Tears of Pearl: A Novel of Suspense

Passion, murder, exotic locale and mystery... what more can a person ask for in a summer read? I got everything I wanted in Tears of Pearl, and then some. Emily, our heroine, is a happy newlywed, and on her honeymoon in Constantinople. While there she and her dashing husband become embroiled trying to help and expat in distress, and find themselves caught up the murder investigation of a half-English harem girl, strangled during a revisionist opera. Forced to put aside romanticized notions of harem life and the fading Ottoman Empire, Emily has to untangle not only the mysteries before her, but within. Tears of Pearl is one of those books you read to escape. The story is light, while not being afraid to tackle some heavy issues, and is a really good escapist read. I read it in one big gulp over the course of three days, and I didn't want it to end. I wasn't aware initially that this was the fourth book in a series, but the author does a good job of not bogging the story down with backstory. Even though I jumped in mid-stream as it were, I didn't have any trouble getting up to speed with the well handled past-story references. I look forward to reading the first three as soon as possible.

"Tears of Pearl" is the 4th entry into the excellent Lady Emily mysteries set in late Victorian England. This entry sees Lady Emily & her new husband, Colin Hargreaves, on their honeymoon in Constantinople. On the train, the couple meets Sir Richard whose daughter was taken years ago. Upon arrival in Constantinople, the identity of a murdered harem girl turns out to be Sir Richard's daughter. Of course, Lady Emily must investigate & soon finds herself inside the sultan's palace & in the middle of his harem. "Tears of Pearl" is a well researched novel that gives the reader a glimpse into life in the late 1800s Ottoman Empire. As always, Lady Emily pushes against social norms for women of her time, & she learns some interesting truths about women in the harem. This book sees Emily question even more her fears of being stifled now that she is married. The solution to the mystery was a little easy to see coming, which is the only real flaw of the book-- if that can even be called a flaw. I hope to see many more entries into this series.

Tears of Pearl is the fourth book in Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily series. Once again she is out to find justice. Lady Emily and her handsome new husband, Colin are honeymooning on the Orient Express. A follow traveler, Sir Richard is a British diplomat. Before the night is over Sir Richard is the victim of a drug overdose and some papers are missing. The situation does not improve once they reach Constantinople. Instead of enjoying marital bliss Lady Emily finds the dead body of a harem girl. Shocked Sir Richard recognizes the girl as his long lost daughter. Colin is asked to investigate on behalf of the government. But as most of the suspects and witnesses are in the hareum where no man is welcome, Lady Emily is asked to help in an official capacity. She is soon surrounded by intrigue and danger. Letters from home are disturbing, Ivy is not in good health. The adventure never stops. There are more murders. An unexpected guest joins the couple's honeymoon. Sir Richard is dismissed and his son Benjamin, is accused of murder . He flees. Colin is hot on his trail leaving Lady Emily to bait a vicious villain. This is one situation from which she can expect no rescue. I have enjoyed all four books in this series. The historical detail is excellent. The romance is heart breaking. I can't wait for the next

Historical mystery with a bit of romance is my kind of guilty pleasure. And "Lady Emily Mysteries" is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I especially loved the last one, "A Fatal Waltz". It was thrilling as a mystery, and the romance between Emily and Colin was part of mystery which kept me wondering until the end. After such a satisfying conclusion, I couldn't help worrying about the 4th book becoming boring. What would Emily and Colin do after they get married? Well, I am glad to tell you that Tears of Pearl was another fun adventure for me. Ottoman Empire was exotic and mysterious, yet portrayed fairly (it made me regret that I missed an opportunity to visit Istanbul last year). Emily's struggle against becoming less independent and the tention between newlyweds because of it felt real. I'm quite sure "Lady Emily Mysteries" will have many more books, but I hope Colin will not become boring. To me, being too handsome and too understanding is more like a liability than an asset. I'd like him to have more character and participation next time.

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I like the Lady Emily series. I've had a weakness for strong female detectives (including the awesome Veronica Mars tv show). Miss Alexander's writing has grown stronger and more developed with each passing novel, and it's kind of cool to see growth in an author. If you follow a character through multiple books, you want to see them grow and the author develop as well. One of the highlights of this book was reliving a trip I made to Istanbul (Constantinople) a few years ago and getting to explore it through someone else's eyes. From a historical standpoint, it was an interesting time period before the fall of the Ottoman Empire and before the country became Turkey. I was able to retrace my own steps through the city and felt like I knew the landmarks of where Lady Emily's adventure took her. The plot itself is interesting enough: On her honeymoon with her new husband (who, hopefully in book #5, won't disappear in Africa while big game hunting) stumbles into a mystery involving a slain harem girl and her diplomat father. The book contains really interesting descriptions of the life inside a harem, which will probably intrigue and yet disgust readers with our modern day virtues. And Emily's ingenuity and talent as a detective are put to the test as she gets deeper into the mystery. I know that some people will say - wait, this is the Ottoman empire! How can an English woman run around all willy-nilly and solve a mystery? Well, it's fiction, but based on truth: Lady Paget and other important women who actually did mingle with Sultans. So for the most part, I'm inclined to believe that had Lady Emily existed in real life, she would have been able to do these things (Victorian women were more bound by class than being a woman.) The only real weakpoint for me in this novel - and this is nitpicking - is that the romance between Emily and Colin needs work. I like Colin as a character, but as a couple, they seem like two people who got bored and decided to get married because they ran out of things to talk about. Overall it's a 4.5/5 star book. This book will both appeal to readers who are already fans of Miss Alexander's works and those who want to get into the world of a very intrepid Victorian woman.