THE COUNTERFEIT HEIRESS, by Tasha Alexander

9/series starring the lovely Lady Emily and her dishy husband Colin Hargreaves. A costume ball at the Duchess of Devonshire's London townhouse is spiced with the appearance of a world-traveling French heiress, Estella Lamar. But Lady Emily's friend, once close to the heiress, exposes the woman as an impostor. When the woman, revealed to be an actress, is found murdered later that evening, Lady Emily and her husband set out to discover why she was impersonating the reclusive heiress. Click below for more...
The story shifts in chapters from Lady Emily's investigation to the tale of the very odd Estella and her endless foreign adventures. The format is a departure for the series, and it seems to work nicely; in essence, you have two tales unfolding in parallel, and I'm hard pressed to decide which was more interesting. As an unfolding psychological portrait, Estella Lamar can't be beat. As a murder mystery, the tale is interesting, but Estella really takes the novel over. As always, Lady Emily and her Edwardian world of glamor and entitlement  - to say nothing of her sexy husband - will sweep you up. Best read in order, although you could do this as a stand-alone. It's a 4.
Find the author at www.tashaalecander.com
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