When one goes to Pompeii one expects to see dead bodies. The eruption of Vesuvius preserved so many people in their agonizing final moments that you go there expecting not just to see the ruins of a city but also the inhabitants of that city. Though Emily stumbles on one that's rather fresh. This body wasn't killed by ash and debris, that's for sure. Luckily Emily is rather used to this by now. The unhelpful police, the danger, the intrigue, really, it's rather a normal holiday for her all things considered. So a killer is sending her notes? That's nothing new. She has her husband and her stalwart friends old and new to back her up as she tries to catch a killer. But a murder isn't the only thing uncovered at the dig, there are secrets from Colin's past that where hidden even from him when a young woman appears claiming to be his daughter. Could this be true? Could everything Emily thought she knew about her husband be upended? Could it even jeopardize their happiness? Could Colin choose this young woman and her needs ahead of Emily's? Emily would doubt it all if it didn't all fit so perfectly together. The girl's mother, Kristiana von Lange, was an Austrian countess who also happened to work with Colin while occupying his bed. Emily and her had a contretemps and Emily won at the cost of the countess's life. This girl is the living embodiment of Kristiana but with shades of Colin. There is no doubt who she is, the only doubt is what damage she can do to Emily, the woman whom she views as responsible for her mother's death. If Emily doesn't sort out her personal life surviving a killer doesn't matter if at the end of the day she doesn't come home to Colin.

Tasha herself would acknowledge the influence of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series on her own Lady Emily series. As an ardent fan of both I love when Lady Emily's adventures hew a little closer to one Amelia Peabody and her steadfast husband Emerson might have had. Therefore In the Shadow of Vesuvius fit the bill splendidly. Oh, to go on an excavation for a holiday in the ruins of Pompeii! And to solve a murder! This is literally combining two of my favorite things, my love of art history and crime solving. Because as someone who studied art history you can never discount the value of the eruption of Vesuvius. The preservation of the catastrophe showed us our first real glimpse of life from the time period. The use of color in homes alone was magnificent. Those cold white statues that we think of when we think of the ancient world isn't at all what life was like! I will never forget visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and stumbling on the famous room they have from Pompeii. I had seen it in all my art history books and projected large in the lecture halls, and here it was! Tasha's book takes that feeling of discovery and gives you an even more intimate connection. You have that constant feeling I had of stumbling on a piece of this famous site over and over throughout the narrative as Emily delves deeper into the ruins of Pompeii. What's more, the connection you develop to each and every character means that as the series continues when we find out who are secondary characters are we rejoice as if seeing an old friend. I don't believe Ivy has graced the pages of Emily's adventures for eight volumes! And then there's the irrepressible Jeremy! Everything about this series is like being wrapped in the biggest most comfortable blanket you could imagine and being handed a mug of hot cocoa and a cookie. Lucky for us readers each year we get to experience this joy anew, and this year's coming installment doesn't disappoint either.

Not my favorite Lady Emily installment. I found the plot a little plodding. But I continue to recommend the series to people looking for a good historical mystery. Its one of my favorite series. I love the varied locations and the great cast of supporting characters.

Tasha Alexander's "In the Shadow of Vesuvius" continues the adventures of Lady Emily in Alexander’s well-received series of historical mysteries set in the early 20th Century. Book 14 in the series, the\is story brings Lady Emily, Colin, Ivy, and the rest of the regulars to Pompeii. From there, the story is split into Lady Emily’s adventures in investigating a crime in the ancient city and a captivating flashback story of a young female poet in Pompeii before the eruption of Vesuvius. The plot line moves smoothly back and forth between the two stories.

Tasha Alexandra is a wonderful writer and captures the scenes, the action and the characters all very well. But one of her gifts is to write in a formal, eloquent language that reflects the formality and education of her Lady Emily and the other characters. For example, as Lady Emily looks at some of the well preserved excavations in Pompeii, she writes: “Looking at those faces, frozen at the moment of their deaths, engulfed me in a deluge of emotion through which I could not wade.”

This book, like the others in the series, operates as a classical mystery, but also as a historical novel. I would classify it as literary historical due to the intellectual quality and the eloquence in the language.

(This was also posted on Amazon with the notation that I received a free ARC from Netgalley, but the opinions in the review were my own.

I've enjoyed Alexander's mysteries for many years, and having the latest one set among the ruins of Pompeii warms this classics lover's heart! I enjoyed how the ancient story winds its way into the more modern one, and how Alexander worked elements we all associate with the excavations into the mystery.

Beautifully written book by a great author. Well researched too. I will definitely have to read more books by this author simply because she is very talented. She makes the reader feel the story, live the story and enjoy the book.
Highly recommended!

This was the first Tasha book I read. I am now hooked and must go back and read everything she has written! She is amazing and I can not wait to see what else she writes

Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves (an intelligence gatherer for the British government) are vacationing in Pompeii with Emily's childhood friend Ivy when they turn up a dead body that has been encased in plaster like the Pompeiian bodies found on the site. The man's body is discovered to be that of an American reporter who had visited the site some months ago. When the police write it off, of course inquisitive Emily and ever-suspicious Colin want to find out who killed the man and why. Their immediate suspects are an American brother-and-sister, Benjamin and Calliope Carter and perhaps the camera-shy archaeological worker Stirling—or perhaps the handsome tour guide Mario. It certainly isn't Emily's old friend Jeremy Bainbridge, who seems enamored by Callie Carter, and surely can't be a young woman who gives a surprising introduction of herself, has a connection with the couple's past, and falls in with Emily and Colin's party.

As in the last few of these mysteries, there are alternate chapters set in AD 79, the date of the fateful eruption of Mount Vesuvius, about a character who seems to have nothing to do with the plot until the last couple of chapters. This is Kassandra, a Pompeiian slave who gains her freedom when her father buys both himself and her out of slavery. She is a talented poet whose work on an epic brings her to the attention of a suitor who courts and later marries her former mistress. The fact that Kassandra's poetry, presented at first anonymously, was well-received when scribbed as graffiti on the Pompeiian walls, was interesting at first, then the story took a really predictable turn (I wanted to shake her and yell "You stupid girl, you should have known that would happen!"), and it's only at the end that her fate ties in with the mystery of the murdered American reporter.

I also wanted to kick Colin's butt more than several times in this story. Due to something revealed a few chapters into the story, he turns into yet another male horse's ass, which is not only not like him, but it led to him treating Emily's feelings quite badly. The charm of Colin always was that he never did this sort of thing, and it's irritating that he's developed the habit now.

I did enjoy most of this except for the conclusion of Kassandra's story and Colin's behavior, as my paternal grandparents lived on the island of Ischia before they emigrated to the US and Vesuvius figured in their past. Also amused at yet another offhand reference to Elizabeth Peters' character Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson!

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

As the fourteenth book in the long running Lady Emily Mystery series, In the Shadow of Vesuvius’ characters are as fresh as ever. With its fascinating Pompeii setting, murder mystery, and story within a story, it is engrossing reading.

I have been a longtime reader of Lady Emily and Colin and greatly enjoyed this outing. A new character is introduced early in the tale, and right now I am not a fan, but I am quite interested to see how they fit in moving forward. I usually adore Colin, but I am disappointed with his actions and attitude regarding this new person, and it feels so out of character. He does make some amends in the final pages of the book, but I hope he fully redeems himself in the next book. I really enjoy Emily’s friend Jeremy and am so happy that he is featured prominently.

Author Alexander’s love of Pompeii shines through on every page, and the history is obviously faultlessly researched. The book really tells two stories – Lady Emily’s murder mystery set in 1902, and the tale of freed slave Kassandra set leading up to the fateful day Vesuvius erupted. I would rather the book focus on the murder(s) and Emily’s era, but Kassandra’s narrative is interesting, and the two threads do eventually intersect. The architectural site’s excavation team provides plenty of suspects. Each one seems to have secrets, and Emily and Colin stay busy as they weed through motives and alibis. There are enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing until the climactic end.

In the Shadow of Vesuvius is sure to please both longtime readers of the series and those new to Lady Emily’s world. I hope there many, many more adventures to read.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

I have enjoyed the Lady Emily series since the very beginning! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of #14. Tasha Alexander does not disappoint in this latest installment and as always the book is historically well researched. Love a good murder mystery, love the Victorian era, loved the book!

In the Shadow of Vesuvius, by Tasha Alexander, is the latest entry in the Lady Emily mystery series. Two story lines are set in Pompeii: one in 79 A.D centers on a young woman who dreams of being an acclaimed writer, and the other focuses on Lady Emily and her husband, Colin, who attempt to solve a mystery in 1902 Pompeii amidst a variety of family and friends.

Despite the profusion of Lady Emily books, this is the first I’ve encountered, and I can see several reasons why this series is popular. Emily and Colin are engaging, attractive characters. I suspect that there is much more complexity and character development that occurred in the previous fourteen books that preceded this one. Once again, I am sorry that I did not start this series at the beginning and read the series in order.

Alexander demonstrates clear mastery of plot development. There is plenty of twists and turns before there is resolution of the mysteries in both story lines. Second, the extent of commitment to historical research was evident throughout. Finally, I note that although there is a murder and some violence, it is described vividly, but not graphically.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love all of Tasha Alexanders books, I'm a huge fan. This one was not a disappointment. To find a recently killed man among the entombed at Vesuvius? What an incredible plot! I loved it! Thanks for the advanced read #netgalley #intheshadowofvesuvius

The book opens with a body. Emily and her husband Colin have traveled to Pompeii with their friend Ivy and they are the ones to discover that one of the bodes is from rather more recent times than nearly 1800 years ago. Their friend Jeremy also shows up as does someone from Colin's past, someone who will change the course of Emily's life.
Regular readers of the series will probably enjoy the book; we get alternating stories between Emily and a woman from before Vesuvius erupted. We also have the normal sort of mystery that you would expect from a Lady Emily story though the surprise that changes Emily's life will definitely be a sticking point for some readers (as it was for me.)

Three stories
This book came out January 7th
ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own.

In the Shadow of Vesuvius

A Lady Emily Mystery

by Tasha Alexander

St. Martin's Press

Minotaur Books
Historical Fiction , Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 07 Jan 2020


I am reviewing a copy of In the Shadow of Vesuvius through St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley:

Some bodies remained undisturbed a lot longer than others. When Lady Emily uncovers a body in plain sight among the ruins of Pompeii. In doing so Lady Emily sets a deadly chain of events in motion a deadly chain of events that ties her to a woman who told her story two thousand years ago.


Emily as well as her husband Colin Hargreaves have accompanied Emily’s friend Ivy Brandon on a trip to Pompeii when they discover a corpse and the police dismiss the murder as the work of local gangsters, Emily launches an investigation of her own. She seems to be aided by the archaeologists excavating the ruins, including a moody painter, the enigmatic site director, and a free-thinking American capable of sparring with even the Duke of Bainbridge. But each of them has secrets hiding among the ruins.


The sudden appearance of a beautiful young woman who claims a shocking relationship to the Hargreaves throws the investigation off track, having her have to face the truth about her husband’s past. It begins to come clear though that someone other than Collin wants her off the case permanently and will stop at nothing to make sure she cannot investigate. Emily resolves to solve the mystery though, but at what cost?


I give In the Shadows of Vesuvius five out of five stars!

It's 1902 and Lady Emily with her husband Colin Hargreaves are on holiday in Italy with their friends Ivy and Jeremy, the Duke of Bainbridge. The plan is to explore the ruins of Pompeii, destroyed by the eruption of Mt.Vesuvius in AD 79. While exploring, Ivy comments on the sideburns showing on one of the plaster casts, not exactly a feature of a first-century body! Upon chipping away at the plaster, Colin finds a much more recent corpse, no more than a month or two old. The police call it a local mafia crime, but when another death occurs on an archaeological dig, Colin and Emily spring into action. In the midst of their investigation, an unheralded visitor brings marital strife. Colin's previously unknown daughter, the product of an affair with his partner in espionage, now deceased, arrives in Italy. Not unexpectedly the daughter, "Kat", and Emily get off to a very rocky start, even though Emily tries her best. There is a secondary story being told as well and the narrative switches from 1902 to AD 79 and tells the story of a sixteen-year-old slave girl in Pompeii, who is also a gifted poet.

I have enjoyed all of the Lady Emily mysteries to a greater or lesser degree, and I think In the Shadow of Vesuvius is one of the best of the series. I was much more invested in the slave girl's story that I had initially expected to be. The two storylines tied together very satisfactorily in the end. It's difficult to maintain the momentum in such a long-running series, but Alexander has pulled it off again. Thanks to Minotaur and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

Fourteenth book in the Emily series another wonderful read.Historical fiction lovers should grab this series.Well written fascinating details characters locations.#netgalley#st.martinsbooks.

I do not think In the Shadow of Vesuvius was for me. I have enjoyed books by Tasha Alexander in the past but this one was not one of them. I am giving this one two stars.

Lady Emily is in Italy this time with friends on the outskirts of Pompeii. Of course, since it is Lady Emily soon there is is murder to investigate. In predictable Lady Emily fashion, she gets involved.

Lady Emily books are like old friends - they are enjoyable even if a bit predictable. I look forward to the next one and wonder where she will take the story with the introduction of a new character who just happens to be her stepdaughter.

In the Shadow of Vesuvius is the 14th book in Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily Mystery series. It's the first book I've read by this author. A little late to the party, aren't I? Amazingly, book 14 stood alone perfectly; I didn't feel the least bit lost.

Lady Emily Hargreaves and her best friend Ivy, escorted by Emily's husband Colin, are in Pompeii in 1902, visiting archaeological sites. While observing the plaster casts made of the victims of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius which occurred in 79 AD, Ivy realizes that one of the casts had sideburns. Sideburns? That wasn't right! When Colin pricks at the plaster with his pocket knife, he finds that there is a fresh body under the plaster. Emily and Colin begin to investigate the murder. In the midst of the chaos, a beautiful young woman appears, who apparently is Colin's daughter...one he didn't know he had. Juxtaposed with this story was one about a young freed Greek slave in Pompeii in the months leading up to the devastation from Mount Vesuvius.

At first I was a bit annoyed with the story going back and forth between 1902 and 79 AD. However, as things progressed, I became totally immersed in both storylines. The one about Kassandra, a young poet, was especially enthralling. I became very attached to her, and it broke my heart just knowing the horror that was coming for her and Pompeii. I also enjoyed Emily's story; it was such a great mystery, one I just could not figure out! Every time I thought I solved it, I was proven wrong. The only thing that really irritated me was the way Colin's daughter Kat treated Emily. With the connection Emily and Colin so I obviously had, I was surprised he let Kat get away with her behavior. Besides that, it was an amazing story, one that was apparently meticulously researched. I'm eager for Emily's next adventure.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Tasha Alexander brilliantly navigates between the world of Lady Emily (1902) as she and her husband and friends visit the ruins of Pompeii, and the world of a slave girl in that same city in 79 AD, the year it would be destroyed by Vesuvius.

Emily and company tour the ruins, and view the horrors of the long dead encased in plaster to show the agony of their last moments. But closer examination shows that one is not like the others, and they realize that there is a fresh body hidden among the ancient. When the murdered man is revealed to have been an American journalist, Lady Emily and crew must sift through all of the possible villains to bring justice to the dead.

The surprise appearance of a young woman claiming to be her husband's daughter adds another level of intrigue, as Colin swears he was never told of her existence. The situation is not made any better by the young woman's open hostility toward Emily, a state of which Colin appears totally unaware.

Juxtaposing the mysteries in 1902, we alternatively travel back in time to the weeks before Vesuvius destroyed the bustling city of Pompeii. Kassandra is a young Greek slave, born in the Roman city and considering herself Roman in all but ancestry. When her father is able to buy their freedom, he takes her from a life lived next to wealth and luxury to a more middle class home. But she remains friends with her former mistress, and develops a forbidden relationship with the woman's husband. Kassandra is a gifted poet, and the husband talks her into secret meetings to read her poetry to him. He promises that he will present her to all the world as the author of the poetry that is taking Pompeii by storm.

As each woman navigates the mores of her era, Tasha Alexander presents a picture that would indicate that a woman's status has changed little over the centuries. Both Lady Emily and Kassandra chafe at the restrictions placed on them by their gender, but only one will be unable to maneuver around them.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC. This is book #14 in the Lady Emily series (my mom has read them all!). This story jumps between Pompeii in AD 72 before the volcano eruption and the excavation of Pompeii in 1902. There has been a murder and Lady Emily and her husband are there to find the killer. I am not a fan of the Greeks and Romans so I struggled a bit with this book. The story was pretty good but the mystery made it better. #jan2020