Uneasy Lies the Crown

Bestseller Alexander’s engrossing 13th Lady Emily mystery (after 2017’s Death in St. Petersburg) opens in 1901 when the dying Queen Victoria hands Colin Hargreaves, Lady Emily’s diplomat husband, a cryptic note: “One and no more. Dare to know.” The queen’s funeral is barely over when Colin and Emily learn of a murder in the Tower of London. The corpse has been posed to resemble Henry VI. Meanwhile, someone is sending Colin on a scavenger hunt with a series of notes left in locations that recall Henry V. When three more bodies show up, all killed in ways that mimic the deaths of English kings, Colin is convinced that it’s a warning to the new sovereign, Edward VII, that even a king can be killed. But Emily uncovers a connection between the dead men that suggests the murders are more about vengeance. Providing counterpoint are flashbacks to the 15th century, when Colin’s ancestor William fought with Henry V at Agincourt. The two seemingly unrelated plots centuries apart come together in the end in a neat twist. English history lovers will be enthralled. Agent: Anne Hawkins, John Hawkins & Assoc. (Oct.)