Behind the Shattered Glass

August 26, 2013
In Alexander’s entertaining eighth Victorian mystery (after 2012’s Death in the Floating City), the recent birth of twin sons keeps amateur sleuth Lady Emily and her husband, intelligence agent Colin Hargreaves, at Anglemore, the Hargreaves Peak District estate, where the dramatic appearance of the mortally wounded Lord Montagu, their nearest neighbor, soon leads to a murder investigation. One suspect is the victim’s cousin Matilda, who loves Montagu Manor fiercely and hopes to inherit it, but the many women the peer has seduced or compromised have reason to wish him dead as well. Emily’s narrative alternates with a chronicle of life below stairs at Anglemore, where the servants hold valuable clues. Though some elements of a romance between a titled guest and housemaid feel implausible for the era, readers will relish Alexander’s lyrical evocation of British landscapes and her gift for crafting engaging characters. Boisterous adventurer Rodney Scolfield and Emily’s hidebound mother, Lady Bromley, are especially amusing. Agent: Anne Hawkins, John Hawkins & Associates.

Bianca Amato's sophisticated British accent and haughty tone are perfect for this recent addition to the Lady Emily Victorian mystery series. Lovely and clever Lady Emily is ensconced in her beautiful manor home, Anglemore Park, with her handsome and equally clever husband, Colin, when Archibald Scolfield, the newly minted Marquess of Montagu, stumbles into their parlor and dies. The investigation that follows tracks events both above and below stairs as Emily discovers the dead Marquess has left a trail of broken hearts and engaged in some ungentlemanly behavior that has resulted in a long list of suspects. Amato convincingly portrays the characters from both the nobility and the working class with distinct accents and individual mannerisms, making each recognizable and enjoyable. A.C.P. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

March 15, 2014

Alexander's latest series entry (after Death in the Floating City) is set at Anglemore, Emily and Colin Hargreaves's ancestral home. This historical mystery mixes the investigation of their neighbor the Marquess of Montagu's murder with depictions of the life of the servants belowstairs. There's no shortage of suspects, and the lean plot is fast paced, though the characters are more one-dimensional than well developed, and the ending feels a bit rushed. Bianca Amato provides a rich and entertaining reading. VERDICT Of interest to fans of the series and of historical fiction, as well as those who enjoy Downton Abbey. ["Fans will enjoy the series return to Anglemore Park and its cast of characters," read the review of the Minotaur: St. Martin's hc, LJ 10/1/13.]--Denise Garofalo, Mount Saint Mary Coll. Lib, Newburgh, NY

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