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Author:Tasha Alexander
Book: A Crimson Warning
Series: Lady Emily Mysteries No. 6
Release: October 25, 2011
Reviewer: Noa
Source: Provided by the publisher
Purchase: - Barnes & Noble

Newly returned to her home in Mayfair, Lady Emily Hargreaves is looking forward to enjoying the delights of the season. The delights, that is, as defined by her own eccentricities—reading The Aeneid, waltzing with her dashing husband, and joining the Women’s Liberal Federation in the early stages of its campaign to win the vote for women.

But an audacious vandal disturbs the peace in the capital city, splashing red paint on the neat edifices of the homes of London’s elite. This mark, impossible to hide, presages the revelation of scandalous secrets, driving the hapless victims into disgrace, despair and even death.

Soon, all of London high society is living in fear of learning who will be the next target, and Lady Emily and her husband, Colin, favorite agent of the crown, must uncover the identity and reveal the motives of the twisted mind behind it all before another innocent life is lost.

Before reading A Crimson Warning I’ll admit, I had a chip on my shoulder. I, who have followed Lady Emily from day one, who cheered on as she found love again, wanted to do bad things to her husband Colin Hargreaves – and not bad things in a good way. Bad things like Fight Club bad.

Dangerous to Know, the previous installment in the series was harrowingly beautiful but Colin Hargreaves was put on my “do not take his calls” list for becoming what I least expected – the epitome of a Victorian Gentleman. Grr. This is why A Crimson Warning was set to be a difficult book for me to read. I should have known Tasha Alexander would throw a curve ball.

A Crimson Warning brings Emily and Colin back home to London at the height of the ‘Season’ when the creme de la creme of Society gathers in the metropolis. Little do they know, as they dance the night away, someone is planning to shatter their world and wreak havoc among them. Colin is brought in to investigate, and Emily joins in.

Now, this is where I was truly surprised. At the End of Dangerous to Know Colin was not best pleased with Emily’s line of work and yet, in A Crimson Warning it seems like he has decided to grow up and has realized that if he wants to have Emily’s respect – he has to let go and let her be the incredible woman she is. We see this in all sorts of little things throughout the book – not just in the fact that Emily is more of a partner in (solving) crime but also in his support of her efforts on behalf of the suffragette movement.

So, Colin did make some progress but he’s still on probation from my perspective. Part of me really wanted Emily to give him hell and yet no confrontation was forthcoming. I guess I’m just a bit of a drama queen, but ooh, did he deserve it! In A Crimson Warning Lady Emily and Colin seem to have found their balance and they work together as a team, much more so than in previous books in the series.

I believe Emily’s friend Ivy took the ‘least liked character’ award this time around. She is so very Victorian in her outlook. I understand that she is a solid contrast to Emily’s character, but I really want Emily to knock some sense into her. Maybe she can have an affair with the Duke of Bainbridge and become scandalous…I’d certainly like to ;)

Now, as for the mystery in A Crimson Warning – another masterpiece from Tasha Alexander. There is this sense of underlying tension in the book as society deals with having its deepest darkest secrets revealed. There were moments where I too found myself identifying with the villain as he exposed society for what it truly was… until the consequences of his actions became clear. I have to say that one of my favorite parts in A Crimson Warning was Emily’s ‘treasure hunt’ through the British Museum, I now dream of someone taking me on a British Museum treasure hunt, feel free to invite me if you’re having one.

Tasha Alexander has managed to avoid falling into a trap I have seen many an author fall into recently – one where genres with a romantic subplot become stale as the romance takes center stage for far too long. The Lady Emily mystery series is sustainable because the focus is on the mysteries and Lady Emily herself. This is not to say that we don’t have the wonderful romantic plot, but it doesn’t dominate the story.

This was another beautifully constructed mystery – I was kept at the edge of my seat in my many attempts to find the person or persons responsible for the red paint attacks and their connection to the murder. Ms. Alexander continues to spin an intricate web that I keep getting caught up in again and again.

A Crimson Warning is out October 25 in Hardcover.

Noa first fell in love with books when she discovered 100 acre wood and its inhabitants. To this day, the last pages of “The House at Pooh Corner” make her cry. In a good way. From“Calvin and Hobbes” to “The Iliad and the Odyssey” and lets not forget “Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes”. Biographies, mysteries, history books and romances all have a place on her bookshelves. Who needs furniture? This 29 year old singleton’s dream is to invent the zero-calorie chocolate. But until that day arrives, she tries to create sweet confections with whatever chocolate she can find. An MA in conflict studies (need a mediator?) means Noa loves a good debate, especially when she wins. If she were in charge, books would be free for everyone.

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