Okay, I admit it – I loved the book! The writing is superb and the descriptions put you right there with the participants. I love Emily and Colin – what a strong, loving, caring, and supportive couple they are! What threw me was having to constantly stop and sound out the Russian names. Normally with unusual (to me) names, I just decide what they are going to be and call them that whether it is correct or not. For some reason, I couldn’t do that with this book – maybe it was because I was loving the book and wanted to get the names correct.

Colin Hargreaves travels all over in his role as a spy in support of the crown. Lady Emily usually stays home worrying about him and entertaining herself with solving her own mysteries. However, when he is sent to St. Petersburg, Emily also gets an invitation to visit her friend in St. Petersburg. She knows Colin won’t let her go with him, so she leaves the day after him – and sends him a missive letting him know she is on her way and letting him know that she can stay with her friend while she’s there or she can stay with him – whichever he prefers. Of course, he wants her with him!

Colin spends his days and often long into the night working on his mission while Lady Emily spends her time with her friends and attending various entertainments. Then, there is the opera. Swan Lake featuring a new ballerina in the dual role. She is flawlessly beautiful and graceful beyond compare – so – finding her dead body, covered in blood, directly after the performance is really shocking. Add a fabulous stolen Faberge Egg underneath her body and you have a real mystery on your hands.

Lady Emily has been asked to investigate the death, by a friend of the victim, because they have no confidence in the state’s investigators. The suspects and motives are legion. Is it an old love, a current love or one of the many wealthy and high-ranking men who want to be her lover? Investigating in a foreign land isn’t easy, but Lady Emily solves the case, and the perpetrator may surprise you.

I like that the chapters switch between the current time (January 1900) which is told in the first person by Lady Emily and the earlier years told from Katenka’s point of view. Seeing the friendship between Katenka and Irusya Nemetseva in those earlier years is very nice. They give you a real feel for what it must have been like in ‘the state system’ in place in Russia at the time.

There are many political undercurrents in the case and any one of them could have bearing on the case. Then, add in the delightful Sebastian Capet (from earlier books) and you have a real mystery. Who stole the egg? Is that why the dancer was murdered? Was she involved in political intrigue? Was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? You’ll just have to read the book to see.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

"I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher."

How have I missed Lady Emily? What a wonderful mystery this is! It combines two of my favorite things-historical fiction and the ballet- with a feisty intelligent heroine and a different sort of theme. Alexander makes excellent use of small details about Tsarist Russia. Lady Emily and her husband Colin work to identify the murderer of a ballerina after a performance of Swan Lake. There's so much potential here, given the changing political times, infidelity, jealousy, and so on but Emily works through it all. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC which introduced me to this very engaging series. Recommend for those who enjoy atmospheric historical mysteries. I'm looking forward to the next installment!

I was lucky enough to get a chance to read this book early from the great people at Netgalley.com. This is the 12th (!) book in the Lady Emily series.

Now, for those of you that don’t know, I danced for over 23 years (growing up, high school, college) and ballet is my secret passion. I don’t exactly have a dancer’s body anymore, but I love it so much. Last year I saw several Boston Ballet productions and fell even more in love with the Ballet (Shout out to Professor Barbara Sholes—-best ballet teacher ever). So, when I read the description of this book that Lady Emily gets entangled in the world of Swan Lake and prima ballerina’s with the great choreographer Marius Petipa.

Lady Emily joins her husband who is working in St. Petersburg Russia and entwines herself and her good friend. I enjoyed this much more because her kids are stuck back in England so they don’t factor in. As a childfree person, sometimes I get annoyed when children are mucking about. This felt like the first couple of books with Emily and Colin solving mysteries together. A prima ballerina is found murdered on the night she dances the solo in Swan Lake. Emily is tasked by a former lover of the dancer to find out what happened. People in Russia during the time don’t seem to trust the police all that much, so Emily is an impartial observer to the trials and tribulations of the Russian court and the ballerina’s who’s lives are intertwined.

Tasha Alexander is the master of weaving historical details into such a fun murder mystery. I could picture the courts, the snow, the costumes, the stages each time she described them. I’m a fan. I’ve been a fan since the beginning, and this book just continues my love for Lady Emily and Colin *swoon*.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

Tasha Alexander out shines herself with this one. Ballerinas, murder, and a ending you won't see coming. Plus all we have come to love about her characters foibles, entertainment, and tea drinking plotting sessions.

Every time I open a new Lady Emily book, I get nervous. This is such a wonderful series but outside of the cozies that I usually stick to. Will I like this book as much as the last one?

Following the pattern of the rest of the series, we get chapters following Lady Emily interspersed with chapters following a non-series character. In this case, it's a ballet dancer. More specifically, Katenka, the dancer who steps in to dance Swan Lake when the woman who was set to become the next big thing, Nemetseva, doesn't return. When she is found dead outside the theater, Lady Emily is the one who notices the Faberge egg near her body. Could it be that the notorious thief, Sebastian, is in Russia as well?

But who would want to kill a rising star? Nemetseva, like many ballerinas, has a lover who is part of the aristocracy. And she has other lovers she has left behind, but few enemies. Lady Emily is ostensibly in Russia to visit Camille but also to be near her husband as he works but she agrees to find the killer so that Nemetseva's lover can be at peace.

Oh, this was a wonderful story. I was on vacation in a beautiful place but could hardly put this book down to pay attention to the scenery. I didn't love the ending but it was an enjoyable read and I a very much looking forward to the next one.



Four stars

This book comes out October 10

WOnderfully atmospheric and gorgeously researched and emotional. One of ALexander's best.

Tasha Alexander’s Death in St. Petersburg sees Lady Emily Hargreaves and her husband Colin off to the Russian Empire. Colin’s superiors in the British government have sent him to the Russian to help them investigate anarchists and other subversives. Emily joins him to keep him company and enjoy the splendors of the city. It’s a fine plan, until she stumbles across a murdered ballerina after a performance.

Because Emily cannot resist a good crime, she starts poking around immediately. (She gets yelled at by the police more than once for sticking her nose into the case.) Her persistence is rewarded when the ballerina, Irusya’s, lover hires Emily to poke around even more. She follows her instincts and the clues to dive deeply into the world of Russian ballet (there are cameos by some of the biggest names of the era, like Mathilde Kschessinska and Pierina Lagnani).

The pieces refuse to fall together, however. Jealousy just doesn’t seem to work as a motive. Irusya’s lover and past lovers all have alibis. None of the leads go anywhere. But then things—as they usually do in Russia—get political. Anarchist and Socialist literature turns up. Irusya’s best friend, Katenka, has suspiciously subversive relatives and friends. Colin (futilely) cautions Emily to stay away from the politics, as the activists are more than willing to toss bombs and shoot people. And, as usual, Emily ignores his warnings in order to find out what happened to Irusya.

Death in St. Petersburg is the twelfth entry in the series and features several characters from past adventures (including the hilariously obnoxious Sebastian Capet). That said, I had no problem diving into the book even though I haven’t read any of the latest volumes. What I loved most about this book was the way it brings the St. Petersburg of 1900 back to life. Emily and Colin pause to converse along the Neva and Emily once chases a man through the Hermitage. I rather enjoyed this whirlwind novel set at the end of Imperial Russia’s reign, which begins as a fascinating look into high Russian culture and ends with a tense race to stop an explosive plot.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration. It will be released 10 October 2017.

I love Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily books, and this one didn't disappoint. Imperial Russia and a murdered ballerina are no match for Lady Emily's detective skills. Well written and well researched!

When Emily Hargreaves emerges from the Mariinksy Theatre, she encounters more than another frigid Russian night. Swan Lake’s prima ballerina lies broken across the snow, a spray of blood spattered across her tutu. Despite the best efforts of the police, Lady Emily manages to push her way to the front of the crime scene for a closer look. She quickly detects what the police have missed: a diamond-encrusted Faberge egg hidden beneath the body. Unfortunately, investigating a death in a foreign country is not part of Lady Emily’s duties as the wife of Colin Hargreaves, a dashing undercover officer who is in St. Petersburg at the Queen’s behest. But as is usually the case—at least when it comes to investigating murders—luck is on her side. The next day a handsome prince presents himself at Emily’s hotel and begs her to uncover the truth on his behalf.

Finding out just what the truth is proves to be as challenging as ever for Lady Emily. Is the culprit one of Irusya Nemetseva’s many admirers, not a few of whom are important, wealthy men? Or is the killer an old love, one who grew up in far different circumstances and whose ideas have become increasingly radical? Or could the motive be ambition, not thwarted passion? Katenka Petrovna is Nemetseva’s oldest friend, but there is no denying that the ballerina’s demise thrust her into the spotlight. Instead of watching in the wings as an understudy, Katenka steps into her friend’s place as the dance company’s rising star. And these are only the principals. As Lady Emily pursues the investigation, she realizes St. Petersburg has more than its share of possible suspects. Accompanied by her friend Cecile, she meets revolutionaries and dancers, the Tsar and Tsarina, and even the thief Sebastian Capet, who still doesn’t consider her marriage an obstacle to their love. There is one person Lady Emily can’t seem to locate, however—the ghostly ballerina who has begun appearing throughout the city, disappearing into thin air and leaving only a red scarf behind.

I crave Victorian mysteries on a regular basis and this one hit the spot. The smart, intrepid Emily is appealing as ever, as is Alexander’s tale of murder, ballet and Russian mayhem. The chapters alternate between Katenka’s point of view in the late 1890s and Lady Emily’s in 1900, which kept the pacing brisk and the mystery engaging. I especially liked Katenka’s chapters, which gave me a glimpse into a dancer’s life in Imperial Russia, as well as some interesting background on the political turmoil brewing at the turn of the century. At one point, Lady Emily says Russia has grabbed a piece of her soul and I can say the same for myself. Reading this novel brought back memories of my own trip to St. Petersburg many years ago. Though it’s founded on “tears and corpses,” the city possesses much beauty and an almost fairy-tale like quality (in the Grimm sense of the word, not the Disney). Alexander captures this setting quite well and the writing itself is crisply entertaining. My only disappointment with the book was with the denouement, which left me feeling slightly unsatisfied. However, my unease wasn’t enough to seriously mar my enjoyment of the novel. If you’re a fan of the series—or of Elizabeth Peters and Deanna Raybourn—"Death in St. Petersburg" will no doubt appeal to you. If you haven’t read Tasha Alexander and you’re in the mood for a bit of armchair time travel, I recommend the book as well.

Much thanks to St. Martin's and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Mysteries have a way of finding Lady Emily Hardgraves no matter what glittering city of Victorian Europe she finds herself. When she steps out of the warm ballet onto the snowy streets of St. Petersburg, she finds herself face to face with a murdered ballet star and a new purpose for her otherwise pleasure trip to Russia. She must find the dancer's murderer.

In Death in St. Petersburg, the twelfth book in the Lady Emily Mysteries series, Emily investigates amid a Czarist Russia that has begun to boil with the rebellious ideas that will soon topple the monarchy. Emily crunches through ice to interview ballerinas, revolutionaries and, of course, to stop at a cafe and have coffee with a Prince.

Her entourage stays on hand to help as always. Her dashing husband Colin lends emotional support while he reminds preoccupied with his own work at the Queen's request. Her friend Cecile helps too, when not busy sipping champagne. Sebastian Capet (from A Poisoned Season) makes his appearances, declaring his love and his latest thefts.

Having read four of the previous Lady Emily mysterious and absolutely adoring them, I was so excited by the chance to read Death In St. Petersburg. Tasha Alexander does not disappoint. Her smooth writing helps her readers sink deep into her comfortable mysterious set in the opulent word that Lady Emily inhabits. I was surprised by some of the back story that developed in between this book and ones I read in the past (Lady Emily has children now), but otherwise, my skipping about seven books has done nothing to significantly alter Emily, Colin, and the cast. I also love the history of Russia and ballet that Alexander weaves into the story that makes reading both enjoyable and educational.

Recommendation: If you love the Lady Emily series, you need to read Death in St. Petersburg. If you haven't read the Lady Emily series, you should.

I received this book from the publisher to write this review. This book comes out on October 10, 2017.

This is a rare misfire for Alexander. All the plot elements sound great, but she somehow fails to execute on their promise. The writing is cloying and somewhat insipid. Still, loyal fans will probably be willing to overlook this sloppy entry into the Lady Emily series.

In this installment in the Lady Emily Series, a ballerina is murdered. Colin is on assignment in Russia, so Emily uses her time there to investigate the murder. Emily has quite the adventure while on her quest to find the murderer.

Thiis was a good addition to the Lady Emily series. I enjoyed being back in the world of Emily and Colin, and thought the mystery in this one was made a very interesting storyline.

This Lady Emily book wa a stunner! I was totally surprised by the killer and the motive for it. The setting of turn of the 19th century St. Petersburg was amazing. The reader is transported into the gilded lives of the Russian Aristocracy as well as the beautiful and competitive world of the ballet.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. I've been excited to read the latest installment in the Lady Emily series when I saw it took place in St. Petersburg, Russia. I was so happy that the title did not disappoint! Lady Emily finds herself in St. Petersburg after following her husband who is on assignment. Cecile is along for the visit and the group finds themselves attending the Swan Lake where Irina Semenova Nemetseva made her debut as Odette and Odile. During the third act, her understudy abruptly stepped in to the role and preformed admirably. While leaving the theater, Emily and the crowd discover Nemetseva in the snow in a pool of blood. Who killed her and why is cleverly done and kept me guessing throughout. As in previous books, chapters alternate between current day and the past with the past chapters focusing on Nemetseva and her friend Ekaterina Petrovna Sokolova (Katenka) during their years attending ballet school and after their graduation when they joined the Mariinsky Theatre. I loved these chapters because they gave glimpses of life as a ballerina and what it was like in St. Petersburg during a very turbulent time that would eventually end in Revolution. Emily and Cecile follow various leads that introduce them to a series of suspects including revolutionaries, other ballerinas, and even members of the aristocracy. Add in the ghost of Nemetseva making appearances throughout St. Petersberg, and the presence of Sebastian Capet, and ending that most readers won't see coming, and you have a wonderful book that you won't be able to put down.

An exciting and ingenious story set in Imperial Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. With an aristocratic heroine and husband as the central characters this will be loved by those who read stories by Robin Paige and Elizabeth Peters. I am delighted to find this author and will be reading as many as I can find.