again over and over. I just never felt quite involved in the story, nor did I feel Venice as a strong influence- it could have happened pretty much anywhere. Colin's character was pretty flat in this episode and I usually found him to be a man of wit. Emily's reputation for her avant-garde actions really did not live up to expectations this time either. She seemed pretty conventional most of the time. Finally, the ending just did not feel right to me. I am hoping Alexander can bring back some of the original Lady Emily charm in the next novel or I will probably stop reading them.
December 21, 2015
The Victorian era plot was only just so-so and the big reveal about the murderer relied on hidden knowledge not shared with the reader. It's truly the 17th century story that elevates this dual timeline story an extra star.
Wordy review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/123864...
Wordy review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/123864...
October 16, 2012
Death in the Floating City by Tasha Alexander is the seventh installment of the Lady Emily series, which I’ve mentioned numerous times on the blog as a favorite of mine. I’ve been anticipating the release for months, but I was still absolutely floored by how seriously awesome it is. THIS SERIES, you guys. So good.
As evident by the title, the book is set in Venice. An old childhood nemesis of Emily’s calls upon her and husband Colin to help solve the murder of her father-in-law. What follows is a fabulously twisty path into a centuries-old feud between warring families, complete with its own star-crossed love story. (Yes, feel free to think Romeo & Juliet. Except better.)
The power, intrigue and romance of both 15th and 19th century Venice are woven into every page – and are the core of what makes Death in the Floating City the best book of the series. Seriously, there is no way to read this novel and not want to immediately check under the couch cushions for lost quarters in order to start a “Trip to Venice” change jar. I’ve actually been there, and I felt its presence just as much while reading this book as when I was standing in front of St. Mark’s Basilica.
The first flashback into the late 1400s is just pages into the novel. I must admit, despite my fierce faith in Tasha Alexander, that I groaned. Flashbacks aren’t usually my thing – I always feel impatient to get through them to get back to the “real” story. I figured that would be doubly true since I’m so attached to the main characters, Emily and Colin. NOPE. Consider me a convert, because they are fabulous. Full of angst and romance and desperation and tragedy and ALL THE GOOD THINGS that star-crossed love stories are supposed to have (including the ugly cry).
If you aren’t interested in starting the series from the beginning, Death in the Floating City can certainly be read as a stand-alone. I would love if you did start with the first book though, I will beg if necessary! Emily is so fierce – determined to be independent (in a learning ancient Greek and Latin, drinking port after dinner, storming city officials to demand the right to vote kind of way). Colin is possibly the most swoon-worthy male specimen committed to print. I’m more than a little in love with him. Why on Earth wouldn’t you want to spend an entire series getting to know these people? (WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEY AREN’T REAL?)
To Sum It Up:
-The beautiful city of Venice obviously inspired Tasha Alexander tremendously, because the setting explodes off the pages and takes what was already a fabulous series to a whole new level.
-Feuding families! A doomed Renaissance love story! A lovely cast of side characters that vary from the scholarly to the scandalous to the unbelievably treacherous. An ending that literally made my jaw drop from shock. I CAN BARELY CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT OVER THE AWESOME THAT IS THIS BOOK.
-The plot and setting might both be beyond stellar, but Colin and Emily definitely still manage to shine. Two of the best characters I’ve come across, for sure.
As evident by the title, the book is set in Venice. An old childhood nemesis of Emily’s calls upon her and husband Colin to help solve the murder of her father-in-law. What follows is a fabulously twisty path into a centuries-old feud between warring families, complete with its own star-crossed love story. (Yes, feel free to think Romeo & Juliet. Except better.)
The power, intrigue and romance of both 15th and 19th century Venice are woven into every page – and are the core of what makes Death in the Floating City the best book of the series. Seriously, there is no way to read this novel and not want to immediately check under the couch cushions for lost quarters in order to start a “Trip to Venice” change jar. I’ve actually been there, and I felt its presence just as much while reading this book as when I was standing in front of St. Mark’s Basilica.
The first flashback into the late 1400s is just pages into the novel. I must admit, despite my fierce faith in Tasha Alexander, that I groaned. Flashbacks aren’t usually my thing – I always feel impatient to get through them to get back to the “real” story. I figured that would be doubly true since I’m so attached to the main characters, Emily and Colin. NOPE. Consider me a convert, because they are fabulous. Full of angst and romance and desperation and tragedy and ALL THE GOOD THINGS that star-crossed love stories are supposed to have (including the ugly cry).
If you aren’t interested in starting the series from the beginning, Death in the Floating City can certainly be read as a stand-alone. I would love if you did start with the first book though, I will beg if necessary! Emily is so fierce – determined to be independent (in a learning ancient Greek and Latin, drinking port after dinner, storming city officials to demand the right to vote kind of way). Colin is possibly the most swoon-worthy male specimen committed to print. I’m more than a little in love with him. Why on Earth wouldn’t you want to spend an entire series getting to know these people? (WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEY AREN’T REAL?)
To Sum It Up:
-The beautiful city of Venice obviously inspired Tasha Alexander tremendously, because the setting explodes off the pages and takes what was already a fabulous series to a whole new level.
-Feuding families! A doomed Renaissance love story! A lovely cast of side characters that vary from the scholarly to the scandalous to the unbelievably treacherous. An ending that literally made my jaw drop from shock. I CAN BARELY CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT OVER THE AWESOME THAT IS THIS BOOK.
-The plot and setting might both be beyond stellar, but Colin and Emily definitely still manage to shine. Two of the best characters I’ve come across, for sure.
November 17, 2012
Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily books are among my favorite Victorian mystery series, and I am sufficiently hooked on her writing enough to grab a copy blindly whenever a new book is released. I am rather disappointed in this latest book, though. It seems that the series is winding down, and there is not much more room for growth for the characters in the series. I loved the character development in her earlier books, but while enjoyable, this book is rather...bland. There is a secondary storyline, which I tend to abhor, and it was hard to keep track of the long lists of supporting characters. While I enjoyed the book, this is my least favorite in the series. It lacked the depth that her previous novels had (I wept like a baby at the first) and it had trouble holding my interest.
August 27, 2012
I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of this book and truly think it's the best of the Lady Emily books to date. I've loved every one of Ms. Alexander's books but really feel like she upped the game with this story. Intermingling two time periods worked incredibly well and made for a very rich story. Even if you haven't read the other books in this series you will enjoy this adventure. I can't wait for the next installment!
July 18, 2016
This was a quiet little read and a quick one. I would give it 3.5 stars if halves were allowed. I liked the story. It had suspense, mystery and the clues were revealed in a timely manner. I also liked the relationship between Emily and Collin. It seemed solid and was kind of sweet. I feel like I should have known who did it in this book, but I really didn't see it coming until the end. So that was also a plus.
September 25, 2025
I've been reading this over the month and this was just not it, which was a huge blow to morale. I love Venice and was so happy to read a book set in one of my favorite places. But...meh...
June 28, 2020
Sto leggendo questa serie senza seguire l'ordine cronologico e forse è un peccato perché è veramente buona.
In questo libro Emily e il marito indagano su un omicidio avvenuto a Venezia: devo dire che il colpevole è risultato essere una vera sorpresa e ci sono anche rimasta un po' male. Come negli altri libri c'e anche un'altra storia, ambientata nella Venezia rinascimentale che mi ha commosso fino quasi alle lacrime. Devo recuperare tutti i vari volumi di questa serie...
In questo libro Emily e il marito indagano su un omicidio avvenuto a Venezia: devo dire che il colpevole è risultato essere una vera sorpresa e ci sono anche rimasta un po' male. Come negli altri libri c'e anche un'altra storia, ambientata nella Venezia rinascimentale che mi ha commosso fino quasi alle lacrime. Devo recuperare tutti i vari volumi di questa serie...
August 12, 2024
Another delightful book in this binge-worthy series!
February 1, 2021
Not my favourite Lady Emily, but just fine for reading in the bath.
Emily and her husband Colin must solve a historical mystery as well as a contemporary murder. I am adding this to my alternative reality shelf, because the historical mystery takes place in medieval Venice, and some key elements of the plot are only tangentially related to life on this earth. However, since this was for reading in the bath, I wasn't that mad.
The present to Emily mystery was fine. I didn't find the mystery itself particularly compelling, and I'm not sure that if I read it again right away, everything would hang together properly. But I didn't guess the murderer. Unless you're a completionist like me, you could probably skip this one and just keep going with the series. I'll be picking up the next one.
Emily and her husband Colin must solve a historical mystery as well as a contemporary murder. I am adding this to my alternative reality shelf, because the historical mystery takes place in medieval Venice, and some key elements of the plot are only tangentially related to life on this earth. However, since this was for reading in the bath, I wasn't that mad.
The present to Emily mystery was fine. I didn't find the mystery itself particularly compelling, and I'm not sure that if I read it again right away, everything would hang together properly. But I didn't guess the murderer. Unless you're a completionist like me, you could probably skip this one and just keep going with the series. I'll be picking up the next one.
April 24, 2025
Lady Emily series 07 Death in the Floating City by Tasha Alexander
adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
4.0 Stars
I really enjoyed this story. I've always had a fascination with the city of Venice, Italy. The idea of a floating city...is really interesting.
Also, the story reminded me of Romeo & Juliet, and the houses that hate each other, and will do anything to hurt the other house, until a young man falls in love with the daughter of the rival family...and all hell breaks loose.
It was also a find the clue type of story, that Lady Emily and Colin are very good in sleuthing.
The eventual killer is found (spoilers), and I was surprised, but also not surprised, for all the pieces fit...at that point.
I was surprised by one thing that happened at the end (well, actually TWO things), which be interesting to see the "fallout" in the next novels in this series. Very interesting.
I am starting to like Colin, more than in the previous stories, for he is more respectful...than he was previously...which is right.
On to the next novel in the series: Lady Emily 08 Behind the Shattered Glass.
adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense
Medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
4.0 Stars
I really enjoyed this story. I've always had a fascination with the city of Venice, Italy. The idea of a floating city...is really interesting.
Also, the story reminded me of Romeo & Juliet, and the houses that hate each other, and will do anything to hurt the other house, until a young man falls in love with the daughter of the rival family...and all hell breaks loose.
It was also a find the clue type of story, that Lady Emily and Colin are very good in sleuthing.
The eventual killer is found (spoilers), and I was surprised, but also not surprised, for all the pieces fit...at that point.
I was surprised by one thing that happened at the end (well, actually TWO things), which be interesting to see the "fallout" in the next novels in this series. Very interesting.
I am starting to like Colin, more than in the previous stories, for he is more respectful...than he was previously...which is right.
On to the next novel in the series: Lady Emily 08 Behind the Shattered Glass.
July 14, 2019
Entertaining but not superb in the writing department. I didn't guess the ending on this one, possibly because I skimmed a bit more than I usually do/should have. It all worked out in the end and I have a better sense of closure from previous books.
June 30, 2021
Possibly my favorite of this series. I love the angst of the historical flashbacks, which are basically a Romeo and Juliet retelling, and I love the honorable Mama smacking her adult child for being terrible. The last felt very cathartic.
October 7, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Alexander masterfully told this mystery through dual timelines, alternating chapters between the two.
October 30, 2018
*Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance during Alexander Autumn (October-November 2018)
As a child there is always that one person whom you are thrust into a relationship with because of your parents. The greatest joy of growing up is that there comes a time when you no longer have to associate with them and can relegate them to your past. Which is exactly what Emily did with Emma Callum. Emma ran off with an Italian Duke and Emily never thought of her again. Until Emma reached out for help. She had heard of Emily's success in solving crimes and is in desperate need of her assistance. Stranded in Venice Emma doesn't even speak Italian and her father-in-law Conte Barozzi has gone and gotten himself murdered and her husband Paolo is missing. If there was ever a time for Emily's help it is now. But even murder can't fully change someone and as Emma flirts with Emily's husband Colin instead of answering their questions Emily wonders if it was wise to help her old nemesis. Though Emily and her husband are professionals and they will do the job asked of them despite the hindrance of Emma. Their first clue is a ring that was found on the Conte's body and a historian is needed.
Luckily when they arrived in Venice a note was waiting at their hotel from a local scholar turned bookseller inquiring after the ring. Emily is hoping Signore Caravello can help answer a few questions as to the ring's provenance. With his magnifying glass he finds two initials next to the maker's mark, BB and NV. Because the ring was found in the possession of a Barozzi, it's assumed that this belonged to some relative. Emily, now with the help of Singnore Caravello's daughter Donata, searches for this relative and finds Besina, who lived in the 15th century. Yet their one hope of confirming her as the ring's owner is dashed when the painting that just might have shown her wearing it is vandalized. What's more the Barozzis sworn enemies, the Vendelinos, swear that the ring is theirs and has been missing for centuries. Soon Emily and Colin are juggling not just a murder, but valuable missing books, a possibly forgotten legacy, a medium whose reputation was destroyed, the Conte's probable mistress and her jealous husband, and most disturbing of all, a person dressed as a plague doctor following Emily through the canals of Venice. Yet the crucial question is, can they solve the crime in the present by finding out what happen to Besina all those years ago?
There is a plethora of books set in Venice, and the truth is the setting doesn't make the book but a well written book can make the setting, forever linking the two in your mind. Death in the Floating City perfectly fits into the pantheon of books set in Venice that were instant classics for me, from Daphne Du Maurier's Don't Look Now to Mary Robinette Kowal's Valour and Vanity to Susanna Clark's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. These are all books that show Venice as imperfect yet lead you to fall in love with the city despite it's issues. I'm not talking about the fact that it's sinking into the seas, but the Italian way of life as it was back in the day. As I think of it in my mind as women's rights, marriages, and whores oh my. Courtesans, mistresses, and illegitimate children were all par for the course in Venice. What's so fascinating though is the way Tasha writes so that there's our modern POV then there's Emily's POV, which is Victorian but constantly working to break the shackles and think more modern, and then the Venetian POV which is far more fluid and modern, but that fluidity and the resultant issues drives the plot forward. It's literally a culture clash at it's most dramatic and I couldn't put it down.
What really drove the narrative in this installment was that the secondary story instead of being journals or letters that are concurrent with our story was instead the story of Besina and her ill fated love to Nicolo Vendelino way back in 1489. At first I was prejudiced against this story because being set in Italy and the couple in question being from warring houses I was sure this would be Tasha's take on Romeo and Juliet and personally, that isn't a favorite play of mine. Yes, it's a classic, I mean, it's Shakespeare after all, but not all Shakespeare floats my boat. Oh how wrong I was to compare it to that play of the Bard's. This secondary storyline soon became my favorite part of Death in the Floating City and I had to restrain myself from jumping ahead to see how it played out. The best way I can describe the story of Besina and Nicolo is that it's like Sarah Dunant decided to write her version of Drake Carne and Morwenna Chynoweth's star-crossed romance from Poldark. Much as with the two young lovers on Poldark, my heart was continually breaking, hoping for Besina to break free and be with Nicolo. Their story is tragic and heartbreaking and achingly perfect. Because, if I'm being honest, much like how Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, sometimes perfection isn't a happily ever after.
Even though my attachment to Besina and Nicolo is the reason I lost my heart to this book I can not discount all the other awesomeness contained within the pages of Death in the Floating City. The menacing plague doctor like the "child" in the raincoat in Don't Look Now is haunting, but that's just the tip of the iceberg! There's Caterina Brexiano, the maligned medium! There's Brother Giovanni with his knowledge of books and his hunt for the truth. As for the books? Oh dear me, I swoon at the valuable books and illuminated manuscripts contained within these pages. But the vapors don't stop there. The gorgeous illuminated manuscripts contain secrets not just in their detailed artwork but on the very pages they were written. Secrets hidden in art? This is Lady Emily's version of The Da Vinci Code, but next level, because instead of being bogged down with religiosity we are on the hunt for the story of Besina and Nicolo! A love lost to history recovered! This book didn't just make me want to go to Venice, it made me want to delve back into my art history studies. Oh, I do love a good illuminated manuscript. If only they all held such secrets as the ones Tasha has dreamed up!
It should be a truth universally acknowledged that we all have in our past some frenemy. Imagine the theme song to Veronica Mars playing here... While Emily never considered Emma her friend, she was in one of those situations where friendship was forced on her and it turned sour, or shattered like her doll's face when Emma destroyed it. Whether it's similar to Emily's case or just a friend from childhood that proved themselves a complete and utter two-faced bitch, there's someone in everyone's past whom we'd rather avoid but some lingering sentimentality, AKA the sign that you are the better person, makes you willing to help if they reach out a hand. That is the situation Emily faces. While there is that deep temptation to just laugh from afar, something that social media makes so easy in this day and age, there's the other, more juicy feeling that you can prove to them that you are the better person. You hope that your help will finally awaken some kind of gratitude in them, but as is often the case, as Emily sees, they are just the same person but older. You can see them more clearly for who they are and you pity instead of hate them. But still, reaching out that hand and being the better person? Priceless.
Now here's a question I have for the floor. Hopefully you have been encouraged by Alexander Autumn to pick up one or all of Tasha's wonderful Lady Emily series and I want your expert opinion. Is this the first time that Emily's writing is shown to be definitely written from a future date for an audience? Because Emily has a throw away line about how her identification of NV would prove to be entirely inaccurate, proving this was written at a later date. Also at the same time she says "as you will see" where the you is us, meaning, definite knowledge of an audience. Now I don't have any problem with this, seeing as an author that Tasha greatly admires, Elizabeth Peters, used such devices in her Amelia Peabody series which is another series I love. In fact, there's a part of me, a part that will reference but will not spoil the ending of this book, that noticed a certain resolution that mirrors an event that takes place at the end of the sixth installment in that series, The Last Camel Died at Noon, that makes me think, Tasha did this on purpose. If she did this for that very reason, that's cunning. But also if you think about it, this is the first case that Emily and Colin take that doesn't literally land on their doorstep, so that could have been why there's a change as well... either way, I'll be waiting to see if this writing quirk happens again. Onwards to the next book!
As a child there is always that one person whom you are thrust into a relationship with because of your parents. The greatest joy of growing up is that there comes a time when you no longer have to associate with them and can relegate them to your past. Which is exactly what Emily did with Emma Callum. Emma ran off with an Italian Duke and Emily never thought of her again. Until Emma reached out for help. She had heard of Emily's success in solving crimes and is in desperate need of her assistance. Stranded in Venice Emma doesn't even speak Italian and her father-in-law Conte Barozzi has gone and gotten himself murdered and her husband Paolo is missing. If there was ever a time for Emily's help it is now. But even murder can't fully change someone and as Emma flirts with Emily's husband Colin instead of answering their questions Emily wonders if it was wise to help her old nemesis. Though Emily and her husband are professionals and they will do the job asked of them despite the hindrance of Emma. Their first clue is a ring that was found on the Conte's body and a historian is needed.
Luckily when they arrived in Venice a note was waiting at their hotel from a local scholar turned bookseller inquiring after the ring. Emily is hoping Signore Caravello can help answer a few questions as to the ring's provenance. With his magnifying glass he finds two initials next to the maker's mark, BB and NV. Because the ring was found in the possession of a Barozzi, it's assumed that this belonged to some relative. Emily, now with the help of Singnore Caravello's daughter Donata, searches for this relative and finds Besina, who lived in the 15th century. Yet their one hope of confirming her as the ring's owner is dashed when the painting that just might have shown her wearing it is vandalized. What's more the Barozzis sworn enemies, the Vendelinos, swear that the ring is theirs and has been missing for centuries. Soon Emily and Colin are juggling not just a murder, but valuable missing books, a possibly forgotten legacy, a medium whose reputation was destroyed, the Conte's probable mistress and her jealous husband, and most disturbing of all, a person dressed as a plague doctor following Emily through the canals of Venice. Yet the crucial question is, can they solve the crime in the present by finding out what happen to Besina all those years ago?
There is a plethora of books set in Venice, and the truth is the setting doesn't make the book but a well written book can make the setting, forever linking the two in your mind. Death in the Floating City perfectly fits into the pantheon of books set in Venice that were instant classics for me, from Daphne Du Maurier's Don't Look Now to Mary Robinette Kowal's Valour and Vanity to Susanna Clark's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. These are all books that show Venice as imperfect yet lead you to fall in love with the city despite it's issues. I'm not talking about the fact that it's sinking into the seas, but the Italian way of life as it was back in the day. As I think of it in my mind as women's rights, marriages, and whores oh my. Courtesans, mistresses, and illegitimate children were all par for the course in Venice. What's so fascinating though is the way Tasha writes so that there's our modern POV then there's Emily's POV, which is Victorian but constantly working to break the shackles and think more modern, and then the Venetian POV which is far more fluid and modern, but that fluidity and the resultant issues drives the plot forward. It's literally a culture clash at it's most dramatic and I couldn't put it down.
What really drove the narrative in this installment was that the secondary story instead of being journals or letters that are concurrent with our story was instead the story of Besina and her ill fated love to Nicolo Vendelino way back in 1489. At first I was prejudiced against this story because being set in Italy and the couple in question being from warring houses I was sure this would be Tasha's take on Romeo and Juliet and personally, that isn't a favorite play of mine. Yes, it's a classic, I mean, it's Shakespeare after all, but not all Shakespeare floats my boat. Oh how wrong I was to compare it to that play of the Bard's. This secondary storyline soon became my favorite part of Death in the Floating City and I had to restrain myself from jumping ahead to see how it played out. The best way I can describe the story of Besina and Nicolo is that it's like Sarah Dunant decided to write her version of Drake Carne and Morwenna Chynoweth's star-crossed romance from Poldark. Much as with the two young lovers on Poldark, my heart was continually breaking, hoping for Besina to break free and be with Nicolo. Their story is tragic and heartbreaking and achingly perfect. Because, if I'm being honest, much like how Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, sometimes perfection isn't a happily ever after.
Even though my attachment to Besina and Nicolo is the reason I lost my heart to this book I can not discount all the other awesomeness contained within the pages of Death in the Floating City. The menacing plague doctor like the "child" in the raincoat in Don't Look Now is haunting, but that's just the tip of the iceberg! There's Caterina Brexiano, the maligned medium! There's Brother Giovanni with his knowledge of books and his hunt for the truth. As for the books? Oh dear me, I swoon at the valuable books and illuminated manuscripts contained within these pages. But the vapors don't stop there. The gorgeous illuminated manuscripts contain secrets not just in their detailed artwork but on the very pages they were written. Secrets hidden in art? This is Lady Emily's version of The Da Vinci Code, but next level, because instead of being bogged down with religiosity we are on the hunt for the story of Besina and Nicolo! A love lost to history recovered! This book didn't just make me want to go to Venice, it made me want to delve back into my art history studies. Oh, I do love a good illuminated manuscript. If only they all held such secrets as the ones Tasha has dreamed up!
It should be a truth universally acknowledged that we all have in our past some frenemy. Imagine the theme song to Veronica Mars playing here... While Emily never considered Emma her friend, she was in one of those situations where friendship was forced on her and it turned sour, or shattered like her doll's face when Emma destroyed it. Whether it's similar to Emily's case or just a friend from childhood that proved themselves a complete and utter two-faced bitch, there's someone in everyone's past whom we'd rather avoid but some lingering sentimentality, AKA the sign that you are the better person, makes you willing to help if they reach out a hand. That is the situation Emily faces. While there is that deep temptation to just laugh from afar, something that social media makes so easy in this day and age, there's the other, more juicy feeling that you can prove to them that you are the better person. You hope that your help will finally awaken some kind of gratitude in them, but as is often the case, as Emily sees, they are just the same person but older. You can see them more clearly for who they are and you pity instead of hate them. But still, reaching out that hand and being the better person? Priceless.
Now here's a question I have for the floor. Hopefully you have been encouraged by Alexander Autumn to pick up one or all of Tasha's wonderful Lady Emily series and I want your expert opinion. Is this the first time that Emily's writing is shown to be definitely written from a future date for an audience? Because Emily has a throw away line about how her identification of NV would prove to be entirely inaccurate, proving this was written at a later date. Also at the same time she says "as you will see" where the you is us, meaning, definite knowledge of an audience. Now I don't have any problem with this, seeing as an author that Tasha greatly admires, Elizabeth Peters, used such devices in her Amelia Peabody series which is another series I love. In fact, there's a part of me, a part that will reference but will not spoil the ending of this book, that noticed a certain resolution that mirrors an event that takes place at the end of the sixth installment in that series, The Last Camel Died at Noon, that makes me think, Tasha did this on purpose. If she did this for that very reason, that's cunning. But also if you think about it, this is the first case that Emily and Colin take that doesn't literally land on their doorstep, so that could have been why there's a change as well... either way, I'll be waiting to see if this writing quirk happens again. Onwards to the next book!
October 23, 2012
This is the seventh book in Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily series. I’ve had the publication date marked in my calendar for months, and I was seriously excited when my pre-ordered copy arrived from Amazon. Although my favorite book in this series is still A Poisoned Season, I enjoyed this read.
Alexander plunges straight into the story without ceremony. The book begins with Emily’s examination of the dagger which was used to murder Signor Barozzi. Emily and her husband Colin have been asked to investigate this murder by the victim’s daughter-in-law Emma, a childhood rival of Emily’s who scandalized Great Britain’s society matrons by eloping to Venice with Paolo Barozzi. Paolo disappeared on the night his father was murdered, and Emma cannot provide any information as to where he might have gone or why. As Emily and Colin investigate the mystery of Barozzi’s murder together, they come across another mystery from hundreds of years ago. It seems that they must piece together the story from the past in order to help Emma, as the past and the present have become inescapably tangled.
Unlike other books in the Lady Emily series, this book moves back and forth in time. Alexander alternates chapters to describe Emily’s mystery and tell the story of Besina Barozzi from 1489. I found Besina’s chapters just as compelling as Emily’s, and they made me feel like I was reading Alexander’s take on Romeo and Juliet. My heart broke for Besina every time I learned more about her. Another way this book differs from most of the others in the series is that it is set entirely outside of England. Alexander must have spent a great deal of time in Venice, and it’s obvious she adores it. Her descriptions of the setting make me want to get on the next plane to Italy, or at least drink a tall glass of prosecco. I enjoyed the cast of characters she introduced in this book, although I dearly miss Cecile (who was introduced in the first book of the series and brought back in a few others – I adore her and miss her).
The only thing about this book that seemed absent is the sense of danger or urgency. Usually, Emily has close calls and brushes with death multiple times before she catches her criminal, but those scenes were not present in this book. When the villain was finally unmasked, I was confused. It’s nice when the culprit turns out to be someone you never expected, but for you to feel satisfied by the story’s conclusion, you really have to buy in to the motive for the crime. I didn’t find the motive Alexander offered particularly plausible.
All in all, apart from a bit of an anticlimactic ending, I enjoyed reading this. I’m interested to see where Alexander takes Emily and Colin in her next book.
Alexander plunges straight into the story without ceremony. The book begins with Emily’s examination of the dagger which was used to murder Signor Barozzi. Emily and her husband Colin have been asked to investigate this murder by the victim’s daughter-in-law Emma, a childhood rival of Emily’s who scandalized Great Britain’s society matrons by eloping to Venice with Paolo Barozzi. Paolo disappeared on the night his father was murdered, and Emma cannot provide any information as to where he might have gone or why. As Emily and Colin investigate the mystery of Barozzi’s murder together, they come across another mystery from hundreds of years ago. It seems that they must piece together the story from the past in order to help Emma, as the past and the present have become inescapably tangled.
Unlike other books in the Lady Emily series, this book moves back and forth in time. Alexander alternates chapters to describe Emily’s mystery and tell the story of Besina Barozzi from 1489. I found Besina’s chapters just as compelling as Emily’s, and they made me feel like I was reading Alexander’s take on Romeo and Juliet. My heart broke for Besina every time I learned more about her. Another way this book differs from most of the others in the series is that it is set entirely outside of England. Alexander must have spent a great deal of time in Venice, and it’s obvious she adores it. Her descriptions of the setting make me want to get on the next plane to Italy, or at least drink a tall glass of prosecco. I enjoyed the cast of characters she introduced in this book, although I dearly miss Cecile (who was introduced in the first book of the series and brought back in a few others – I adore her and miss her).
The only thing about this book that seemed absent is the sense of danger or urgency. Usually, Emily has close calls and brushes with death multiple times before she catches her criminal, but those scenes were not present in this book. When the villain was finally unmasked, I was confused. It’s nice when the culprit turns out to be someone you never expected, but for you to feel satisfied by the story’s conclusion, you really have to buy in to the motive for the crime. I didn’t find the motive Alexander offered particularly plausible.
All in all, apart from a bit of an anticlimactic ending, I enjoyed reading this. I’m interested to see where Alexander takes Emily and Colin in her next book.
March 13, 2022
Ok,I started to read this,then decided to do the audio,thought I would see if it would be more interesting plus to listen to the Italian words.. Well I have no idea but I hate to say,it was so boring ,I never thought I would say that about one of Tasha's stories.. I was crocheting,listening and I fell asleep,not only once but twice and I really,really have to tell you,I got like 6 Chapters from the end and quit,I never quit reading of listening to a story. The narration was wonderful,the way the story was told and read, it was just the whole plot!! I'm going on,I'm going to the next book,think this is 7, I so hope it's better.. It was just the whole story in itself plus it seem like Colin and Emily didn't do much in the story together.. Glad that trip and country is gone,ready to do another adventure in another country, let's take Colin and Emily back to England. There is a Christmas story with them in it,have to find out where it fits in cause I know it's not the next one and it's something about children and as far as I knew,they don't have any!!The characters in this story,her childhood friend,her husband, the people they were introduced to,not very interesting characters ...I so hate saying these things,maybe you will like it,really,don't go by me and my feelings,you read for yourself... On to the next adventure!! By the way,they did find out who killed Emma's father in law if that helps!! I did enjoy the scenery in Venice the way it was described and the historical parts were really fantastic,I did learn so much.
November 8, 2012
I anticpated really enjoying this book, since I have read all the other books in this series and I am a huge Tasha Alexander fan. Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves are one of my favorite historical fiction detective couples. I started to read this several times, and had trouble getting into it, despite its wonderfully romantic descriptions of Venice and the fact that the mystery set in the past was revealed via period letters placed in alternating chapters with the mystery set in Victorian-era Venice. I'm a sucker for old letters--must be the historian in me! I finally finished the book with the library deadline looming, and I think it was good, not great. Colin and Emily didn't really solve the mystery together; they seemed to do their own parts in different places, and their relationship when they were together seemed flat. Alexander threw them a curve at the end that will likely cause me to read the next one--hope it is a more compelling read, though.
September 29, 2013
HUZZAH! Lady Emily is finally back in good form. I used to love this series, but the last two books had made me seriously question whether I would continue to follow Lady Emily's adventures. (Her new husband was such a BORE and kept making her stop having adventures....which basically made Emily boring too!)
Luckily, in this story, Colin is off having his own adventures somewhere else for most of the time, so we get to see Lady Emily doing all sorts of crazy things! Also, unlike in other books in the series, the story in this one alternates between the Lady Emily story and another, much older, plot line. This can be tricky to pull off, but Alexander does it quite well! I actually felt very deeply interested in the secondary characters and story.
Now I just have to hope that the next book in the series also allows Lady Emily to do cool stuff without people warning her/forbidding her to do her job!
Luckily, in this story, Colin is off having his own adventures somewhere else for most of the time, so we get to see Lady Emily doing all sorts of crazy things! Also, unlike in other books in the series, the story in this one alternates between the Lady Emily story and another, much older, plot line. This can be tricky to pull off, but Alexander does it quite well! I actually felt very deeply interested in the secondary characters and story.
Now I just have to hope that the next book in the series also allows Lady Emily to do cool stuff without people warning her/forbidding her to do her job!
November 2, 2012
This is the latest book in the Lady Emily series and one of the strongest. The setting for this one is Venice, where Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves (whom I always picture as Jeremy Northam in my head) have traveled to help Emily's "frenemy" Emma, whose father-in-law has been murdered and her husband is missing. Figuring out who killed Emma's father-in-law leads to the discovery of a mystery from Venice's past. The two stories run parallel throughout the novel and then the past meets the present at the end.
One of the best features of any Lady Emily story is Alexander's research and attention to detail, which are particularly strong here. I've never been to Venice, but I feel as though I have and I learned a lot about the city's history. The ending points to intriguing ideas for then next installment.
One of the best features of any Lady Emily story is Alexander's research and attention to detail, which are particularly strong here. I've never been to Venice, but I feel as though I have and I learned a lot about the city's history. The ending points to intriguing ideas for then next installment.
March 4, 2016
(3.5 stars) This is the 7th book in the Lady Emily series. Emily and Colin head to Venice at the behest of a childhood adversary of Emily’s. Emma caused her own scandal by eloping with an Italian count, but now she is in trouble as her father-in-law is dead and her husband is missing, presumed guilty of his father’s murder. Emma is surprisingly unhelpful in her crumbling palazzo, but Emily is determined to do what she can to solve the mystery. Held in the murder victim’s hand is a ring that may hold the the key to both a century’s old ill fated romance and to the current mystery. The old story is interspersed with their time and slowly the pieces begin to fall together and it seems like ancient family feuds may have never gone away. The story is filled with the atmosphere of Venice, and the city itself is almost its own character in the book.
September 21, 2014
It's been awhile since I've read one of these, and I'd forgotten just how much I love Emily and Colin.
I do wish that Emily and Colin had shared a bit more page time as I love their relationship, but it wasn't something that really put me off.
This book contains a story within the story featuring a pair of star crossed lovers from the 1400's that connects to the 'modern day' (of the book's time period) story, and while the current time line story was gripping and intriguing, the past story of Besina and Nicolo was utterly heartbreaking. I had to put the book down and cry my eyes out by the time I got to the end of their story.
I do wish that Emily and Colin had shared a bit more page time as I love their relationship, but it wasn't something that really put me off.
This book contains a story within the story featuring a pair of star crossed lovers from the 1400's that connects to the 'modern day' (of the book's time period) story, and while the current time line story was gripping and intriguing, the past story of Besina and Nicolo was utterly heartbreaking. I had to put the book down and cry my eyes out by the time I got to the end of their story.
August 19, 2014
This was such an improvement in the series. I think Alexander did a great job with the Shakespeare allusions and the book-within-a-book conceit. Maybe it's the PMS, but I teared up a little at the end. The mystery was even decent! However, I found Colin and Emily totally blah. Just BLAH. That said, the book succeeded in spite of them.
Until the very last page. And then it was absolute shit.
Until the very last page. And then it was absolute shit.
August 27, 2015
I haven't commented on all of this series as I would be saying the same thing for them. However, for some reason this is one of my favorite ones. Perhaps it is the treatment of friendship and the revelation of more wonderful character traits of both Lady Emily and Colin.
Another outstanding reason that I enjoy Tasha Alexander's books as much as I do is her character development. These people are almost real to me! Sad, isn't it! :-)
Another outstanding reason that I enjoy Tasha Alexander's books as much as I do is her character development. These people are almost real to me! Sad, isn't it! :-)
September 12, 2015
31/2 stars...at least. I'm continuing my Lady Emily series set in Victorian England. Emily and hubby Colin are investigating the murder of a Count in Venice. There are quite a few flashbacks to an earlier romance between Nicolo and Bisina who's love is thwarted by both their families (ala Romeo and Julliet).
I enjoyed the murder mysteries (actually two murders as the story progressed) and appreciate not living in the 16th century Italy!!!!
I enjoyed the murder mysteries (actually two murders as the story progressed) and appreciate not living in the 16th century Italy!!!!
November 21, 2012
The mystery showed promise, but the murderer's motive made very little sense to me. It also seemed obvious from the coincidental introduction of a set of characters that at least one of them was involved. One larger series twist seemed cheapened by a later development, and most disappointingly of all, Colin was largely absent.
November 3, 2012
This was my first experience of this author and I did not realize that this was the 7th book in her series of the Lady Emily Mysteries. But I enjoyed it and plan to start at the beginning of the series and catch up. She was pretty descriptive of the Venice surroundings that I felt like I was there...back in the 1860's. ;)
December 20, 2012
Loved it! Been so long since I have had a good historical fiction to lose myself in, so that was very enjoyable. Loved the medieval story they brought in, despite its heartbreak. Absolutely loved the ending pages as well. :) How sweet. :)
September 1, 2014
The ending made me very happy, let's just say that.
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