Get 4 Books for $1
plus a FREE gift
with membership
Already a Member?
Contact Us
Help
By
The Temptress By Paul Spicer

The Temptress

The Scandalous Life of Alice De Janze and the Mysterious Death of Lord Erroll

by Paul Spicer

Mem. Ed. $17.99

Pub. Ed. $25.99

You pay $0.25

The Temptress

Both the biography of a dangerous beauty and a thrilling true-crime investigation, Paul Spicer’s The Temptress sheds new light on the murder that scandalized polite society for decades.

Decadent parties, pervasive drug use and rampant spouse-swapping were all but de rigueur for white colonials living in 1920s Kenya—so much so that their enclave in Wanjohi Valley soon became known as Happy Valley. For American heiress Alice De Janzé, it was the perfect fit. A woman of unbridled passions, she indulged in many affairs and was even involved in an attempted murder-suicide. But did she kill her ex-lover Josslyn Hay, the Earl of Erroll? As The Temptress traces her hedonistic life, its insights may shock you…in more ways than one.

Hardcover: 272 pages

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, Llc ( July 20, 2010 )

Item #: 70-7809

ISBN: 9780312379704

Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 x 0.61 inches

Product Weight: 13.0 ounces

Kinder than others would have been
August 12, 2010

Overall I liked this bio, the author bends over backwards to be understanding of what was essentially an incredibly selfish, reckless woman. The "Happy Valley" murder incident and this cast of characters has fascinated me for a while, if anyone else is similarly interested I recommend Francis Osborne's bio of her great-grandmother Idina Sackville, called "The Bolter". Alice de Janze, the subject of "The Temptress" was an interesting figure but she left a lot of wreckage in her wake. Sometimes it's difficult to sympathize with her and the choices she made, particularly (like her friend Idina) abandoning her children when she got bored with her husband. It's true that women had limited possibilities back in this time period but Alice was much more fortunate than the vast majority of women, and she seemed to squander every good opportunity she ever had. But, a good book enjoyed it.

Reviewer: Portia

Contributors

07L
13307201001ADFL