Lethal Legend

Diana Spaulding #4

by Kathy Lynn Emerson

Diana's wedding preparations are interrupted when her fiance Ben receives an urgent plea for help from a reclusive childhood friend in the final volume of this mystery series. Working on a secretive archeological dig on Graham Somener's island off the coast of Maine, a team of men have all been poisoned. When one is murdered in a diving accident and Graham refuses to call the police, Diana and Ben fear he may have fallen under the spell of a confidence woman posing as an archeologist from the Peabody Museum. Their investigations threaten Ben’s friendship and imperil Diana’s life before the conundrum is finally solved.

Genres: Historical Mystery, Mystery

239 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

About the author

aka Kaitlyn Dunnett, Kate Emerson, Kaitlyn Gorton

Kathy Lynn Emerson began writing as a child: a newspaper for her dolls and then a rambling adventure series featuring characters from all her favorite television shows. In addition to contemporary, historical and time-travel romance (some written under the pen-name of Kaitlyn Gorton) and historical novels written as Kate Emerson, Kathy has written children's books, non-fiction, short stories, and historical mysteries. She won the Agatha award for mystery nonfiction for How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries. She also writes as Kaitlyn Dunnett.

Reviews

[Barb Radmore]

Kathy Lynn Emerson is a prolific author of a variety of series and other books. Lethal Legend is the fourth one in her Diana Spaulding series. This one takes place in 1888 off the coast of Maine. Diana is drawn to Keep Island of when her fiancé, Dr. Ben Northcote, goes there suddenly without explanation. He goes at the request of his childhood friend, Graham Somener, to care for the help that has fallen ill. He stays to determine who might be behind the illness, an illness that is actually deliberate poisoning. Archeologist Serena Dunbar is ensconced on the island to dig into some possible old settlements and a shipwreck. Her three assistants are the poisoned men, leading to the suspicion that it was a ploy to stop her work. When one of her assistants dies while diving it that seems to be most definitely directed at her dig. But the cast of suspects is small as it traffic to the island is strictly curtailed. The owner guards his privacy closely, not welcoming visitors at any time. A past issue when he worked as an architect led him to recluse himself from the outside world. It is up to Diana and Ben to solve the mystery of who wishes those on the island harm and to stop him before he strikes again.

Lethal Legend is, sadly, the last one in the Diana Spaulding series. It was a wonderful look at the past through the eyes of strong female character. Diana's take on events are definitely unique because her job as a reporter was an unusual one for a woman of the times. She is a wonderful character and it is a shame that we will not be seeing her again. It is also the setting that shines in the series. Emerson is an expert on researching the past, knowing its history and being able to write stories that draw the reader into the worlds she recreates. Luckily she has many other series for her fans to enjoy.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't imagine how the author came up with the plot of this book, as it's very far-fetched and complex. I liked the style and the characters, though, who were very real, and there's a good descriptive feel for the setting.