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.

early-20th-century, murder, investigation, sleuthing, lies, historical-fiction, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, castle, friendship, family-dynamics****

I think that I'd have enjoyed this one more if I hadn't already read some of the more stellar offerings in this series. This one just wasn't of the same quality. Not lousy, just not as good. Except for the historical research and the scenic tours!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books via NetGalley.

Another murder solved by Emily and her husband Colin, this time in Bavaria.
This book was okay, with its dull timeline that eventually intersects. Emily's character is evolving into a complete know it all and that's a bit off putting. We need more of Colin to balance her out!!

Okay read, I do enjoy this series, especially the descriptors of various locales, so hope the next book is better.

A twisted tale of intrigue, betrayal and tragedy offers a welcome edition to the Lady Emily mysteries. Yet again, Tasha Alexander conveys historical research with personal storylines which blend into an expert novel.

I received a complimentary copy of the book without obligation. This review is my opinion.

This series is one of my favorite - it always feels like visiting old friends when I read (or reread) one of these books. This one wasn't my favorite - I couldn't quite get into either timeline - but any time spent with these characters is enjoyabel!

Fun story that bounces between two timelines until the final scenes. Clearly part of a series, the reader can collect the details about the relationship of the main characters without having to read an entire series but still, my appetite is whetted for a taste of the other stories! It did drag a big a the beginning but once I figured out how the stories tied together, it became better.

This latest installment of the Lady Emily mystery series finds our detective and her husband Colin trapped in a Bavarian villa during a snowstorm. Their fellow guests include more than one potential murder victim, and when one is finally killed, the husband and wife sleuths must determine who is behind this puzzling murder.

The book also features a second timeline which takes place in the same locale forty years earlier. As a fan of sculptor Elisabet Ney I particularly enjoyed seeing her brought to life here.

The plot takes many twists and turns as Emily and Colin sift through the potential suspects and motives. I was kept guessing until the end when the killer was revealed, and we learned how events of the past came to have terrible consequences in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend it to fans of historic mysteries. The snowbound alpine villa full of nervous guests provides plenty of atmosphere and colorful characters.

This was a good mystery; always enjoyable to read about the adventures of Lady Emily. I liked that the past story involved Neuschwanstein. I figured out some of the connections between the “past” story and the “present” story, but some of what I suspected was incorrect. I certainly did not predict the killer or the motive.