DEATH BY MISADVENTURE

The beautiful Bavarian Alps provide the setting for two interlinked tales.

In the winter of 1906, Lady Emily Hargreaves and her clever husband, Colin, are staying with Baroness Ursula von Düchtel in the modern villa built to show off her eclectic art collection. The most unpleasant of Ursula’s equally eclectic guests is her son-in-law, Kaspar Allerspach, a handsome boor who seems cool toward his wife, Sigrid. Among the topics discussed by the guests is the death of Ludwig the Second, aka Mad King Ludwig, who either died by suicide or was murdered 20 years earlier. Alternating chapters set in 1868 present Ludwig’s relationship with Niels von Schön, son of a baron who disapproves of his lifestyle, and provide clues to solving a murder that won’t take place until 1906. After Kaspar narrowly escapes death in a skiing accident, it’s clear that someone has it in for him. Then, on a visit to Ludwig’s Castle Neuschwanstein, someone shoots at Kaspar. It seems inescapable that the shooter is one of Ursula’s guests. Lady Emily questions everyone but comes away with nothing more than suspicions. Although Kaspar seems to be the one in danger, it’s Sigrid who’s shot dead while they’re out on a sleigh ride. Because she’d been supported financially by Ursula, her death leaves her husband distinctly worse off. But more intrigue swirls around the tangled relations among the diverse group of guests, including a beautiful narcissist who’s having an affair with Kaspar. Once a snowstorm cuts them off from help, it’s up to Emily to unmask a killer.

A mystery that keeps you guessing while you enjoy the historical retrospective on the Mad King.