This was my first Lady Emily novel and I admit I was expecting just another cozy mystery. I was, however, pleasantly surprised with a dual storyline with historical content about King Ludwig of Neuschwanstein castle in the Bavarian Alps circa 1868 and a whodunit murder taking place in 1906 with a well-developed cast of characters. A series of "accidents" is construed to be an attempted murder and motives are plausibly presented and I changed my guess more than once. There is some foreshadowing as to how the two storylines intersect and I was pleased to see everything wrapped up tidily at the end. I believe I'll go back and read some of Tasha Alexander's previous books as this one was quite unique and enjoyable.

Death by Misadventure is the 18th book in the Lady Emily Mystery. This is a dual storyline book with two very interesting storylines. The first storyline follows Lady Emily as she is invited to visit the mountain house of a friend of a friend in the Bavarian Alps. While there, the annoying husband of the hosts daughter is targeted by a series of mishaps. But, when the daughter is murdered and a snowstorm cutting off access to the nearest town, it is up to Lady Emily and her husband to solve the murder. In the other storyline, a talented young singer, Niels, becomes the close friend (and soon more) of the "Mad" King Ludwig. His time with King Ludwig is magical but Niels has responsibilities at home. There was a point in the book where I wondered how these two storylines were connected. My questions were answered at the end of the book. The author explains everything, in heartbreaking detail.

I really enjoyed this historical mystery! In the early 1900s, Lady Emily and her husband attend a house party in the Bavarian Alps. Their location is close to the castle built by King Ludwig. Chapters often switch between the house party, and earlier times when Ludwig was building his fairy-tale castle. Note: I had never heard of him, and it was interesting searching the internet and learning a bit about Ludwig and his life.

When attempts are made on a party guest's life, Emily investigates. I loved the setting, the isolated atmosphere, and the descriptions of art and passion for the arts. And I really like the main characters. I'd recommend this series.

4.0

I’m glad to have a slightly less traumatizing Lady Emily book. Her adventures themselves are not trauma-inducing, but the historical “flashbacks” are. The last audiobook I listened to (this newest book was the Kindle version for me though), I played those flashback chapters at my fastest speed ever used just so I could breeze through them for my own wellbeing.

Even though the flashback in the previous book didn’t end as tragically as I was expecting based on other books, these are all usually tragic historic events like the eruption in Pompeii, the bonfire of the vanities in Italy, witch trials in Scotland, etc., so I expected devastation. Don’t get me wrong, Ludwig II is also a tragic story and one for which we’ll never have complete answers. I did feel a little closer to the subject having been to Schloss Neuschwanstein years and years and years ago and knew its appearance how incomplete it was left. The unique thing about the King Ludwig story is that it takes place not long before the “present day“ of the story with Lady Emily and there is a tie in to the time of Lady Emily’s mystery. That’s all I’m saying.

The current mystery is how a cad who is married to the daughter of hostess of this house party in Bavaria is being targeted with potential harm potentially and nobody knows by whom or why. Unfortunately, real tragedy comes after several attempts. I don’t know what the summary tells you, but it’s not what you think.

There is a lot of back-and-forth with the investigation and annoying people who don’t know how to behave, but it was also very interesting to hear about early skiing and what life was like both in the early 20th century and the second half of the 19th century like in the stories with Ludwig.

The end is, I don’t know. Though I did give the score right away, I unfortunately didn’t write this review immediately after reading the book, which I find is always a bad idea. Now I question everything when my takeaway at the time was that it was a good book with pretty gripping storyline, even if not one with the three young triplets.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

I enjoy learning about new places, historical events and historical figures through Alexander's writing. Although I had no interest in this book's location, I understood Alexander's lenghty passages about the setting and their relevance to the story about a third way into the book. There are more likeable characters in this series of the installment than there were in the last two books. Even Lady Emily was more likeable than usual (maybe because Cecile is in this book and Colin's daughter is not).

I would have given this 5 stars if not for an implausible element of the plot committed by the murderer. Looking forward to visiting the castle that inspired this novel if I'm ever in the area thanks to Alexander's detailed writing.

Oh a castle. I do like castles. The book has 2 stories. There is the story Emily is sorting out. Then there is the older story of the King and his life with Niels. How are they related? It does take the whole book to get the full story. Why is someone shooting at the guests of the house party? Emily is busy looking for answers. Of course the weather is difficult. It is the mountains after all. The ending is a surprise I didn't see coming. How can the guests go on as if nothing happened?

I’ve loved every Lady Emily book so far, but this one just didn’t pull me in like the others. The dual timeline was distracting to me. While the secondary story that builds context for the contemporary murder mystery is interesting and serves its purpose, the relationship between the two stories is not as significant as the amount of space given to it. I wanted more of Lady Emily, more of Colin, and definitely some time with their children. While new settings are interesting, I’d love to have Emily and Colin embroiled in a home-grown mystery again.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, Netgalley, and the author Tasha Alexander for early access to this entry in a favorite series.

I do love a locked room/house mystery! This one strikes especially close to my heart as it was set in the castle that inspired my favorite Disney movie, Sleeping Beauty. Alexander has evolved from her original format into a dual narrative for a bit where the reader knows the stories are somehow interconnected. This volume I think was especially well done and heart-warming since the eras were so close together. Love Alexander’s work and the only pity is that she only publishes once a year. However with her, it’s well worth it! Definitely recommend this book and series! Love the historical notes the author adds at the end to tie in fact with fiction to entice the reader to look more into history if their curiosity is so whet.

“Death by Misadventure” finds Emily and Colin in Bavaria, at a country estate near the magnificent Neuschwanstein castle. Writer Tasha Alexander weaves together the stories of 1870s King Ludwig, who built the castle, with 1900s-era Emily, Colin, and their friends — and, of course, in the end, it all comes together. Along the way, there are sleigh rides, mysterious doings, and a murder. This is a solid addition to the series but can be read as a standalone. As with all of Alexander’s books, this one has a well-researched historical backdrop.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Death by Misadventure
by Tasha Alexander
Pub Date: Sep 24 2024

In the winter of 1906, Lady Emily and husband Colin are invited to the opulent home of Baroness Ursula von Duchtel in the Bavarian alps. Outside is a mountainous winter wonderland with a view of Mad King Ludwig’s fairy tale castle. Inside, the villa hosts a magnificent but eclectic art collection—as well as an equally eclectic collection of fellow guests, among them a musician, an art dealer, a coquette from the demi-monde, and Kaspar, the Baroness’ boorish son-in-law, whom, it begins to appear, someone wants dead.

Almost forty years earlier, Niels, a young German lord, sings to himself in the forest surrounding those same alps, capturing the attention of a not-yet-mad King Ludwig. Niels and the king become fast friends, their relationship deepening into something more as their time together stretches on. But while King Ludwig is content to live out a fantasy where their responsibilities don't matter and the outside world doesn't affect them, Niels knows that their bliss cannot last forever...

Decades later, Emily continues to investigate Kaspar's increasingly lethal “mishaps" when tragedy strikes, ensnaring the guests in a web of fear and suspicion. It’s up to Emily to sift through old secrets and motivations, some stretching far into the past, to unmask the killer.

I struggled with this book a bit. There's a dual time line throughout which was a bit ambitious in my opinion. I couldn't see the point in having two different stories although eventually the stories intersected towards the end. I think this book could have done without the time line set during 1868 that involved King Ludwig. The time line set during 1906 was where Lady Emily and her husband were guests at a villa in the Bavarian Alps. The sleuthing and clues were interesting during the 1906 timeline involving Lady Emily. The relationship among the suspects were confusing at times; I had to really focus on who was who. Otherwise, it was good to reconnect with Lady Emily and her husband, Colin. They're the main characters I liked. Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC.

This novel was a letdown compared to the previous installments of this series. The structure of this novel was one of the main issues. This novel is set in two different time periods, so just when I was getting immersed in the story I was taken out of it and thrown in a whole different story. Due to this, reading this novel was not very enjoyable. The mystery was also very predictable making the novel much less thrilling and suspenseful than it could have been. Overall, the premise of this novel was good, but the execution was flawed.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

Death by Misadventure by Tasha Alexander is another Lady Emily story set in the Bavarian Alps. While telling the story of King Ludwig and his lover Neils in one chapter and then switching to 1906 when Lady Emily and her husband Colin are invited to the lavish home of a Baroness in another, the story links the happenings in both threads. A lot of history and good characters make this story a good read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC. This is a great addition to the series. It can be read as a standalone but if you love historical fiction you will want to pick up the earlier books. Great characters and a great historical backdrop.

Thank you for allowing me to read Tasha Alexander's latest book. I loved the early books in the Lady Emily series, but I have not enjoyed them in a while. I'm tired of the parallel plots/story lines, and often feel like I'm reading the same plots just in a new setting. The main/present storyline in Death by Misadventure felt particularly tired. Also, what happened to Lady Emily's children? I appreciate being sent advanced copies, but I am done reading Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily series. (Was actually done a few books ago.)

Lady Emily and Colin go to Bavaria - and I loved it! I have enjoyed the Lady an Emily series for years and this is an excellent new installment. The snowy Bavarian setting adds much to the mood. The fact that Lady Emily is part of the higher echelon of society adds a fun layer of glamour. The mystery is a good one with the element of the characters being snowed in at a house party.

There is a dual timeline story about the king who built the famous Bavarian castle that is featured in the main Lady Emily story. This works well with the Lady Emily story and added to the book.

Personally, I can never get enough of Lady Emily and her husband, Colin, together. However, they have sufficient play together in this book without overtaking the storyline.

I believe this could be read as a stand-alone and readers already familiar with this series will especially enjoy it.

I believe that this is my favorite book by Tasha Alexander so far. Death by Misadventure had my interest from the beginning because I lived in Bavaria for several years and had visited Neuschwanstein and its environs, so I knew some of the history. I especially liked how the story of Ludwig II was entertained with that of the mystery surrounding the deaths in the central story. Again the Hargreaves, especially Emily, actively investigate Sigrid’s murder and the multiple attempts at murder of Kaspar. Of course, the reader doesn’t fully understand the connection between the two stories until close to the end of the book; but that only adds to one’s desire to finish reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Death by Misadventure and look forward to reading more books in this series by the author.

Lady Emily's latest adventure had an interesting setting: Germany, near Neuschwanstein. The mystery was solid. There were so many suspects, and I didn't figure out the guilty one. Overall, I felt the tone was quite somber.

As far as the other storyline, I found Niels too selfish to be sympathetic, and I couldn't relate to his hedonistic attitude. Maybe the second story would have worked better for me if it had centered on the circumstances surrounding Ludwig's death, especially considering this is a mystery series.

This could absolutely be read as a standalone, but fans of the series will enjoy seeing Cecile again.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the early read.

This book is an enjoyable entry in the Lady Emily series. Its 1906 and Lady Emily and Colin are visiting a newly built manor in the Bavarian Alps. It is not the most relaxing visit - one guest is threatened and another is murdered. Lady Emily and her husband Colin are investigating. Meanwhile another story line runs through the book involving mad King Ludwig and occuring years earlier.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I've read all of the Lady Emily books and was excited to read the 18th installment even though they are becoming a bit rote - Emily and her husband Colin travel to an exotic place, someone is killed, they figure out whodunit. And the last few books have included a dual POV/timeline.

This book takes us to Bavaria and the history of Mad King Ludwig, which I didn't know much about. I didn't love the introduction as it was very abrupt and actually seemed a little out of character. I also didn't enjoy the alternating chapters written in Niels' POV and honestly didn't like any of the supporting characters in either storyline. Everyone seemed like a jerk, minus Emily and Colin.

However, the book picks up about half way through and I couldn't put it down because I wanted to see if my predictions regarding the murderer were correct (they were, only partially).

Three stars.