A Terrible Beauty
A Lady Emily Mystery
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
In this gripping new novel in the New York Times bestselling series, Lady Emily travels to Greece where a ghost from her past returns to haunt her amid the ruins.
On a quest to distract her lifelong friend Jeremy from his recent heartbreak, Lady Emily organizes a holiday in Greece. As a lover of all things Greek, she quickly finds herself occupied with tours of ancient ruins, lively debates with Margaret, a devoted Latinist, and slightly more scandalous endeavors with her dashing husband, Colin Hargreaves. But the pleasantries are brought to an abrupt halt when a man long believed dead greets the party at their island villa. Lord Philip Ashton, Colin's childhood best friend and Emily's first husband, has returned. But can Philip really be who he claims, even if he has the scars and stories to prove it? Where has he been for all this time? And will his undying love for Emily drive him to claim what's his?
Intrigue mounts as Philip reveals that he has been plagued for the past few years by an illegal antiques trader who believes he is in possession of a piece of Achilles' helmet, a priceless relic that was stolen from him moments after he unearthed it on an archaeological dig. Emily must employ all of her cunning and expertise to thwart thieves who threaten not only her own safety, but that of those precious artifacts she holds so dear. A trail of overheard conversations, murderous assailants, and dead bodies leads her on a chase to uncover more than one buried truth.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Alexander's agreeable 11th Lady Emily mystery (after 2015's The Adventuress) finds Lady Emily Hargreaves and her husband, Colin, looking forward to a trip to Greece with friends. But their pleasant excursion becomes a nightmare when Emily's first husband, long-believed-dead, shows up at the door of their villa on the island of Santorini. Is he really Lord Philip Ashton, who supposedly died so long ago in Africa? A decade changes a man, but he can relate details of their life together that only Ashton would know. When a ruthless dealer in black market antiquities sends an assassin to Santorini to retrieve a priceless relic he believes is in Philip's possession, Emily is suddenly in danger of losing all she holds dear. The story falters at the unlikely way Emily manages to unravel Philip's secret. Still, Emily is an appealing protagonist and a believable Victorian woman. Some interesting twists, a vivid setting, and engaging characters fill out a tale sure to please historical mystery lovers.
