Death in the Floating City, Tasha Alexander

I saw this book recommended on a mystery list somewhere, and since I really like Venice and mysteries (and particularly series mysteries), I decided to give this one a try.  The story is actually the seventh in the series, and I think I might have been better off to start with number one just to get the background and then have skipped to this one, but it wasn't 100% necessary.  I just think I'd have preferred it.

Lady Emily and her husband Colin are private investigators, and in this story they've been called on to help Emma, a childhood friend of Emily's.  Friend, however, is a bit of a loose term.  Perhaps acquaintance would be more appropriate. Friend implies some sort of congenial relationship, and these two have never had that.  Nor  do they in this story, but Emma has no one else to turn to.  Emma's husband has been accused of killing his father, and he's disappeared, which does not help his case much.  Emily and her husband come to Venice to try and discover the truth

I read this mystery over the last few weeks and I have't been feeling well, and the pacing of the story was perfect for that.  Some mysteries are super intense and sort of wear a person out while reading them, but this one just moved steadily along.  Perhaps the setting in the 19th century and a woman as one of the main detectives affected that, I'm not sure.  In any case, the story is interesting, but what I really loved were the descriptions of Venice.  I've been to Venice before, and like nearly very visitor to that magnificent city, I was enchanted.  Reading a story set there let me be an armchair traveler while I read, and that was super fun.

If you like historical fiction, mysteries, and Venice, this is a sure winner.