In the Shadow of Vesuvius (Lady Emily #14) by Tasha Alexander

"None of us is safe from exposure after death."

I selected this mystery solely on the fact that it mentioned the words, "Vesuvius" and "Pompeii". I have not read any of the other books in the series and was a bit nervous coming in at this stage. I have long been fascinated with the story of the eruption and the discovery and excavation of the city as well as having a dream about actually visiting there one day. I absolutely loved all the details and it was obvious that Tasha Alexander did a lot of research so that she could describe it all so clearly to her readers. I also found it interested to read the alternating chapters as they jump between 79 AD and 1902, giving us a fictional account of a former slave and poetess from that time period. I'm giving the archeological component and the cultural elements a resounding 4 stars.

The actual mystery that drives the plot and fills in the pages around the depiction of the ruins, however, was fairly banal. I didn't grow to care much about the main characters who seemed to think they were quite superior and were very judgmental. Of course suspending disbelief of Emily's investigating talents and her aristocratic lifestyle was a stretch. The introduction of a new member of the family at this late stage in the series must have come as a surprise to long-time fans! The interaction between all of the characters seemed quite contrived and the whole murder mystery case part was not very interesting. Without the setting, it would have been even more lame -- and I can't believe the police weren't involved leaving the crime to be solved by outsiders? As an American, I had to cringe at some of the less than flattering characteristics attributed to those characters. Really?
Anyway, that aspect of the book left me bored and I didn't care about it at all and would rate that 2 stars. I suspect it's hard coming up with fresh material for the 14th installment in a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is the 14th book in the series. It didn't seem to matter as I was able to follow.
Genre -- mystery