Behind the Shattered Glass was my first experience with Tasha Alexander’s delightful Lady Emily mystery series, so when I received the opportunity to read The Adventuress, Lady Emily’s newest adventure, I was very excited because I love stories set in the Victorian era, and I love mysteries.

In The Adventuress, Lady Emily and her husband Colin find themselves on the Cote D’Azure as the guests of the Wells family, whose daughter is engaged to Emily’s childhood friend the Duke of Bainbridge. As the story begins, the celebration is disrupted by the discovery of a body; a member of the party has been found dead. His death is ruled a suicide, but Lady Emily is suspicious of this; why would a chap who seemed generally happy with life choose to kill himself in his friend the duke’s room?

The story alternates between Lady Emily’s first person account of the extended engagement party and her investigation into the murder, and the third person flashbacks featuring Bainbridge’s fiancee’s entry into proper Society. Amity Wells is an American- a ridiculously wealthy American- and her parents have come up with the strategy to introduce Amity to expat communities in India and Egypt before launching her on the London scene. Amity is bold, and she is determined. She knows what she wants, and when she sets her sights on the Duke of Bainbridge, she is determined to be his duchess.

Back in the present day on the Riviera, as Lady Emily begins her investigation, it seems clear that someone is determined to make the rest of the party believe that she is a threat to Bainbridge and Amity’s happy union; that he still holds a tendresse for Emily, and that she is encouraging his affection. Who could be behind these insidious manipulations?

I absolutely loved The Adventuress. It’s full of historical details, and I found the mystery component to be especially satisfying. There are plenty of possible suspects, and Alexander takes her time with the big reveal. I would recommend The Adventuress to fans of historical fiction and mysteries. As a relative newcomer to the Lady Emily series, I appreciate being able to read the books out of order. I do certainly plan on reading the other books in the series. I’m definitely hooked on Lady Emily’s adventures, and am happy that I have a back catalog to keep me busy while waiting for the next adventure!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for a fair/honest review.