September 23, 2024
Jane Austen’s nosiest protagonist turns out to be an excellent amateur sleuth in this buoyant series launch from romance author Kelly (the Clan Kendrick series). Emma Knightley (née Woodhouse) is socializing with her best friend, Harriet Martin, one afternoon when the pair stumble on the dead body of Augusta Elton, the vicar’s wife. Harriet panics, but Emma surprises herself by keeping calm and searching the premises while they wait for the authorities to arrive. As word of the sanctimonious Augusta’s death spreads across the sleepy village of Highbury, there’s no shortage of suspects, but the bumbling coroner and constable are slow to investigate. Emma grows impatient, and sets off on her own to ferret out the killer, much to the dismay of her husband, George Knightley. Kelly makes good use of the most memorable characters from Emma, including the impoverished Miss Bates and Emma’s dim-witted father, folding them neatly into a well-executed mystery plot. The real draw, however, is the way Kelly effortlessly transforms Emma into a successful gumshoe by exploiting the same qualities Austen gave her heroine. Readers will be charmed. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency.
September 13, 2024
Bestselling historical romance author Kelly (The Highlander's Kilted Bride) turns to mystery with a new Jane Austen-inspired series featuring Emma Knightley. When Emma discovers the corpse of the vicar's wife at the local church in Highbury, she begins to discreetly investigate to protect the innocent person who is under suspicion and find the real killer. Prepub Alert.
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October 1, 2024
The leading characters ofEmma are shocked by a murder in the summer of 1815. Emma Woodhouse Knightley and Harriet Martin are taking flowers to the church when they discover the bloodied body of Mrs. Elton, the vicar's wife. The lessons Emma learned before her happy marriage to George Knightley, which forced her to acknowledge she was a less clever matchmaker than she thought, have given her a force of character that permits her to remain moderately calm in very trying circumstances. Emma had rejected an earlier marriage proposal from Mr. Elton and was no fan of the woman he married instead. Convinced that Mrs. Elton's death was no accident, she sends for Dr. Hughes, the coroner, and for her husband, who is also the local magistrate. After hearing someone leave the church, Emma finds a ladies' handkerchief near the lych-gate and a bloodstained candlestick on the altar, but not the very expensive necklace Mrs. Elton had been wearing. Emma's father is a hypochondriac of nervous disposition, so she always tries to shield him from bother, but he bravely defends family friend Miss Bates, the owner of that handkerchief, when she's accused. Dr. Hughes tries to take over the case, and Constable Sharpe fails to live up to his name when he ignores clues that would prove Miss Bates innocent. It turns out that Mr. Elton and his brother-in-law have a contentious relationship over money. Since Mrs. Elton was very unpopular, the possibilities are wide open for Emma, who's both curious and determined to expose the killer. Fans of Jane Austen will love this lively pastiche featuring one of her most beloved characters as a clever sleuth.
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Starred review from October 15, 2024
Emma Knightley may have let her imagination run away with her in the past, but the body in Highbury's church is no flight of fancy. After sending her good friend Harriet Martin off for help, Emma discovers the body is that of Mrs. Augusta Elton, the vicar's wife. Upon further investigation, Constable Sharpe and Dr. Hughes, the local coroner, point to Mrs. Elton's missing necklace as proof the murder was a robbery gone wrong. Emma, however, isn't convinced, since there is no lack of people in Highbury who may have, at one point in time, wished Mrs. Elton dead. So as far as Emma is concerned, it is her duty to find out who the murderer is, even if Emma's husband (and Highbury's magistrate) George wishes she would leave matters to the professionals. Historical romance star Kelly deftly pivots to the world of historical mysteries with an elegantly crafted whodunit that delivers all the cozy British charm and careful cluing mystery readers crave while also paying loving homage to Jane Austen's Emma with its dry wit and artful social observations. This start to a series featuring Emma will have readers ready for more.
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