A Poisoned Season Read online

  Gary and Stacie Gutting, who consistently go above and beyond the call of parental duty, even volunteering to read for me in the middle of the night.

  Anastasia Sertl, for constant inspiration.

  Matt and Xander, who are forced to tolerate substandard meals and a house full of dust buffaloes, not bunnies, while I’m writing. You deserve far more than thanks.

  About the Author

  TASHA ALEXANDER is a graduate of Notre Dame and the author of And Only to Deceive. She lives in Franklin, Tennessee.

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  PRAISE FOR

  A POISONED SEASON

  “Tasha Alexander’s Emily Ashton is a heroine for the ages: her own and ours. She stretches the boundaries of both worlds and fits comfortably into neither—and therein lies her considerable charm.”

  —Jon Clinch, author of Finn

  “The vivacious and well-read Emily is back in rare form…. Alexander has vividly captured Victorian mores, and the society intrigues are fascinating.”

  —Nashville Tennessean

  “Lady Ashton would be an amazing woman in any era. You’ll be rooting for her all the way as she outwits a clever thief, a ruthless killer, a boorish would-be king, and a scheming mother determined to see her daughter claimed in the Marriage Mart. I was sorry to see the Season end!”

  —Victoria Thompson, author of Murder in Little Italy

  “Solving the artfully developed mystery at the heart of A Poisoned Season is only a small part of the pleasure it affords. The clopping of horses through Hyde Park, the swish and swirl of taffeta skirts to the strains of a waltz, a play of light against white shoulders and pink diamonds—all delight the senses, transporting the reader to the crowded ballrooms and promenades and elegant drawing rooms of Victorian England. And what fun to see the hypocrisies and scandals and petty ambitions of nineteenth-century London society through the eyes of Lady Emily Ashton. I feel as though we are old friends, and I can hardly wait until the next time she comes ‘calling’ with a new adventure.”

  —Brenda Rickman Vantrease,

  author of The Illuminator and The Mercy Seller

  “Alexander’s witty treatment of the trivial pursuits of the aristocracy, coupled with an engaging mystery and a deliciously flirtatious romance…makes for entertaining reading.”

  —Booklist

  “Readers looking for a lighter version of Anne Perry will be well rewarded.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A Poisoned Season is a rollicking romp through Victorian London’s high society, encompassing romance, scandal, thievery, and murder most foul. It all comes right at the end, and is loads of fun to read.”

  —Judith Koll Healey, author of The Canterbury Papers

  “Tasha Alexander’s exciting and cleverly plotted new novel transports us to late nineteenth-century London and a world of hansom cabs, glittering society balls, brazen theft, and murder. Emily Ashton is undoubtedly one of the most spirited and fascinating heroines to appear in years, and we cannot help but cheer her on as she cleverly unravels the twists and turns of a bold and determined killer. Romance, suspense, and remarkable historical detail add to the richness of Alexander’s tale. A Poisoned Season is pure delight!”

  —Shirley Tallman, author of

  Murder on Nob Hill and The Russian Hill Murders

  “A delightful Victorian cozy with a charming heroine that devotees of the genre will want to meet again.”

  —C. S. Harris, author of When Gods Die

  “Sometimes touching, sometimes funny, and always absorbing, this Victorian-era mystery hits all the right notes.”

  —Romantic Times

  “Lady Emily Ashton is clever, lovely, and thoroughly entertaining…. I couldn’t put down A Poisoned Season and look forward to many more of Lady Emily’s adventures.”

  —Sujata Massey, award-winning author of Girl in a Box

  “A Poisoned Season draws the reader into the glittering Victorian age with its society balls, Worth gowns, hansom cabs, and proper manners. Throw in a complex mystery with several intriguing twists, and you have the ingredients for a charming historical cozy with a clever heroine readers won’t soon forget.”

  —BookPage

  “One first-rate history mystery, A Poisoned Season mixes spot-on dialogue, manners, and mores, with a splash of erotic friction in a lively, delightful tale. Alexander’s sweetly choreographed plot dances between her wonderfully drawn sleuth, Lady Emily Ashton, and Victorian high society.”

  —Julia Spencer-Fleming, Edgar Award finalist

  and author of All Mortal Flesh

  Also by Tasha Alexander

  AND ONLY TO DECEIVE

  Credits

  Cover illustration by James Jacques Joseph Tissot/Getty Images

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author?s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A POISONED SEASON. Copyright © 2007 by Anastasia Tyska. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  Microsoft Reader December 2007 ISBN 978-0-06-156917-3

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