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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN num: 9780061174223
ISBN number: 006117422X
Label: William Morrow
Manufacturer: William Morrow
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: May 20, 2008
Publishing house: William Morrow
Release Date: May 20, 2008
Sale Popularity Level: 8122
Studio: William Morrow
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At her friend Ivy's behest, Emily reluctantly agrees to attend a party at the sprawling English country estate of Lord Fortescue, a man she finds as odious as he is powerful. But if Emily is expecting Lord Fortescue to be the greatest of her problems, she is wrong. Her host has also invited Kristiana von Lange, an Austrian countess who was once linked romantically with Emily's fiancé, the debonair Colin Hargreaves. What Emily believes will be a tedious evening turns deadly when Fortescue is found murdered, and his protégé, Robert Brandon—Ivy's husband—is arrested for the crime.
Determined to right this terrible wrong and clear Robert's name, Emily begins to dig for answers, a quest that will lead her from London's glittering ballrooms to Vienna's sordid backstreets. Not until she engages a notorious anarchist in a game of wits does the shocking truth begin to emerge: the price of exonerating Robert can be paid only by placing Colin in deadly peril. To save her fiancé, Emily must do the unthinkable: bargain with her nemesis, the Countess von Lange.
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Rated by buyers 
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Emily (Lady Ashton) is invited to a shooting weekend at Lord Fortescue's estate in the country where ... well, quite a few things happen. First, there's her nasty host, Lord Fortescue, a man of considerable political influence and rather chummy with the Queen. Readers of Book II (A Poisoned Season) will remember Fortescue's attitude towards our amateur sleuth. In this book, the man's nastiness has cranked up a notch or three; not only does he try to accuse Emily of stealing politically sensitive documents, but he also tries to put a wedge in her relationship with Colin Hargreaves, by inviting Colin's former lover, the great, the beautiful, the picture perfect, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping, muse-worthy Countess von Lange.
But Lord Fortescue's ultimate dream of our heroine's social demise comes to a sudden halt as he is killed. And the man accused of his murder is Robert Brandon. Robert doesn't care much for Emily's modern thinking and 'outlandish' behavior, but now that it aides his cause, he needs her help to uncover who truly murdered Lord no-one-will-truly-miss-me Fortescue (his 'shooting' weekend was a huge success, I'd say!).
And so Emily travels to Vienna, where suicide is the new black, to uncover the truth. But she gets more than she's bargained for as she once again crosses paths with the brilliantly super-intelligent Countess von Lange. The countess, a Victorian Mother Theresa, is absolutely determined to retrieve her stolen property (Colin). But is Emily willing to pimp Colin to his former lover -- who owned him first? Or will Emily, selfish creature that she is, keep Colin all to herself?
Does Colin actually care?
What anarchists? What unsolved murder? Sissi who? Such tedious questions when there is pleasure to be had in the form of Countess von Lange, Vienna's local Alessandra Ambrosia.
Yes, yes, I found the countess as appealing as fingernails on chalkboard. This person is so unpleasant and I wonder that no one actually notices it, especially Colin. The countess doesn't hide her childish dislike for Emily, even in front of Emily's fiancé. One would immediately call it petty, but apparently, in Victorian society (and Colin's eye), this is 'worldly' and 'sophisticated'. A disappointing, soap opera-esque rival, to say the least.
Rated by buyers 
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I enjoyed the very first 2 Lady Emily Ashton books very much and looked forward to this third installment in the series. Unfortunately, I found it to be a weak effort and had the sense that it was rushed to satisfy a publisher's demands.
Lady Emily's usual coterie was on hand plus numerous other ill-defined characters filling out the plot and subplots. Fortunately, there is a list a characters in the front of the book to refer to when wondering "Who ARE these people?"
The time Emily spends in Vienna (apparently the suicide capital of 19th Century Europe,) could have been much more enchanting. There is little feeling of passion between Emily and Colin, and I've had enough of him. Emily SHOULD consider Jeremy Sheffield as a suitor. It would certainly make her mother happy - to have a duchess in the family.
All things considered, the book was easy summer reading. If there is a fourth book, I'll probably read it. I do like Lady Emily Ashton.
Rated by buyers -
A FATAL WALTZ (Hist Mys/Amateur Sleuth-Emily, Lady Aston-England/Austria-Victorian) - G+
Alexander, Tasha - 3rd in series
William Morrow, 2008, US Hardcover - ISBN number: 9780061174223
First Sentence: I had not noticed it when she very first arrived: the way she leaned too far towards him as he kissed her hand, the hint of surprised recognition in his eyes.
What begins as a tedious weekend in the country, for Emily, Lady Aston and her fiancé Colin Hargreaves, changes dramatically. The politically powerful Lord Fortescue is murdered and the husband of Emily's friend, Ivy, is accused of his murder. It is going to depend upon Emily, and a trip to Vienna, to set matters right.
I enjoy this series, but this wasn't my favorite book of it. My feelings toward it are a series of contrasts.
The characters are wonderful, if you've read the previous two books, but lacked character development, if you've not. I love Emily and Colin.
I was disappointed there the delightful supporting characters from the previous books didn't have a bigger role. The inclusion of history and historical figures adds verisimilitude. It is always fascinating reading about the social mores of that time and the descriptions are wonderfully done.
I think the biggest problem I had is the same I have with modern amateur sleuths; they just don't seem plausible to me in some of the things they get away with doing, although Ms. Alexander tries hard to make it work.
The very first book of this series, "And Only to Deceive," was so well done, I wonder whether this entry suffers a bit by comparison. Even so, I shall continue with the series.
Rated by buyers 
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I so enjoyed Tasha Alexander's very first book in this series, that I bought the subsequent two and read them on my new Kindle during our recent trip to Central Europe. Vienna was particularly brought to life while we were there by Alexander's descriptions of places we were visiting, like Schoenbrunn Palace, etc.
So enjoyed the "real people" she talks about - Sissi, Klimt, etc., whose stories were related to us by our tour guides.
Can't wait for another.
Rated by buyers -
"Tasha Alexander continues to offer a winning mix of mystery, history and fashion in her series And Only to Deceive and A Poisoned Season that feature Emily, Lady Ashton. A Fatal Waltz is a welcome addition to her other books in which Emily continues to use her education and social breeding to solve murders in high class Victorian England."
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