Another knock out in the Lady Emily series by Tasha Alexander! She does an excellent job of combining history and mystery and creating a great story!

Each time reading a Lady Emily mystery is like reading about an old friend. While the stores can be somewhat predictable at times, I like the ontinuing character development. I would recommend these to someone looking for a series set in Victorian England.

I have always loved Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily mysteries, and this one did not disappoint. It was fun to revisit my favorite characters Emily and Colin. The mystery was compelling and I look forward to more!

If 13 is an unlucky number, then this Lady Emily mystery has broken the jinx. Set in late Victorian London, Queen Victoria’s death sends the Empire into deep mourning and Lady Emily and her husband Colin on an investigation of a murder in the Tower of London mimicking the murder of medieval king Henry VI. As usual, Alexander, the Mistress of Victorian Historical Mystery, has written a beautifully complex, tense, twisty, historically accurate detective mystery set in Victorian times that will thrill her faithful readers and win over newbies.

One of my favorite books of 2018.

The Hargreaves and murder--always a heady mix!

Once again intrigue and history go hand in hand. Colin Hargreaves receives a deathbed command and a mysterious letter from dying queen Victoria. A series of brutally staged murders begin to appear posed as dead kings.
The puzzle seems to revolve around two stories separated by hundreds of years.
The only commonality is that of the posed Kings. The fear is that this is all a threatening guidepost targeting the new king, Edward VII. A teaser indeed!
The outcome is fittingly resolved with determined Lady Emily and the gorgeous Colin turning up trumps.
I do so enjoy this couple and their crime solving abilities.

A NetGalley ARC

With her dying breath, Queen Victoria asks Colin Hargreaves to be a protector to the crown. This becomes very important when it seems that a serial killer may be after the new king; bodies are turning up all over London dressed as dead kings. It seems fairly obvious. And Colin and Lady Emily, along with her friend Jeremy are on the case.
The "historical" story interwoven with the "current day" story is stronger than the last couple of books but the ties between the two seems a bit weak. An okay addition to the series but not my favorite.

Three stars
This book came out October 30
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and the publisher

I have read and enjoyed Alexander’s Lady Emily Mystery series since its inception, and I looked forward to reading UNEASY LIES THE CROWN. I must say that it is my least favorite of the series.

Don’t get me wrong, the portion of the book that takes place right after the death of Queen Victoria is up to snuff. Colin must decipher the Queen’s final message to him leading him on a scavenger hunt for answers. At the same time, someone is killing “less than perfect” men and publically posing them as dead kings. Is it a personal vendetta or a warning to the new king? The most recent books in the series have included alternating stories and perspectives, and this secondary plot about Colin’s distant relatives is where the problem lies. These bits are very short, rather boring, and have no correlation to the 1901 main plot until the very end. In my opinion, it is unnecessary filler.

Lady Emily comes across haughty and arrogantly aristocratic within these pages. I prefer the kinder, somewhat gentler Lady Emily of yore. As always, the banter between Colin and Lady Emily is delightful, and their relationship is my favorite part of the book. It is nice to learn a bit more about their children and wonderful to see the return of Lady Emily’s friend Jeremy. On the surface, he is such a rake, but I think he is much deeper than he acts. I cannot help but adore him. Readers are also introduced to a new character, a police officer who I hope we see more of in future installments.

UNEASY LIES THE CROWN is enjoyable despite its flaws, and longtime fans of the series should not hesitate to read it. It is good, just not great.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.

I've enjoyed every Tasha Alexander book I've read, and this one may well be my favorite. I love how she weaves the historical facts within the stories so brilliantly. Her writing is flawless, and her characters are terrific. I can't recommend her books highly enough.

The Queen is dead, long live Bertie? No matter how indomitable Emily thought the Queen or how hard the Queen fought against the inevitable by keeping her son out of politics, somehow Emily has to grasp the fact that Bertie is Bertie no more but Edward VII. But that is the least of Emily's worries at the moment and scandalizing her mother at the Queen's funeral is the one bright spot in her day. Colin was called away from the funeral luncheon to the Tower of London due to a murder and Emily, as is her wont, followed. A body had been found in the room where Henry VI was murdered. The dead man staged to look like the long dead king with a sword run through him and the costume to match. Colin thinks this is a threat to the new king and that the king's mother new it was coming. On her deathbed Queen Victoria gave Colin a letter with instructions, the last she would give him: Une sanz pluis. Sapere aude. "One and no more. Dare to know." He didn't even show Emily the note until after what they found in the Tower. Colin didn't want to betray the Queen's trust. But with the Queen dead and her son possibly in danger he knows he needs Emily's help.

There has also been another letter. And as much as Emily loves the idea of the Queen sending her husband mail from beyond the grave Colin assures Emily this isn't the case as neither note was written in the Queen's hand. The second note contained a map of the Tower of London and the drawing of a medieval lance. Was this note hinting at the murder? Is it a clue to another murder yet to come? When the body of a second victim turns up in Berkley Square murdered in the manner of Edward II, poker and all, it is clear that someone is sending a message, only Colin and Emily don't agree what that message is. Colin is convinced it is a clear and present danger to Bertie, while the more Emily digs into the lives of the victims themselves and not the way they were murdered she sees an entirely different picture. She thinks they are revenge killings. The first victim beat his wife, the second victim was a pimp who killed one of his girls who happened to have known the first victim's wife. All the couple know is that thanks to a local costume shop there are at least two more murders to come. Yet Colin's notes seem to have less and less to do with the murders and more to do with Henry V... could they be dealing with two disparate cases? And is Bertie even in danger?

There are as many different types of authors as there are book genres. There are the decent authors, you can enjoy their work but will probably never pick up another one of theirs. There are the bad authors, those whose books you want to fling across the room and are consumed by rage as you force yourself to finish. There are the really bad authors who make you so depressed you never want to read again and end up in the land of book melancholia. On the other end of the spectrum you have the good authors, the ones who you will always seek out their new book and make sure to read everything they have ever written. But then there is the rarest category of all, the great writers. Writers who you not only want to devour every word they have ever written but who inspire you. They make you want to read everything. They make you curious to know more. They make you have a voracious appetite that will never be satisfied to read and read. They open the world to you and you dive right in. I have always considered Tasha a good writer, but over her last few volumes, starting around The Adventuress and A Terrible Beauty I started to notice a shift. Tasha was bound for greatness and she has confirmed this with Uneasy Lies the Crown.

This volume just spoke to me on so many levels, but in particular I really connected to the glimpse of Colin's family history and how it connected to Henry V and Agincourt. I was so connected to Cecily Hargrave and her husband William that anyone that stood in their way I wanted to psychically harm. Especially the mean girl Cecily was staying with while her husband was off fighting in France. Right here, this shows Tasha's greatness. Not just in creating characters I love but in bringing history to life. My British history is pretty sketchy prior to the Wars of the Roses. It just happened that in undergrad the way they structured the British History classes meant that the first class was the Wars of the Roses up to the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and then the Glorious Revolution up to the present day, but my teacher was sick a lot so we only got to the Boer War. What I knew about medieval England was what I gleaned from Art History and my own personal studies. Therefore this little slice of medieval life had me wanting to read anything I could on Henry V. I wanted to pull down all my Philippa Gregory books and go on a binge. Then I wanted to watch all the miniseries I could, from adaptations of The White Queen to watching Edward the King with Timothy West. I wanted to take everything British and ingest it via osmosis. I haven't felt this invigorated as a reader in years.

But for how British I feel there is one thing I will NEVER get about England, and that is their obsession with controlling France. In fact when did they finally stop calling the British Monarch the King/Queen of England and France? I think I have some studying to do on that... Trying to see this ongoing conflict from the English point of view you can see, they're a tiny island, they want all the land they can get, how else do you think they became an empire? But from the logical point of view, France is a different country just leave them alone. Back to the British POV, yes, they did control many countries in their Empire... but I just don't get it. I guess my thinking is just too modern. A country should be it's own thing. They can have connections and allegiances, but they shouldn't be controlled or governed by any outside force. I believe in autonomy. This is oddly still very relevant as England and Spain have just started negotiations about Gibraltar. And here's my opinion on that, why they hell does England even still have Gibraltar? That's just crazy. Gibraltar should either be it's own entity or part of Spain. I don't get that there should be any confusion over this. But then England has been holding onto the Falkland Islands forever with an iron grip. And this folks is why I never play Risk. I don't want world domination.

Though we are here in the waning days of the British Empire and their world domination in that we are no longer in the Victorian Age, we are now in the Edwardian Era. An era that captured the heart of us Americans because of Upstairs, Downstairs, as well as other PBS shows from the aforementioned Edward the King to the spin off series featuring Francesca Annis as Lillie Langtry, Lillie, and even The Duchess of Duke Street. Americans, me included, became enamored with this era. But what I am most excited about currently is what this means for Emily. Queen Victoria, despite being a woman in power didn't believe in women having power. The most powerful hypocrite in the land, that's our Vicky! So while a man may be in charge of the country we are moving towards women's suffrage, we are moving towards more equality, we are moving towards Emily possibly being on more of an even footing with her husband as an agent of the crown in her own right. Possibly. What I love about Colin is while his work and society have never viewed his wife as his equal when it comes to his work, he has never taken that stance. He's always let Emily accompany him wherever his case might lead, from palaces to slums. But now with Bertie in charge? Those like this book's loathsome chauvinist Gale of Scotland Yard might have to eat their hat.

Yet for me, personally, such loyalty to a monarch is a little baffling. I think this has a lot to do with my disillusionment living in the United States at this moment in history. The whole "Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'" Yeah, that's not me. Yet it is Colin. The journey Colin takes through this narrative is fascinating. He was very devoted to Queen Victoria and has never had much of a favorable option of Bertie. But Bertie lived the life he was allowed to have so he will obviously be undergoing a seismic shift with the changing of the guard. Seeing him wonder if he even wants to stick around and continue as an agent of the crown is an interesting crisis of faith. Especially if Gale of Scotland Yard is in the mix. Comparing this crisis to his ancestor William who was a literal knight in shining armor on the battlefields of France is interesting. There's a connection down through the generations that doesn't just show the family's loyalty to the crown, but the chivalric instincts that make Colin such a good man and make him want to make his country, his world a better place. Colin is literally a modern day night. And you know what the thing is? We might all dream of a better world, a happily ever after with the person of our dreams, but the world, at this moment, needs men and women like Colin. Where's the armor when you need it?

Alexander's latest novel is a fast-moving thriller, as the death of Queen Victoria sets the stage for both a series of regicide related murders as well as a personal and historical mystery. I enjoyed how Alexander incorporated the historical sections throughout the book, and though they seemed to have little to do with the main plot in the beginning, they began to twist together as the plot grew thicker with revelations.

Tasha Alexander has done it again. Even after this many Lady Emily mysteries, each book is amazingly written, complicatedly plotted and completely absorbing. I absolutely love that there is still an interesting romance between Emily and Colin and the loving family atmosphere. The mystery was intriguing and kept me guessing until the end. There is also another story line that moves along with the usual mystery, one of a knight and his wife. I also really enjoyed that and it mixed well into the story. Overall, I am very happy with this and hope that Tasha Alexander keeps writing Lady Emily books.

If you enjoy a good mystery, then you are going to love this book! Lady Emily is helping her husband solve the murders of four men, all posed to look like monarchs from English history.
As the mystery deepens, Lady Emily feels as though there is something being overlooked.. but the end result could not surprise you more!

I absolutely LOVED this book! It is not a fast paced read, but a little more slow and engaging. I didn't feel as though I had to speed read to figure out what was going to happen next. I simply let the characters guide me through the pages as we adventured through.

Fabulous and easy read for a weekend!

Lady Emily and her always-described-as-dashing husband Colin are back for another adventure. We are just at the beginning of the new century in 1901 and have just witnessed the passing of Queen Victoria after her astonishingly long reign. Her son Bertie is now king and Colin as always is in service to the crown on various special projects and challenges.

Before she dies, Victoria passes on to Colin a cryptic message. Shortly after, a murdered body is found at the Tower of London, carefully costumed and arranged in an almost theatrical tableau. More murders follow and Colin and Lady Emily have to figure out the connection between the victims, and more importantly, whether the murderer is targeting the new king.

Interspersed with these chapters are another tale -- dating back to the Hundred Years' War between England and France, and the life of a devout lady and her loving husband, who is a knight attending King Henry V.

This case takes Emily, as usual, into territory not often inhabited by ladies of her class, including brothels, industrial sweatshops, and the seamier parts of London inhabited by street gangs.

Fans of historical mysteries who enjoy a fierce and intelligent heroine and appreciate great repartee between the heroine and her husband will enjoy Lady Emily's latest adventure. Thanks to Net Galley and to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tasha Alexander readers will be delighted with yet another mystery in the Lady Emily series. Engrossing and thrilling, I couldn't put the book down and devoured every page in Uneasy Lies the Crown!

Not my favorite story. I like Lady Emily and enjoyed the previous book where she told two stories; one current and one from the past. They did a good job of putting the two stories together. This time I did not enjoy the past and found that it really slowed the story down. Lady Emily is looking for a killer and Colin is trying to solve a puzzle. That puzzle is the reason for the story set in the past. I liked the current mystery and skimmed the past story. There was a connection but it just did not catch me and as a result this is the first time a book form this series gets only 3 stars.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Intrigue and romance, continuation of Lady Emily and Colin Hargrave series. 2 stories in one. Great saga

A bizarre death scene straight out of a Shakespeare play, a mysterious note from a dying queen, and Lady Emily is off on her next investigative adventure. I enjoy the devotion to the late Victorian era settings, attention to detail for cultural and social setting of the time, and the obscure mysteries that aren’t always easy to figure out in this series. But, that said, this installment left me rather disappointed.

Uneasy Lies the Crown is book thirteen in the Lady Emily series. It wouldn’t be a problem to read it out of turn or standalone, but be warned that the personal lives of the recurring characters have developed through the course of the series.

All right… what to say… in truth, this was not a good showing in the series. In fact, I’m starting to wonder if I should even continue the series because of things that keep cropping up in the last three or four books. Before that, I would claim to be a solid fan and in love with everything I was reading, but now it’s nearly the opposite.

While I am still very much impressed with the author’s careful attention to historical detail and facts and social issues in both the time lines she chose to write and her lavish way of painting these details into her story are incredibly well done, I am finding myself less and less enamored with Lady Emily herself and with the actual mysteries.

Emily has become downright smug and autocratic. She knows best and she will have her way. I’m not sure if it is the author’s attempt to portray a confident woman in her thirties, or if Alexander is feeling the fervor of feminism and instilling it in her character when I thought Emily was already a woman ahead of her time all along with her thinking and interests. Either are worthy and I’m all for it, but not at the expense of overbalancing into an unlikable person I wanted to kick in the seat of her skirts every time she opened her mouth.

She bossed around her husband who couldn’t solve even a little puzzle without her nagging at him repeatedly (yes, I do mean nagging) or analyze obvious facts uncovered (where was my trained, skilled, intelligent Colin who has always been Emily’s equal in this one?). She bossed around poor Jeremy and blackmailed him into taking her into stupidly dangerous situations (when there was no real emergency) by insisting that if he didn’t drive her now she was going alone and wouldn’t he feel bad about that because she was too impatient (and self-important) to wait for safe back-up. She bulldozed her way into the lives of several poor people and told them how they were screwing up their lives after less than a minute of their acquaintance and insisted they owed her personal details like some busy body rich matron.

Yeah, I just shook my head through most of this. Emily was never like this until recent books in the series. I think the final straw was sensing an attempt to turn her into someone she’s not. I thought it was my imagination that she was starting to act like Elizabeth Peter’s heroine, Amelia Peabody, until there was an actual mention of Emily’s fascination for her and attempt to go about poking and prodding people with a parasol. As far as I’m concerned, this alteration is a grave mistake. Amelia is Amelia and Emily is…not. Emily was fine and fascinating just the way she was from the beginning.

But, it wasn’t just Emily’s character lobotomy. The mystery just wasn’t that engaging. I felt it really suffered when it was broken up every few pages by a story from the time of King Henry the Fifth in the fourteenth century. It says a lot that I was more interested in the story of Colin’s ancestors who were the focus of the older story than the current mystery and that story wasn’t that suspenseful. It felt so loose and flighty. I was well ahead all along figuring it out and was pushing myself to stay interested.

I look back on this book and wonder what I just read. The historical backdrop was fabulous, the mystery barely showed up and the characters, with the exception of Jeremy ,were not themselves. I’m sad because I think I’m done and this was a beloved series I anticipated each new release. I can still highly recommend most of the earlier books in the series to historical mystery fans.

This is the first book I have read in the Lady Emily series and I have to say I want to go back and read more. A strong historical mystery that had me totally enthralled with the characters and the investigation. 1901 England and right before the death of Queen Victoria, Colin, Lady Emily's husband receives a enigmatic message from the Queen. With her son Prince "Bertie" soon to be crowned, a series of murders begin to take place. The victims are dressed up as previous kings and the worry is it is meant for the new King.
The dialogue and the author's indepth knowledge of this time in history is evident with real characters of the time woven into the suspenseful events. There was a parallel story intertwined with this one concerning Colin's ancestors which was interesting on it's own.
As Emily and Colin try to find the killer, they go into the underground of the city and are subjected to a lot of miscreants but cannot get the clues to add up.
There is so much to this story with several twist and turns that will keep you turning the pages to see if they can find the killer and determine what the real meaning of all the deaths could be. An excellent mystery!

This is the 13th in this wonderful series and easily earned five stars from this reader/fan. I have always been drawn to historical mysteries so I was hooked from book one. If you enjoy the Amelia Peabody mysteries then you will enjoy the Lady Emily mysteries. While this one can be read as a stand alone and the alternating chapters from the 1400's can be skimmed over a bit, I would advise that treat yourself and start at the beginning of the series. But, if this is your introduction the Lady Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves, you are in for a great read.
We start out in 1901, with Colin being summoned to Queen Victoria's bedchamber where she gives him a sealed envelope and requests his help. It contains a very cryptic message, indeed. He must, of course, tell no one about it. Five days later she dies and Colin and Emily attend the state funeral. Soon after, at the luncheon gathering, word comes to Colin that he is needed back in London - the has been a murder in the Tower of London. Of course, Emily accompanies him despite the fact that he wants her to stay out of the investigation. No chance of that, ever and he knows it. They are a very good sleuthing couple.
There are more than a few threads to follow and more than a few bodies, as well. Who is murdering and staging bodies to replicate the deaths of previous British rulers and why? Is it going to prove to be a danger to the new King? The detective from Scotland Yard has his own ideas and he wants Emily to stay out of the case. She has her own ideas about the murders and they lead her into both the highest of London society and to the slums. Lords and Ladies and ladies of the evening. Add British royal history and you have a very dense and intriguing mystery. Rich with period detail and well developed characters, the Lady Emily series is one of my must reads when I want to read a historical mystery.

Another clever and satisfying Lady Emily mystery -- not the strongest in the series, but sure to please the sleuth's many fans.