It's 1901, and Lady Emily Hargreaves and her husband, Colin, are attending the funeral of Queen Victoria. Understandably, the citizens of the United Kingdom are stunned by the loss after being ruled by the petite monarch for more than 63 years. Unfortunately, that shock hasn't extended to the criminal element. When the body of a murdered man is discovered in the Tower of London, the Hargreaves are called away in the middle of the funeral so that Colin, an agent of the Crown, can investigate.

When the crime-fighting duo arrive at the Tower of London to meet with Scotland Yard, they discover that the victim, whose identity has yet to be determined, has been dressed as Henry VI and posed in such a manner as to recreate the scene of his murder that took place in that very room. But before Lady Emily can assist her husband, Inspector Gale banishes her from the crime scene after emphatically warning her that her involvement will not be tolerated.

"UNEASY LIES THE CROWN will bring joy to anyone who loves delving into challenging mysteries of the past, particularly those involving British history and the monarchy."

The immediate assumption is that this murder tableau is intended to be a warning that the life of Edward VII, Queen Victoria's eldest son and successor to the throne, is in danger. After all, just five days before her death, Her Majesty had summoned Colin to her bedside and given him a letter with a mysterious command written in Latin. Before Colin had made any headway on the puzzle, the queen was dead. Now it seems that someone may intend to murder the new king.

Just after the identity of the murdered man is discovered and the investigation undertaken, another homicide occurs. The latest victim, Clive Casby, is known and named but is once again posed in a fashion reminiscent of the murder of another king, this time Edward II. In addition to collecting information regarding the murders of already-dead monarchs, Lady Emily and Colin scoop up additional clues left for them that seem to relate to the original mystery posed by Queen Victoria herself.

While the story of Lady Emily, Colin and the murder mysteries is being told, alternate chapters thrust readers even further into the past by telling the fascinating story of Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt. The narrative focuses primarily on William, one of the king’s faithful knights, and his wife, Cecily, who is left behind in England while William joins Henry in France in 1415.

As Lady Emily and Colin race against time to solve the murders of modern-day men posed to replicate the dead, Henry V and William battle the French, with both stories culminating in endings that tie them together in completely unforeseen ways.

Tasha Alexander’s UNEASY LIES THE CROWN will bring joy to anyone who loves delving into challenging mysteries of the past, particularly those involving British history and the monarchy. The witty banter between Lady Emily and her husband, their obvious love for one another and their innate intelligence are some of the wonderful features of this book and this series, which now has thrilled readers for 13 volumes.