Alexander, Tasha 1969–

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Alexander, Tasha 1969–

PERSONAL: Born 1969; married; children: one son. Education: University of Notre Dame, B.A., 1992.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—P.O. Box 1162, Franklin, TN 37065. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative in Vermont, and a temporary employment office manager in Laramie, WY.

WRITINGS:

And Only to Deceive (novel), William Morrow (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Tasha Alexander finished her first novel, And Only to Deceive in two months. The book is a romantic suspense novel set in Victorian England and in Greece. The protagonist, Emily, is a young widow who loses her husband, a big-game hunter and collector of Greek vases, after only six months of marriage. Though she initially relishes the freedom his death provides her, she becomes intrigued by the secrets her husband kept from her. She investigates him, seeking out his business colleagues, reading his journals, becoming acquainted with classical antiquity and Greek art, and stretching the boundaries of proper Victorian behavior through her friendships with men. Ultimately, Emily learns to love the husband she hardly knew in life and works toward solving the mystery of his death.

Although a Kirkus Reviews contributor noted the story's "long buildup," Alexander fills the narrative with period details. A critic reviewing the novel for Publishers Weekly wrote that Alexander's "knowledge of the ethical dilemmas posed by Victorian etiquette is considerable; sexual chemistry in particular is handled with exquisite delicacy."