Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780451216175
ISBN number: 0451216172
Label: Signet
Manufacturer: Signet
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 292
Printing Date: August 02, 2005
Publishing house: Signet
Sale Popularity Level: 509940
Studio: Signet
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
This is the very first stunning installment of a riveting new mystery series that uncovers the secrets of the dead. Pale as the Dead deals with the mysterious death of Lizzie Siddal, a real and fascinating historical figure whose beauty and tragic life have made her into a legend. (She was the model for the famous painting on the cover of the book.) Lizzie's death has always been shrouded in mystery. She is perhaps best known for the macabre story that tells of her husband, the Pre-Raphaelite artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti, having her coffin dug up to retrieve some poems he had buried with her. When the coffin was opened, Lizzie was said to be as beautiful as the day she died.
Pale as the Dead is the story of how the disappearance of a young girl, Bethany, appears to be linked in some way to Lizzie Siddal. Our detective is Natasha Blake, a complex young genealogist with a passion for history. Natasha's career choice is partly driven by the mystery of her own roots--she was abandoned in the hospital as a newborn.
Her mother disappeared hours after giving birth, leaving a false name and address and a note on the back of a picture postcard that said simply, 'Her name is Natasha.'
Natasha is hired by the missng girl's lover, Adam, whose own life seems to have plenty of dark shadows. An old diary and famous graveyard lead Natasha into more danger than she bargains for--some people will do ANYTHING to keep a secret!
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
A great book for those interested in genealogy. Keeps you on your toes to the very end.
Rated by buyers 
-
Being an amateur genealogist and an avid mystery fan I could not resist picking up both novels when I saw them. Add the fact that my daughter is named after the sister of one of the players of the past in the little mystery I thought the novel would be a good reading fit.
It was on several levels. Natasha Blake is an interesting heroine. The genealogical process was well presented and the novel is full of atmosphere.
However I can't say I was enthralled with the other characters very much. Blake's adopted family was a bit "cold" and I did not see the attraction of her father and his proclivities. The missing girl seemed somewhat flighty (as did many of the characters she involved herself with)and as someone mentioned her re-entrance back to the story a bit anticlimatic. As in most of these stories where romance provides a motive or background the male-the photographer Adam Mason-was definitely more interesting but the biggest mystery of the novel was why anyone was attracted to anyone because frankly everyone seemed to be like ships passing in the night in their relationships.
Again the process of discovery of the genealogical family story was well done even if the rationale for the whole investigation was a bit shaky. Genealogy is like that -more of a discovery -an unraveling,time consuming discovery. Most mystery novels have a degree of urgency to reach the resolution which I did not find here. All in all an interesting story-an unusual premise-a decent main character as an investigator.
Rated by buyers -
Pale as the Dead by Fiona Mountain is the very first book in the Natasha Blake series. Natasha is a professional genealogist who is contacted by a mysterious young women's boyfriend after the girl's disappearance. The only clue to her identity is an old diary that Natasha uses to find out who she really is and why she's gone. At very first I was a bit put off by the distant writing style Mountain uses throughout the book, but as I continued reading, I could see that it is merely Natasha's way of looking at the world and that Mountain's writing is brilliant at portraying that. I was hoping for more in the way of actual family tree investigation, but I can see that Mountain is really setting up Natasha with a series of minor characters who will make appearances in future novels, and perhaps there will be a bit more depth to everyone in those. (The subsequent book Bloodline is already at the top of my stack).
Rated by buyers -
Genealogist Natasha Blake is asked to find a photographer Adam's missing girlfriend Bethany, because the young woman is obsessed with an artist's model from 100+ years ago, and the only clue he has is that she left him a journal from one of her ancestors.
The good:
The genealogical investigation itself. It was fascinating, with its blend of historical and fictional characters, and the convincing way in which one clue leads to another.
The characters, particularly genealogist Natasha Blake and the artist's model Bethany Marshall. They're richly drawn and understandable.
The tone. The story has a dreamy, at times almost surreal feel to it, fitting perfectly with the art.
The research. It was very thorough, providing rich detail without resorting to infodumps.
The bad:
The premise. It didn't seem realistic that Adam would ask a genealogist to find his missing girlfriend, or that there was any reason to believe she could be successful.
The attraction between Natasha and Adam. It threw me every time it came up, because I couldn't see a foundation for it or point to it.
The solution. There was a lot of build-up, but the ending itself was anticlimactic.
The verdict:
I liked the main character and the genealogical investigation enough to recommend this one with reservations, and to check out the subsequent one.
Rated by buyers -
Pale as the Dead is a promising very first mystery that -- like many very first mysteries -- is strong on character and atmosphere, and a bit weak on plot. In Natasha Blake, Mountain has created a character with an interesting profession and enough personal problems to see us through several more installments of the promised series. Mountain writes evocatively of the Cotswolds (where Natasha lives) and of London and Oxford (where she often goes to do research). And she's obviously done a great deal of research on a number of subjects (the pre-Raphaelites, the profession of genealogy, medical issues), and manages to work the results of her research into the book without stopping it dead in its tracks.
The problem is that the solution to the mystery (at least, the 21st-century part of the mystery) seems anti-climactic, after everything that came before it. But everything up to that point was so good, that slight flaw won't stop me from reading the subsequent Natasha Blake mystery.
Find other books like this one:
