And Only to Deceive Audiobook By Tasha Alexander cover art

And Only to Deceive

Lady Emily, Book 1

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And Only to Deceive

By: Tasha Alexander
Narrated by: Kate Reading
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For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily's dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife.

Emily's intellectual pursuits and her desire to learn more about Philip take her to the quiet corridors of the British Museum, one of her husband's favorite places. There she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries. And to complicate matters, she's juggling two very prominent and wealthy suitors, one of whose intentions may go beyond the marrying kind.

As she sets out to solve the crime, her search leads to more surprises about Philip and causes her to question the role in Victorian society to which she, as a woman, is relegated.

©2005 Tasha Tyska (P)2015 Tantor Amateur Sleuths Espionage Fiction Historical Mystery Romance Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Victorian Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Marriage Detective

Critic reviews

"This engaging, witty mix of Victorian cozy and suspense thriller draws its dramatic spark from the endearingly headstrong heroine's growth in life and love. A memorable debut." ( Booklist)

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Intriguing Mystery • Historical Detail • Excellent Narration • Intellectual Elements • Independent Heroine
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This book was boring for the first 22 chapters, then it got interesting. it took me 6 weeks to get to the chapter 23, then I finished it in 3 days. The narrator was much to haughty and made the listening difficult at best.

Shorten the first 22 chapters, please

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It either needed to be much shorter or the protagonist needed to be significantly smarter. But she can’t be that actively stupid for that long. Some really unbelievable characters and odd and inconsistent plot choices that made it impossible to really care. Had potential to be soo much better which was kinda sad and annoying.

I wanted to like this more than I could

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For Kate Reading’s sake (who is the narrator), I’m going to stick with this because I love her. But the first part of the book is sooo boring. Emily is trying to be a fun interesting character but she keeps saying ridiculous things and making questionable decisions. And the conversations go on for days. Pet peeve: the characters say each other’s names way too often—no one does this! And now that I’ve mentioned it you won’t be able to not notice it! (Oops, sorry). It must be an early book for Tasha Alexander because it’s just not as engaging as some of her others which I have truly enjoyed.

However the book does have some redeeming qualities. Emily’s character develops nicely. There are some fun descriptions of life for the aristocracy in London, Paris, Cairo and Santorini in the late 19th century. And there is a little mystery, which takes forever to develop, but eventually becomes interesting. I have hopes for Book #2.

Insipid, but I’m going to stick with it

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I'm kinda surprised by the number of negative reviews. This is clearly a cozy detective series, and if that's a genre you like, you'll find everything you seek: exquisite historical detail, an intelligent and honest heroine who bends social norms, an intriguing mystery, and sparks of romance. There isn't any graphic violence, but it isn't a boring story. The details are lovely. You feel like you're in the libraries and parlours of Victorian aristocracy. I am rooting for Emily and I'm interested in her story. I really enjoyed this debut, and the rest of the series I've listened to so far. The narrators change a bit in the beginning; book three is done by an aussie and her accents are cringe, and book two has a little more vocal fry than I'd like... But as a picky listener who has returned books for shrill, obnoxious, or odd narrators - this series has been listenable for sure!

The mysteries get better, the romance gets ratcheted up, and the series as a whole really comes into its own around the 4th or 5th book.

If you like historical romance and cozy detective series, you'll love this! Fans of Lady Darby will enjoy!

Don't listen to the haters, this is a great series

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Due to genetic retinal problems, I have been ordered to cut back reading and have substituted unabridged audio books for most of my "readiing." I am still a visual oriented person but am learning to become a better listener.

Plot Synopsis:

This is actually the first in a series of mystery novels about the heroine Emily.

In order to escape her obnoxious mother (who began to measure debutante Emily's waist every morning), she accepts a marriage proposal from the sandy haired Viscount Phillip Ashton. Her husband dies on an African safari 6 months after her wedding. While in full mourning, Emily spends her time in her late husband's marvelous library, reading to her heart's content. On a visit to the British Museum, she discovers that besides hunting wild game, her husband was a scholar and antiquities expert who had given fine Greek antiquities to the museum. Thus begins her intellectual adventures in Roman and Greek myths and art. After a year of deep mourning, Emily's obnoxious mother begins a campaign to get Emily remarried. To escape her mother, she travels to Paris to stay until she is out of all mourning. She has no desire to remarry since she is mistress of the very large fortune left to her by Phillip and enjoys it.

In Paris she meets all kinds of interesting people, including the artist Renoir. She also realizes she is being spied on, what would be called stalking nowadays, by a man with a scar.

This is the first novel in a series about Emily and the best friend of her late husband, a man as dark as her late husband was fair, Colin Hargreaves. The book is slow moving because it is written in a Victorian era memoir style (think Henry James) and yet I find Emily, her best friend Ivy, and her husband's friend Colin Hargreaves quite interesting, as well as the French friends she makes and French Parisian society. It is also clear that Emily is involved in a mystery left behind by her late husband's doings. Besides the man with the scar, there is the persistent appearance of members of an English Lord who are pursuing the late Viscount's papers and notes. It is important to remember that as a debutante, Emily was probably a mere 17 or 18 when she was married so she was not a woman of the world or very mature initially. The series follows her development into a real woman, one who develops intellectual curiosity and a craving for adventures unusual for a Victorian English woman.

Enjoyed reading when first published and now enjoyed listening to the audio.

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Well written, ably narrated. I shall buy the next one. Victorian lady, wed & quickly widowed, learns to love her husband, defends his good character, & takes control of her own life. She might even get rid of her stays (gasp! )

A Most Decided Lady

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I simply enjoyed the description of individuals in this fast moving story! I will read more Tasha Alexander!

Delightful!!

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Took me a while to get through it as I started out with the Kindle version, reading in fits and starts while waiting in dentist offices and the like, but once I got the audio version, I almost couldn't put it down.

One of the things I liked most about it, beside a great heroine and a tightly crafted story, is an unintimidating introduction to antiquities, some of which I knew but most I did not. It has also gotten me to search out a good translation of Homer! Who knew?!?

I love a well crafted mystery, and this certainly is one. Although I knew quickly who the bad guy was not, and did have a clue before Emily did, until the denouement I couldn't answer her biggest question. The solution was both more complicated and more simple than I had anticipated.

Can't wait to start the next Lady Emily mystery!

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This could be a really good movie. I was able to find myself laughing at some of the ludicrous moves of the Victorian culture. What a tedious time to have lived in!

Good mystery

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What made the experience of listening to And Only to Deceive the most enjoyable?

The narrator is pretty good. SO much better than the next two narrators in books 2 and 3, which I had to return b/c I could barely listen to them. This series is actually much better when read, if you have that option.

Pretty good but frustrating characters

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