Death in St. Petersburg A Lady Emily mystery

Tasha Alexander, 1969-

Book - 2017

"After the final curtain of Swan Lake, an animated crowd exits the Mariinsky theatre brimming with excitement from the night's performance. But outside the scene is somber. A ballerina's body lies face down in the snow, blood splattered like rose petals over the costume of the Swan Queen. The crowd is silenced by a single cry-- "Nemetseva is dead!" Amongst the theatergoers is Lady Emily, accompanying her dashing husband Colin in Russia on assignment from the Crown. But it soon becomes clear that Colin isn't the only one with work to do. When the dead ballerina's aristocratic lover comes begging for justice, Emily must apply her own set of skills to discover the rising star's murderer. Her investigatio...n takes her on a dance across the stage of Tsarist Russia, from the opulence of the Winter Palace, to the modest flats of ex-ballerinas and the locked attics of political radicals. A mysterious dancer in white follows closely behind, making waves through St. Petersburg with her surprise performances and trail of red scarves. Is it the sweet Katenka, Nemetseva's childhood friend and favorite rival? The ghost of the murdered étoile herself? Or, something even more sinister?" -- provided by publisher.

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Subjects
Genres
Historical fiction
Mystery fiction
Detective and mystery fiction
Published
New York : Minotaur Books 2017.
Language
English
Main Author
Tasha Alexander, 1969- (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
288 pages ; 23 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN
9781250058287
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

This twelfth in the Lady Emily Ashton series features St. Petersburg's famed Marinsky Theatre ballet. One evening in 1900, during intermission, the prima ballerina, Nemetseva, disappears and is found lying dead outside the theater. Naturally, Lady Emily is drawn into the investigation. Understanding the psychological depth of the crime requires examining the years when the dancers were in training and when friendships and rivalries were formed. Unfortunately, some cumbersome timeline switches lead to erratic pacing, but the otherworldly atmosphere, driven by the appearance of a ghostly dancer and the chill of the crisply evoked St. Petersburg winter, help to compensate, as do the dancers' complex relationships, which provide a juicy wealth of suspects. Lady Emily has no compunction, of course, about asking awkward questions, and her social status allows her to interview prince and pauper alike. She is consistently witty, smart, and entertaining. Fans of intrepid female Victorian sleuths like Lady Emily should also try Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series, as well as Kate Saunders' The Secrets of Wishtide (2016) and Stephen Weeks' The Countess of Prague (2017).--Baker, Jen Copyright 2017 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In bestseller Alexander's well-crafted 12th Lady Emily novel (after 2016's A Terrible Beauty), the redoubtable Englishwoman joins her husband, intelligence agent Colin Hargreaves, on a trip to St. Petersburg in January 1900. The couple attend a performance of Swan Lake at the Mariinksky Theatre, where ballet sensation Irina Nemetseva dances the lead, though they're puzzled when another ballerina dances the final act. Later, they discover that Irina lies stabbed to death outside the stage door, still wearing her swan costume. After Prince Vasilii Guryanov, the dancer's secret lover, asks Emily to help find her killer, Emily probes Irina's circle, including her oldest friend and rival: fellow ballerina Ekaterina "Katenka" Sokolova. Katenka is the sister of Irina's former love, a young man whose idealism is dangerous in repressive Russia. Do their tangled relationships give a motive to murder the star? In addition to a satisfying puzzle and the always appealing protagonist, Alexander delivers a memorable portrait of a fairy-tale city dancing on the brink of revolution. Agent: Anne Hawkins, John Hawkins & Associates. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Review by Library Journal Review

In this 12th installment (after A Terrible Beauty) of Alexander's historical series, Lady Emily and her husband, Colin, are wintering in the Russian city of St. Petersburg and taking advantage of cultural opportunities. They are enjoying a brilliant performance of Swan Lake, up until the point where the prima ballerina is found dead. Naturally, Emily is asked to investigate, while Colin attends to his duties as a British spy. In parallel, we learn about two young aspiring ballerinas who are closer than sisters. Katenka has the skill but lacks the passion to achieve greatness, while Irusya seems to succeed without even trying. Can their bond survive when only one of them triumphs? Verdict Alexander excels at conveying the flavor of Tsarist Russia and painting a vivid picture of how artists often struggle for their art. However, we learn nothing new about Emily or anyone close to her, and she demonstrates no personal growth. In other words, this is a perfectly serviceable mystery that does not move the series forward. [See Prepub Alert, 4/17/17.]-Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

The breathtaking beauty of St. Petersburg before the Russian Revolution provides a dazzling backdrop for murder.Colin Hargreaves, a covert agent for Great Britain, has recently been spending a great deal of time in Russia. Delighted to be able to join her husband and see St. Petersburg, Lady Emily Hargreaves gladly accepts an offer from her friend Ccile du Lac to accompany her there for the season. The elegant balls and cultural events are a joy to experience; the ladies' visit to the ballet follows a different script when the prima ballerina is found slashed to death in the snow. The next day Prince Vasilii Ruslanovich Guryanov begs Lady Emily to investigate the murder of Irina Semenova Nemetseva, more familiarly known to him as Irusya. With Colin preoccupied by his own problems, Emily agrees to see what she can discover. Irusya's best friend, Katenka, danced Irusya's part in Swan Lake the night she was killed, making a sensational debut bound to advance her career and provide a plausible motive for murder. As Emily continues her investigation, Alexander provides the back stories of the two friends and their romances. Irusya, who came from a wealthy family, was in love with Lev, Katenka's brother but, unwilling to give up her dancing and lifestyle, carried on several affairs with wealthy aristocrats. Lev has fallen on hard times and become involved with a group calling for peaceful reforms that stop short of revolution. Although Emily is presented with many motives for murder, none ring quite true to her. The purest mystery among Alexander's adventures (A Terrible Beauty, 2016, etc.) presents a challenging puzzle, a historically interesting period, and detailed descriptions of one of the world's most beautiful cities. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.