The Lost Empress

By: Steve Robinson

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

From acclaimed author Steve Robinson comes a bold new Jefferson Tayte mystery.

On a foggy night in 1914, the ocean liner Empress of Ireland sank en route to England and now lies at the bottom of Canada’s St Lawrence River. The disaster saw a loss of life comparable to the Titanic and the Lusitania, and yet her tragedy has been forgotten.

When genealogist Jefferson Tayte is shown a locket belonging to one of the Empress' victims, a British admiral’s daughter named Alice Stilwell, he must travel to England to understand the course of events that led to her death.

Tayte is expert in tracking killers across centuries. In The Lost Empress, his unique talents draw him to one of the greatest tragedies in maritime history as he unravels the truth behind Alice’s death amidst a backdrop of pre-WWI espionage.

This is the fourth book in the Jefferson Tayte mystery series, but can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story.

©2014 Steve Robinson (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Not the author's best, but worth listening to

I found myself becoming extremely annoyed with the protagonist. All along the way there were many opportunities to "come clean." And to my mind Tate was pretty slow on the uptake about who was the guilty party. BUT, because I'm a history lover, it was still worth listening to.
I think Simon Vance usually does an amazing job but on this book it seemed he was trying too hard for Tate's American accent, like Ralph Fiennes in Maid in Manhattan.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Another Masterpiece

I love these JT novels. intriguing, mysterious and exciting. Every book is just as good as the first. knowing my own family skeletons makes all of the books plausible and a fun read.

Good book

I enjoyed this book. Some of his other books had more drama but the book was still a good read.

Love this series of books

I have really been enjoying this set of audible books. The narrator is very good and the story line is a nice murder mystery. Can’t wait to listen to the last two books in the series as well as looking forward to more from this author.

Ludicrously contrived

Another well narrated Jefferson Tayte mystery, this one with a plot that unfortunately borders on the ludicrous. Alice’s various actions in the face of an eloborate spying plot against Britain involving her family just don't seem at all credible and the whole narrative structure crumbles as a result. Pity - the historical context (Empress of Ireland) is very interesting and real.

Well done, Alice!<br />

Excellent narration. Interesting story about England's fascination with Germany since Victoria's time. A good story!

Love this series!

Lots of twists and turns, and a few surprises at the end.
Narration is wonderful. Each book gets better and better. Looking forward to the next one. Glad to find out there are at least 2 more in the series.
Highly recommended!

Terrific Series!

If you could sum up The Lost Empress in three words, what would they be?

Fantastc historical mysteries!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jefferson Tate. His problem solving skills, historical research within the stories and putting all the pieces together while being a likeable, slightly eccentric main character. All created by the very creative author!

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

All of them as Simon Vance is a truly top notch narrator and one of my personal favorites!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There are always at least several cliff hanging moments in the Jefferson Tate series. Author Steve Robinson's alternating writing style of setting up chapters in the present and the past adds to the suspense. Add to that a splash of wry humor and you have great books that keep you riveted to the stories. In this particular book, there was one scene that was very sad for one of the main characters when you find out who is really behind the misery suffered. Don't want to give it away for those who haven't read thi book yet.

Any additional comments?

I can't say it enough how much I love this series, as well as narration by Simon Vance who deftly brings all of the characters to life as he always does.

Decent read

I can see why people like this series. It's an interesting way to weave historical events into a novel. Shamefully, I hadn't heard of the Empress of Ireland shipwreck, so I appreciated learning something new. Because he's so excellent at everything else, I'll forgive Mr. Prebble 's awful American accent. Overal, not a bad read.

Alice Stilwell Vindicated

Another great genealogy mystery solved by Jefferson Tayte. An American Woman hires him to find out if her grandmother, Alice Dixon, is any relation to Alice Stilwell. His client has a locket belonging to her grandmother but the name on the locked is Alice Stilwell not Dixon. So, Tayte travels to London to investigate. He attempts to visit the Metcalf home since that was Alice Stilwell's maiden name, but he is turned away at the gate by a rude and boisterous grandson of the current resident, Sir Reginald. According to the family stories, Alice Stilwell ran off and left her two young children to be raised by her parents. She was believed to be a spy for Germany and as such, the family wanted nothing to do with her. But, Tayte was not to be deterred. He went to the next person on his list, Leonard Scanlon, only to find that Scanlon was murdered two weeks earlier. While driving to visit Scanlon, Tayte is run off the road and winds up working with a Detective who is trying to solve the murder. The book goes back and forth between today and the 1914 world leading up to WW I. There is intrigue within Alice's parents house. Alice's husband Henry is kidnapped and she is forced to spy to protect his life and her children's lives. She runs away and sails to Canada in an attempt to save her husband only to find an even bigger surprise. It is a good story and Tayte is his usual self, picture Colombo in a tan suit instead of a coat. As in usual Tayte style, he solves the mystery and continues to seek his roots. This is a great series. Simon Vance narrates and he is the voice of Tayte. The audible version puts life to the words.

Excellent

Loved the story and a great follow on from the other titles. The fact that the stories are based around real historical events adds to the enjoyment. More please

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Glad I tried again

My first experience of this author and series didn’t quite work. I am so glad I came back and tried again.This story had me hooked from the word go. Train journeys , car journeys, washing up any excuse to carry on listening . The book travelled from the present to the past seamlessly and the narrator made the journey even better. The Story flowed and you very quickly became involved, the characters gained your sympathy or your dislike. I look forward to moving on to book 5

BRILLIANT!!

I loved the past and present woven together to produce a very brilliant plot of historical intrigue and modern day technology. The narrator is great at doing the character voices so it's easy to listen too. I enjoy family history anyway and to have it used in a thriller makes a great story.

Another good Jefferson Tayte tale

Really enjoyed this book a good continuation from the previous books in the series. Looking forward to the next.

Riveting

What an utterly brilliant book!!!
This would make a fabulous film!!!
Full of mystery and intrigue, paths turning in every direction, leaving you utterly gob smacked.........

good read

Excellent twist and turns author keeps you engaged engrossingy tantalizing very good twist at the end

so absorbing

everything about this was just sheer pleasure to listen to, looking forward to the next one

great listen

this is the first time I have listened to a Steve Robinson audio having READ his previous books. Nothing is lost in the spoken word, and I would recommend that you download the first of the series. The books do stand alone but the main character develops as the series goes along. First class writing!

Gripping.

Superb narration by Simon Vance. a great story well read. highly recommended. Hope there's more.

Past and present collide

Yet another cracking story. This series was a random pick for my kindle so I could listen whilst walking. Recommend to all.