3.75 stars

The usual we have come to expect from a Lady Emily mystery: strong female characters, interesting historical detail, nice chemistry and banter. This time out Emily and husband Colin, along with his mother and his daughter, are in Egypt when their host dies from poison. Further investigation shows that several people in their party, including Colin's mother, might have had motive.

The author has interwoven another narrative during much of this series, and this one stems from the long ago past and is in the voice of an artisan who creates funerary statues. I am not always a fan of the dual narrative, but this one works well. The ancient story takes up less room and time than Lady Emily's tale and the balance is just right.

Emily balances murder investigation with dealing with her sometimes difficult stepdaughter Kat. A pleasurable read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The 16th novel in this long running series finds Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves traveling down the Nile in a traditional Egyptian boat to join a house party in Luxor hosted by a long-time Hargreaves family friend, but their host is poisoned at the end of the first night's welcome dinner. The police are ineffective and Colin takes over the investigation. Clues are discovered that uncover several possible motives and point to different suspects Lady Emily is able to untangle the threads and solve the crime.

The main storyline is interrupted by a second story concerning a female sculptor, set in Egypt in 1500 BC, and these chapters alternate with the main story, contributing nothing to the plot. I found them a distracting annoyance. Colin and Emily are joined on this trip by his mother and his adult daughter from an early affair. Kat has appeared in several previous books and does not improve as time goes on. She is arrogant and an insufferable know it all, contemptuous of her elders and unwilling to learn. It's difficult for me to enjoy a novel when such an unlikeable character has such a prominent role, and I think this may be the last book in this series that I read.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope she writes more! I am totally hooked!

Set in the early 1900s, this is an atmospheric mystery/thriller. “Secrets of the Nile” is actually #16 in a series but can be read a stand alone. Although the writing was lovely, I just could not connect to this story. Maybe if I was more invested in the seriew, I could have enjoyed it better.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and St Martin’s Press for the ARC! This story is our October 4th.

An interesting, mysterious read that would be great for fans of Agatha Christie. Going back in time, sailing along the Nile; the atmosphere is this book was lush. It was also a lot of fun seeing how the flashbacks to ancient Egypt tied into the story.

I was excited that Net Galley afforded me the opportunity to read this, as I have long been a "student" of Egyptian history. I didn't know that much about the country from my World History classes but gained a huge interest when I was able to visit there. Much of this story was familiar to me, partly because of a Nile Cruise I was fortunate to take. That's pretty much the basis of this story. A wealthy gentleman has invited friends to cruise up the Nile to the same fascinating places I have visited.

As they are enjoying their first dinner aboard ship, said host suddenly collapses, later found to have been poisoned. It's pretty apparent that someone in the group was responsible for his death, and that's when this turns into a good old-fashioned whodunnit. I was quite impressed with Lady Emily who took it upon herself to solve the mystery (along with a little help from her husband, Colin). Emily had a knack for handling people and was very discerning. and diplomatic.

The reader is also treated to a side story which I had to wonder when it would finally tie in. It was not as enjoyable to me. It's entirely possible that someone who isn't already acquainted with this time period in Egypt would not find this quite as appealing as I did. I have a collection of print books on the subject so may have to purchase this in print form to add to it.

This is another cozy mystery that does not disappoint. It has a great blend of history, geography, and "who done it". If you are looking for a book to curl up on the couch with or take to the beach, this is it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 3
Plot development: 4
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of Reading: 3

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

Lady Emily has another brilliant adventure- this time in Egypt. She , Colin and Kay accompany his mother to meet up with an old friend. When an amazing dinner party turns fatal- Emily and Colin must find the murderer as Mrs. Hargreaves is a prime suspect. Great fun and I swear Amelia Peabody makes a guest appearance.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy! I love this series and Lady Emily! I also enjoyed the "Agatha Christie" ish Egypt vibe.

I remember buying the first book in this series; I fell madly in love with Colin Hargreaves, a handsome, wealthy agent of the Crown! Lady Emily, I liked; at least she had the good sense to fall in love with Colin. However, after buying all of the books before receiving this ebook from Netgalley, I do appreciate Emily, his daughter from a love affair before marriage to Emily, and his mother have become the focus of the stories, including this one. I am not a feminist, nor do I like stories where an intelligent male is made to look ludicrous to make Lady Emily the star! Really? In this case, it was incredibly disappointing comparing this story to an Agatha Christie book; sorry, but no. I have read and purchased everything Agatha Christie wrote; I am a colossal Christie fanatic! The side story of the Egyptian couple who lived in 1500 B.C. was confusing at first and overdramatic later in the book. I would get into the mystery; then bam, I am thrown back in time; for me, this is unacceptable. If you like two very different stories going on simultaneously, I prefer being with Colin to another female heroine from another period.
Thank you, #Netgalley,
carolintallahassee

I love books set on the Nile around the turn of the century so was instantly drawn to this one. Books set in Egypt during that time period are some of my favourite. There is an air of mystery from place as much as from what is going on in the story.

My tendancy reading any mystery set on the Nile is to compare it to Death on the Nile. This came out as a strong contender. It had no similarities, and plenty of twists. The secondary plot set in ancient Egypt gave it a bit of extra mystery trying to figure out if the two stories were intertwined, and if so, how.

This had plenty of twists, strong female characters, which I always appreciate, and of course the Nile as a backdrop. I've never read any Tasha Alexander before and will need to rectify that!

A fun read! Tasha captures the essence of her main characters well. I was intrigued by both the ancient story and the modern(1900s ) one. I knew they would intersect but she did keep me guessing a bit as to how.
I love that in solving the mystery in the modern one she paid homage to Elizabeth Peters with the name of the reporter who "usually" covered the area being the young man Amelia Peabody (Peters' heroine) always worked with.
I did think it could have been pruned a bit--both stories--to give the pace a bit more energy but i do like a fast pace. Alexander may have deliberately slowed the pace to mirror the languor of both ancient Egypt and the hot days of pre AC in 1900s.
My major criticism is that I would liked to have seen a bit more independence for the female character, or more interaction with her husband--saddling her with both an obstreperous mother- in-law and unloving newly found step daughter in one book seemed like a lot at one time. There were a couple of places where I lost the trail of the plot because of the personal entanglements.
The ancient characters seemed more developed as people than the modern ones--to my mind.
I give this book four stars.
Would I read another on Egypt by Tasha Alexander? Yes! I hope she takes out her papyrus and starts soon

I have never read Agatha Christie but I love Tasha Alexander!! This book is another in the Lady Emily Mysteries and I have a lot to catch up with these!
Besides my obvious obsession with Harry Potter, I love all things Egyptian and I love learning about the time of the pharaohs. So I loved every minute of this book. This is most definitely one of my favorite reads this year. I’m excited to read more from this author!

"Secrets of the Nile" was an enjoyable murder mystery. Lord Bertram Deeley has invited a collection of friends and associates to his villa in Egypt. However, after a sumptuous feast, Deeley keels over dead, having been poisoned with cyanide. One of his servants, who has gone missing, is immediately the presumed killer (easiest to blame a local). Two of the guests, Colin and Lady Emily Hargreaves task themselves with identifying the true murderer, who must be one of the guests. As they begin investigating the other guests, it quickly becomes apparent that all of the guests have reasons for wanting Deeley dead. And someone has been leaving incriminating material that points at particular guests as the likely murderer(s).

The author does a good job of portraying Egypt in 1904, including the prejudices of the British residents and visitors in a country that was effectively a British colony at the time. There is also a good discussion of archeology and Egyptian customs and beliefs, which are relevant to the mystery surrounding Deeley's death. The truth, when it is uncovered, is quite surprising (and a quite clever plot choice by the author).

Interspersed between the chapters set in 1904 Egypt are chapters set in Ancient Egypt, in the village of Pa Demi, which is a village created in the desert near the Valley of the Kings, and populated by the various artisans involved in creating the burial sites for the Egyptian pharaohs -- sculptors, stonemasons, painters, etc. These chapters focus on Meryt, whose is a sculptress whose sculptures appear to be alive. These chapters focus on relations between Meryt and other residents in the village, especially Sanura, the wife of Meryt's twin brother, and someone who seems determined to dislike Meryt. These chapters deal with jealousy, love, mental illness, religious beliefs, etc. It is evident that this story is somehow going to tie into the events in 1904, but it is unclear how the author will make the connection. When the connection is revealed, the tie-in is masterfully done; one of the best aspects of the story.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I just completed reading Secrets of the Nile by Tasha Alexander. I liked the overall plot, but I found it a hard read. The solving of the mystery of the murder, first of all, spanned several years. It seems hard to believe that the suspects would stay so long without returning to their lives. Obviously some of them had wealth to support them; however, how would they be able to manage their affairs in 1904 from such a distance. How, for example, could the doctor maintain his practice from so far away?
Secondly, I was confused about the characters. The author used pseudonyms for several of them. The two names that confused me the most were Kamose and Colin. Were those names referring to the same person? That troubled me throughout the book. I can only surmise that giving some of the characters Egyptian names was the author’s way of giving flavor to the story.
Overall, I found it boring in spots. A lot of the information was repetitive, which was not needed, unless the author felt we had missed it the first time. This is one of the few books I have read over the years that I felt was mediocre at best and, therefore, would not wholeheartedly recommend.

This is a wonderful throwback to the classic murder mysteries of the past. An eccentric British Lord gathers an odd mixture of friends and acquaintances at his summer home near Luxor Egypt. During the dinner there is a death; the host, Lord Deeley is poisoned. As one would expect, each of the guests has had negative feeling and/or experiences that involved Lord Deeley. But who was responsible for the death of their host? And where did the cyanide come from and how did it get into Lord Deeley’s tisane?

What follows that episode is a tightly written and excellently grafted investigation by out hero Lady Emily Hargreaves and her husband Colin. Along the way the reader could almost imagine Hercule Poirot doing the investigating. But there is one aspect of the story that not even Agatha Christie attempted. In addition to the 1904 dinner, death, and investigation, there is a second story thread in a different timeline with its own mystery, crime, and ultimately death.

In year two of the current Pharaohs’ reign, a talented young sculptor named Meryt began making the traditional small statuary that would ultimately be placed in her father’s tomb when he died. But someone does not want her to complete her job. Her workshop is constantly being ransacked and her alabaster pieces smashed. But who? And why? Obviously Lady Emily could not investigate this mystery or perhaps Meryt might have discovered the perpetrator earlier. Luckily we readers are able to!

Tasha Alexander did a wonderful job of pacing both mysteries so that the tension in each complimented the other. The end of the 1904 mystery ends with the traditional gathering of all the suspects so that Lady Emily—like Hercule Poirot before her—could go over each bit of evidence as she finally named the person responsible for Lord Deeley’s death.

This was the first book my Tasha Alexander that I have read, but trust me! It will definitely not be the last. As the first Lady Emily book I have encountered I had absolutely no problem with not knowing the character’s history.

I appreciate the opportunity NetGalley and the St. Martin’s Group gave me to read this book. I am glad to offer my fair and unbiased review!

General
First, I want to thank Net Galley for providing me a free copy to read with the only request that I write a review. Secondly this is the first of Tasha Alexander’s A Lady Emily Ashton Mystery that I have read.
This book takes us to early 1900’s and to Egypt where Lady Emily and her husband are invited to visit an old friend, Lord Bertram Deeley, a self-made antiquities buff. He has invited some other friends to enjoy a lavish time traveling up the Nile River. Lord Deeley dies unexpectantly, and it is up to Lady Ashton, her husband Colin, and their daughter Kat to unwind the circumstances around his death.
Unfortunately for me, I found the reading very laborious not infrequently having to flip back to figure out who was narrating, which significantly impacted my being able to follow the story which seemed forever to develop.
Realizing this was an attempt in Agatha Christie like imitation of her approach to mysteries, I persevered and finished the book. I can only reiterate how disappointing I found it.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4875463699

I read an ARC provided by Netgalley. The 16th in a series, this book assumes you know a certain amount of the backstories of the repeating characters, and I think will be confusing if you have not read at least some of the other books in the series. The plot was interesting with a lot of twists and red herrings but took a while to get going (also, it's never clear to me why the suspects submit to the investigation and questioning by the Hargreaves, who have no authority here, but you just have to go with that). With the caveat that I am not generally a fan of dual-timeline stories, the secondary story set in ancient Egypt was distracting from the main thread and also a bit slow to start; we were constantly advised that dire things were going to happen! but then they took awhile to occur. Three of five stars.

I didn’t realize this book was part of a series (you don’t need to read the previous books for this one to make sense) but I will for sure be checking it out as I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Lady Emily! This story is reminiscent to Agatha Christie’s books which is always a plus. It’s a cozy mystery perfect for cuddling up with and reading on those rainy days!

The characters were entertaining and their personalities jumped off the page. I loved how descriptive the author was and could easily imagine myself amongst the relics of The Nile! There is a backstory about a young woman from ancient Egypt incorporated into the story which added another level overall. The way everything ties together in the end really is superb!

If this sounds like a book for you be sure to check it out in October! Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy of this delightful book and to Tasha Alexander for introducing me to Lady Emily! She is phenomenal!