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    The Counterfeit Heiress: A Lady Emily Mystery
    The Counterfeit Heiress: A Lady Emily Mystery
    The Counterfeit Heiress: A Lady Emily Mystery
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Counterfeit Heiress: A Lady Emily Mystery

    Written by Tasha Alexander

    Narrated by Bianca Amato

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    About this audiobook

    In Tasha Alexander's novel The Counterfeit Heiress, after an odd encounter at a grand masquerade ball, Lady Emily becomes embroiled in the murder investigation of one of the guests, a sometime actress trying to pass herself off as the mysterious heiress and world traveler Estella Lamar. Each small discovery, however, leads to more questions. Was the intended victim Miss Lamar or the imposter? And who would want either of them dead?

    As Emily and Colin try to make sense of all this, a larger puzzle begins to emerge: No one has actually seen Estella Lamar in years, since her only contact has been through letters and the occasional blurry news photograph. Is she even alive? Emily and Colin's investigation of this double mystery takes them from London to Paris, where, along with their friend Cécile, they must scour the darkest corners of the city in search of the truth.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateOct 14, 2014
    ISBN9781427244369
    Author

    Tasha Alexander

    When not reading, Tasha Alexander can be found hard at work on her next book featuring Emily Ashton.

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    Reviews for The Counterfeit Heiress

    4/5

    24 ratings9 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Creepy. Recluse prefers living in a crypt???
    • 4/5
      This is my first Tasha Alexander mystery but it definitely will not be my last. For anyone who enjoys Victorian mysteries with a wonderfully headstrong female protagonist (a la Anne Perry or Laurie R. King), you might want to take a look at the Lady Emily series. The characters are wonderful and their interactions made me smile more than once. Delightfully written, this story follows is told both from Lady Emily's point of view and, in alternating subchapters, narrative form. While there is the requisite murder to solve, the real mystery is much more complicated and urgent. The resolution is both shocking and immensely sad.This is definitely not your typical 'whodunit.' And that is a lovely thing.Recommended!
    • 4/5
      She did a good job of maintaining the suspense.
    • 3/5
      This book is another hard one for me and is a huge example of why NOT to read a series out of order, even a historical mystery series which usually can stand alone with each novel. I did enjoy the time the author took on her setting. Victorian-era Paris, the luscious balls of that time period, and all the little details of the Victorian home and elite come to very vivid life. I felt like was walking the streets with Emily and Colin as they strive to solve the murder and find Estella before it’s too late. I also liked the mystery aspect of the book. I can safely say I was kept guessing on the final fate of Estella for most of the book. The many telegrams from around the world in too short a time frame, the auburn-haired guy that seemed to be everywhere, and how Mary’s murder connected with the whole thing kept me on the edge of my seat. However, this is where I was shown pretty hard why I should have read the other books in the series before tackling this one. The book seems to be written with the assumption that the reader is familiar with the characters, their personalities, and relationships already firmly established in their minds. As I wasn't, my connection with the characters and their dilemmas were pretty vague. I almost felt like there was a curtain between me and the people in the story that I didn't enjoy at all.As a consequence, I also felt a bit disconnected from the mystery as well. The book seemed to be almost entirely made up of characters running hither and yon, checking into clues and discovering motives. And while that’s very much what SHOULD be in a murder/mystery, there was almost no other aspect to the book. It was murder/mystery and witty banter, that’s it. So as an introduction to the Lady Emily series, DO NOT read this first. Invest some time into the first few volumes first to get a feel for the characters, their connection with each other, and their motives for investigation. Even without that introduction though, I did enjoy the time spent on world-building and the very engaging mystery itself. So definitely recommended if you’re a fan of the Lady Emily mystery series, and if you’re not familiar, maybe invest in the first few and then come back to this one. It’s a good mystery by itself.Note: Book received for free from Good Reads First Reads program in exchange for honest review.
    • 4/5
      Interesting entry in a quite good series. All is not as it seems as the story unfolds. Not compelling butthe interesting characters make it worthwhile,
    • 3/5
      This should have been a lot creepier than it was and the dialogue failed in a lot of places, leaving Emily sounding like a boasting second grader at times and Colin a condescending but kindly nanny. Even though the story didn't quite meet the level of creepy it was capable of, it was still a good story and definitely not one that's been overused. Cecil's odd childhood friend grew up to be an adventuress who always appeared in the news from a different spot on the globe. Then one night at a masquerade in London, Cecile is introduced to her friend, and it's an imposter. The imposter turns up dead the next morning and everyone is off in search of a killer and, incidentally, to find the real Estelle. I'm not sure if I'll read the next one or not - it does feature Jeremy Bainbridge and he's one of my favourite characters, but the odd dynamic between Colin and Emily really threw me off. The author does include a note at the back explaining the historical connections to the creation of this plot, and I always enjoy these; I always learn a little something from each one. Perhaps if the next book is on sale...
    • 4/5
      This latest entry finds Lady Emily at a masquerade ball. Another guest seems to mistake her for someone else. There is someone costumed very similarly to Emily, but this woman is passing herself off as a reclusive heiress named Estella. She is caught out by Cecile, a friend of both Estella and Emily. The impostor is later found dead on the grounds of estate. Who was she? Why was she impersonating Estella? Who was the man who approached Emily? And - where is the real Estella? Along with her husband Colin, who handles inquiries for the Queen, friends Cecile and Jeremy, the quartet begins investigating a case that takes them from London to Paris.This was such a fun period piece! Alexander has done her research - I found the detail so interesting - from societal customs and mores, day to day living, but especially the tombs and catacombs. Bookish references (Charles Dickens) are always enjoyed by this reader.Alexander's dialogue is quick, smart and and rapier sharp between all of the main characters. The relationship between Emily and Colin is loving, but saucy!Historical mysteries are always lovely to sit down and savour. The action is slower and the solving of the puzzle more methodical. As readers we are privy to more information that our protagonists have in The Counterfeit Heiress. Estella's story unfolds in chapters alternating the investigation. Midway, I had an idea of what would be the outcome, but I was more than happy to enjoy the journey to the final pages.Definitely recommended for historical fiction fans.
    • 5/5
      This was as good as all her others. It read very smoothly. I loved the characters and look forward to many more books in this series.
    • 3/5
      Well this one was definitely weird and boring so I skimmed most of it, until I got 2/3's way through.Lady Emily; her husband, Colin; and Cecile go to a fancy dress masquerade ball given by the Duchess of Devonshire. There a woman, dressed similar to Lady Emily, introduces herself as world traveler Estella Lamar, but Cecile faces the woman and declares the woman a fraud; stating that Estella Lamar is a friend of hers, with brilliant green eyes, and much shorter than the woman impersonator.The woman flees but is later found dead having been stabbed in the neck by a red-haired assailant. The dead woman turns out to be a unsuccessful actress, but successful midwife.All the above events begin a chain of intrigue & investigation... Although Cecile has received letters from her friend for years, she has never seen her... Estella, however has kept her three houses fully staffed and her servants paid. Her solicitor, pays the bills upon demand from Estella....In alternating chapters we learn about Estella, being an odd child with a penchant for hiding in a dark cupboard in her room, with her dolls, telling them stories. When her parents both die, they leave Estella the majority of their fortune. Estella then meets a man like she has never met before and agrees to help him with his Miracle Cure business, which soon falls through. He then kidnaps Estella and in exchange for her freedom she agrees to help him pay his creditors. While in captivity, Estella reads the books brings her and thus turns the tables on her captor, making the decision that they will begin a life of traveling to far away & exotic places...As soon as Cecile, Emily, Colin, & Jeremy begin to get close to the whereabout of Estella, she sends a letter to Cecile telling her to stop looking for her, as she does not want to see her. This of course only spurs the group on, placing all in danger form the red-haired man....There was a huge twist to the ending... which made the last 1/3 of the book much more interesting than the rest.