The Counterfeit Heiress by Tasha Alexander Books Hachette Australia

The Counterfeit Heiress Lady Emily #9 In this thrilling new addition to the New York Times bestselling series, Lady Emily Hargreaves and her dashing husband Colin travel to Paris, where they struggle to unmask a murderer amid a case of assumed identities and shadowy figures. In Tasha Alexander's novel The Counterfeit Heiress, after an odd encounter at a grand masquerade ball, Lady Emily becomes embroiled in the murder investigation of one of the guests, a sometime actress trying to pass herself off as the mysterious heiress and world traveler Estella Lamar. Each small discovery, however, leads to more questions.

THE COUNTERFEIT HEIRESS is an interesting combination of mystery and historical fiction set in England and France at the end of the nineteenth century. I found the contrast in sensibilities of the English and French intriguing; also the numerous references to Dickens' characters provide an unexpected literary perspective.. After an odd encounter at a grand masquerade ball, Lady Emily becomes embroiled in the murder investigation of one of the guests, a sometime actress trying to pass herself off as the mysterious heiress and world traveller Estella Lamar. Each small discovery, however, leads to more questions. Was the intended victim Miss Lamar or the imposter?