A Crimson Warning

Alexander, Tasha. (2011). A Crimson Warning. New York, NY: Minotaur Books.

ISBN: 9780312661755

Pages: 324

Genre: mystery, historical fiction

Annotation: A villain is bringing disgrace and death to high society.

Summary: Lady Emily is horrified to find a man was burned to death while she and her husband were at a ball. Determined to find the truth Lady Emily and her husband, an agent of crown, investigate. They find the man’s home was vandalized with red paint before his death. Horror follows this revelation when other homes are painted red and terrible secrets are told. Kidnapping and murder soon follow. Unless Lady Emily and her husband can find the truth no one is safe: not even them.

Evaluation: excellent read

Summary: This is the only book my local library had for this series, so I decided to risk starting so late in the series. After reading this, I am going to get the other books and then reread this one. The characters are likable: the determined and compassionate Lady Emily, the loyal but also mysterious due to his job Mr. Hargreaves, the irreverent but loyal Duke of Bainbridge, etc. The storyline was very well put together: there are several possibilities of who the villain could be which kept me guessing. The path to the solution was an intriguing treasure hunt as clues were gathered and deciphered. Alexander paints a vivid picture of how double standards abounded in Victorian Society: between men and women, between social classes, etc. Lady Emily’s argument with her husband about whether ends justify means, especially in regards to potential actions of one of the characters, makes me wonder if it will be carried into the next book. An excellent read for fans of the Victorian Era, strong heroines (Lady Emily is very unconventional) and wife-husband detective duos.

What else to read:  

Other books by Tasha Alexander.

Robin Paige’s A Victorian Mystery series for another Victorian Era female and male detective team.

Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia series features a Victorian era lady and detective who keep running into each other during mysteries.

For those who would like to see more husband and wife teams, regardless of era, the Wakefield Public Library has a list of them from different eras. I have not read any of the books on this list, but I have watched The Thin Man and thought the husband-wife team was effective and hilarious.