Scan barcode
tjazz's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.5
I don't know what happened to this series but th massive character regression for both the MC and the LI is really beyond the pale.
I have no idea what this author was thinking but out of 5 books this is the second one where it feels like Lady Emily and Colin are taken over by completely different characters. The side characters fall incredibly flat. The mystery is okay.
I appreciate the showing how women could struggle with their prescribed roles and dealing with grief and loss when those around you expect you to move past it. That's probably the only part of this story I appreciated.
I have no idea what this author was thinking but out of 5 books this is the second one where it feels like Lady Emily and Colin are taken over by completely different characters. The side characters fall incredibly flat. The mystery is okay.
I appreciate the showing how women could struggle with their prescribed roles and dealing with grief and loss when those around you expect you to move past it. That's probably the only part of this story I appreciated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, and Forced institutionalization
isethia's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nolegirl's review
4.0
First of all, I love this series so maybe I'm a bit biased. I like that Lady Emily isn't the "normal" romantic character, nor is she really the "normal" mystery solver either. Perhaps she's too real to be either. She's a woman who has faced some major obstacles and yet manages to keep going forward.
Dangerous to Know finds Lady Emily and her lovely husband Colin find themselves at his mother's home in France for Emily to recuperate after being shot, and loosing a baby. Emily is finding it hard to come to grips with her loss, asking herself if loosing the baby was really her fault because she had felt so indifferent towards having a child. I have to say I could relate somewhat to this. I never had children, partly because I've never married and partly because I was indifferent. I can see how she would begin to torture herself about what happened, especially in a time when women's whole world was supposed to be about having children. A great deal of the book is about how Emily is coping, or not as the case may be, about this situation. Throw in a MIL that doesn't really like this new wife her son has brought home, finding a dead body of a girl who apparently looks surprisingly like Emily and some very odd neighbors, and there is much to keep up with.
I love that Sabastian is back. I hope that he'll become a larger part of future books. His wit, and way of appearing out of the blue, are a great addition. I do wonder who he will work with Colin as he obviously cares for Emily. Should be interesting to see those relationships play out.
All in all, this was another solid installment in the Lady Emily series.
Dangerous to Know finds Lady Emily and her lovely husband Colin find themselves at his mother's home in France for Emily to recuperate after being shot, and loosing a baby. Emily is finding it hard to come to grips with her loss, asking herself if loosing the baby was really her fault because she had felt so indifferent towards having a child. I have to say I could relate somewhat to this. I never had children, partly because I've never married and partly because I was indifferent. I can see how she would begin to torture herself about what happened, especially in a time when women's whole world was supposed to be about having children. A great deal of the book is about how Emily is coping, or not as the case may be, about this situation. Throw in a MIL that doesn't really like this new wife her son has brought home, finding a dead body of a girl who apparently looks surprisingly like Emily and some very odd neighbors, and there is much to keep up with.
I love that Sabastian is back. I hope that he'll become a larger part of future books. His wit, and way of appearing out of the blue, are a great addition. I do wonder who he will work with Colin as he obviously cares for Emily. Should be interesting to see those relationships play out.
All in all, this was another solid installment in the Lady Emily series.
cheesygiraffe's review
4.0
It was kind of depressing at first. Because Lady Emily was depressed, she colored everything around her the same way. As she got back to her old self then things started to pick up. I knew who the murderer was almost the whole time, a little obvious, but not their motive. There might have been a few crazy people in this book but that doesn't make one a murderer. Most of the time, the ones that seem "normal" are the ones that are your murderers.
ktaylor1164's review
3.0
I still enjoy this series, but I find this and the previous one lack the verve of the truly excellent A Fatal Waltz, the third and my favorite of the bunch.
littletaiko's review
4.0
The latest Tasha Alexander book, Dangerous to Know did not disappoint. Fans of the the Lady Emily series should enjoy this latest outing. It's much improved from the last book. Set in Victorian times, it explores the rules of the time for husbands and wives against the backdrop of murder.
lifeand100books's review against another edition
5.0
Yes, I’m back with a review for the fifth novel in Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily mystery series, Dangerous To Know. (Bear with me, there are only 6 out so far! 1 left to review!) Lady Emily is becoming quite the world traveler! After her harrowing experience in Constantinople, she and her husband Colin travel to Normandy, France, to his mother’s large estate to rest, relax, and recoup. She aims to keep a low profile, yet fate won’t let this be, sending yet another mystery to land right in her lap. Out riding one day, Lady Emily comes across the body of a young woman who has been brutally murdered. Chillingly, the woman looks like Lady Emily, and has the telltale wound marks of the infamous Jack the Ripper. With this similarity Emily can’t rest until she tracks down the killer. She faces her greatest challenges yet, as she must travel across the beautiful backdrop of Normandy to chase down clues on the elusive murderer’s trail. Will she be able to cheat death as she did in Constantinople, or will her luck run out this time? Will she be able to bring justice to the young woman and unmask her killer?
Dangerous to Know is a much darker novel than the previous four, giving us a glimpse at a side of Lady Emily we haven’t seen previously. Still reeling from being shot and miscarrying, she’s in a depression that is greatly subduing her normally outgoing, sparkling, and effervescent personality. She begins to hear a child crying out at night, and it starts to drive her mad with grief over the child that she’s lost. The murder (as weird as this sounds) works to drive her mind on a straight path. It gives her something to focus on and in turn helps to bring her out of the funk she is experiencing. It’s interesting to see this side of Emily, as it makes her human. I don’t mean to say that she isn’t a realistic person in the first four novels, but everyone has dark periods in his or her life, and giving Emily and Colin a period of grief to get through made me love their story even more than I previously did.
The reintroduction of Sebastian (from A Poisoned Season) was a fantastic idea! He is one of my favorite recurring characters; his over-the-top flirtations with Emily make me laugh all the time. He’s always so mysterious and quick-witted. His presence brings out a jealous side of the normally confident Colin that is highly entertaining. Together with the emotional development of Lady Emily, this novel definitely progresses much further than the previous ones. It’s a great addition to an already wonderful story over these five novels. Alexander did a great job (as usual), and I can’t wait to see what she has in store in the next book!
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-KY
Dangerous to Know is a much darker novel than the previous four, giving us a glimpse at a side of Lady Emily we haven’t seen previously. Still reeling from being shot and miscarrying, she’s in a depression that is greatly subduing her normally outgoing, sparkling, and effervescent personality. She begins to hear a child crying out at night, and it starts to drive her mad with grief over the child that she’s lost. The murder (as weird as this sounds) works to drive her mind on a straight path. It gives her something to focus on and in turn helps to bring her out of the funk she is experiencing. It’s interesting to see this side of Emily, as it makes her human. I don’t mean to say that she isn’t a realistic person in the first four novels, but everyone has dark periods in his or her life, and giving Emily and Colin a period of grief to get through made me love their story even more than I previously did.
The reintroduction of Sebastian (from A Poisoned Season) was a fantastic idea! He is one of my favorite recurring characters; his over-the-top flirtations with Emily make me laugh all the time. He’s always so mysterious and quick-witted. His presence brings out a jealous side of the normally confident Colin that is highly entertaining. Together with the emotional development of Lady Emily, this novel definitely progresses much further than the previous ones. It’s a great addition to an already wonderful story over these five novels. Alexander did a great job (as usual), and I can’t wait to see what she has in store in the next book!
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-KY
bumblebae0606's review
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
garnetofeden's review
4.0
Another mystery to frame exploring Victorian social strictures and the universal theme of grief. Emily's struggle with her miscarriage is unfortunately not unique even today, and the resolution isn't pat – not unlike closure in reality. The other internal struggle of the novel was with Colin. While I personally wasn't pleased with Colin's struggle regarding 'allowing'/'letting' Emily continue to use her investigative skills, I also feel that it is a realistic struggle for even the most enlightened man to experience in the Victorian age. He has always been ahead of the general trend of the time in recognizing Emily's intellect and abilities, but it makes sense that a newlywed husband would struggle with how best to be a husband and what that entails when charting different territory than the typical socially acceptable marriage of the time.
It was delightful to see Sebastian again, but I thought the red herrings were a little silly, and some of the supernatural experiences that Emily has are not fully resolved. Along with Emily's also not uncommon struggle with her mother-in-law, there were tantalizing hints regarding women's suffrage that I'm really hoping will make an appearance in future volumes of the series.
Rating reviewed 12/26/2022.
It was delightful to see Sebastian again, but I thought the red herrings were a little silly, and some of the supernatural experiences that Emily has are not fully resolved. Along with Emily's also not uncommon struggle with her mother-in-law, there were tantalizing hints regarding women's suffrage that I'm really hoping will make an appearance in future volumes of the series.
Rating reviewed 12/26/2022.