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I don’t know where historical mysteries have been all my life, but they are quickly becoming my favorite genre—and now I’ve found a new favorite sleuth, Lady Emily Hargreaves, in author Tasha Alexander’s Dangerous to Know.
After nearly dying from a gunshot wound to the stomach that terminated her pregnancy, Lady Emily tries to recuperate and enjoy some quiet time at her mother-in-law’s home in Normandy. But her peace doesn’t last long. While out horseback riding, she stumbles across a female body—a corpse that mimics those left by Jack the Ripper across the pond in London.
While pursuing clues, Lady Emily discovers that the deceased woman had spent time in a mental institution. And no one in her eccentric family seems to care about her—except for her brooding brother, who acts a bit shady.
The deeper Lady Emily gets into the case, the more she begins to wonder if she’s losing her own sanity. At a crumbling chateau, she hears a child crying who, later, leaves blue ribbons in her wake—but Lady Emily can’t seem to find the child.
Dealing with her mother-in-law’s dislike and her husband’s threats to pull her off the case, Lady Emily fights to bring the young mental patient’s killer to justice. However, matching wits with a brilliant murderer might just be the end of her.
Dangerous to Know has the right combination of mystery and romance, along with a smidgen of the uncanny. In fact, it actually gave me chills a few times.
Lady Emily lives in a time when women were expected to marry and have babies, not traipse around the countryside chasing killers. She defies convention, yet she does it in such a way that you don’t end up hating her. She’s a down-to-earth, believable character, with a quiet strength that will make you root for her.
Written with wit and a sense of style, Dangerous to Know will keep you enthralled and puzzled for hours. Ms. Alexander will draw you into a world where the language and customs will make you grin, even as the mystery sends chills down your backbone. And she fills the story with plenty of suspects, along with a few eerie characters that add zing to this superb mystery.
I exceedingly recommend Dangerous to Know. Give it a try; you’ll be glad you did.
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