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A review by illstoptheworldandreadwithyou
Death by Misadventure by Tasha Alexander
3.0
It’s the winter of 1906 and Lady Emily and her husband, Colin, are at a house party in Bavaria near Neuschwanstein Castle. Although they are unfamiliar with the majority of their fellow guests, they quickly discover that not everyone in the party is beloved. What appear to be murder attempts start occurring soon after everyone convenes.
When one of the guests is murdered and everyone is isolated at the villa due to a snowstorm, Emily and Colin begin questioning everyone to determine who committed the crime.
The primary action is set during the house party, but there is a dual timeline aspect to this one. The secondary timeline covers the story of a young German, named Niels, who grows close to King Ludwig, who is famous for his construction of Neuschwanstein Castle (among other things), nearly 40 years before the house party Emily and Colin attend.
I will openly admit that when I requested this one, I did realize that it is part of a series but did not realize that it is book 18 in that series. I feel I probably would have enjoyed this more had I already been a fan of the series.
I appreciated the setting and varied cast of characters as well as how Emily and Colin treat each other as equals.
Although there are various clues and red herrings planted in regards to the murderer’s identity in the narrative, when it comes time for the reveal, there is more telling than showing.
The lead-up to the murder and the investigation themselves drag in this one.
And while I learned more about King Ludwig than I had previously known, I do not feel like the entirety of that plot line is necessary background to the events set in 1906.
All that being said, I could see this book (or this series) being adapted and made popular by PBS.
I had advance copies of both the ebook and the audiobook. Bianca Amato’s narration portrays British, German, and French accents in this one. There’s a large cast of characters, and Amato utilizes different voices for each one.
I received an advance copy of the ebook from Minotaur Books and an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.
When one of the guests is murdered and everyone is isolated at the villa due to a snowstorm, Emily and Colin begin questioning everyone to determine who committed the crime.
The primary action is set during the house party, but there is a dual timeline aspect to this one. The secondary timeline covers the story of a young German, named Niels, who grows close to King Ludwig, who is famous for his construction of Neuschwanstein Castle (among other things), nearly 40 years before the house party Emily and Colin attend.
I will openly admit that when I requested this one, I did realize that it is part of a series but did not realize that it is book 18 in that series. I feel I probably would have enjoyed this more had I already been a fan of the series.
I appreciated the setting and varied cast of characters as well as how Emily and Colin treat each other as equals.
Although there are various clues and red herrings planted in regards to the murderer’s identity in the narrative, when it comes time for the reveal, there is more telling than showing.
The lead-up to the murder and the investigation themselves drag in this one.
And while I learned more about King Ludwig than I had previously known, I do not feel like the entirety of that plot line is necessary background to the events set in 1906.
All that being said, I could see this book (or this series) being adapted and made popular by PBS.
I had advance copies of both the ebook and the audiobook. Bianca Amato’s narration portrays British, German, and French accents in this one. There’s a large cast of characters, and Amato utilizes different voices for each one.
I received an advance copy of the ebook from Minotaur Books and an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.