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The Highbury Murders

by Victoria Grossack

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1921,146,922 (3.25)2
EXCERPT:The death of Mrs. Bates, a very old lady whose hearing had long since gone and who had spent her last few months either in her bedroom or sitting in her chair in the parlor, would have gone unremarked in London, where people spent their time discussing fashion, nobility, and the latest offering at the theatre. In Bath her decease might have been mentioned as a piece of dull news, before the residents and visitors resumed discussing who had been seen at the Pump Room during the day or who was giving a whist party that night. In Highbury, however, Mrs. Bates's passing was an event which was talked over in every house, both great and small.ABOUT THE BOOKJane Austen's "Emma" has been described as a detective story without a body - except for those who read carefully, there actually is a body, and the potential for an excellent mystery story.Set about a year after "Emma" closes, "The Highbury Murders" pays homage to the wit of Jane Austen and the whodunits of Agatha Christie. You do not need to have read Jane Austen's books to enjoy this novel, but if you have - if you regret that she wrote only six - "The Highbury Murders" is a welcome extension to her world. Pour yourself a cup of tea, settle somewhere comfortable, and indulge yourself with the proverbial good read.… (more)
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I would rank Victoria Grossack's Austen murder mystery novel, set in Highbury after the events of Emma, far above P.D. James' dreadful Death Comes to Pemberley, but failing to knock Carrie Bebris' The Intrigue at Highbury off the top spot. Victoria remains fairly faithful to the original characters in tone and behaviour - barring one or two staggering exceptions, crucial to the plot - but her understanding of Austen's novel seems to be lacking the developments of the final few chapters. Emma is still calling her husband 'Mr Knightley' - I think Austen might have been joking when Emma tells her future husband that she could never bring herself to call him 'George' - and her relationship with Jane Fairfax/Churchill is still prickly, when I'm fairly sure they finally made up. But at least this author didn't kill Mr Knightley off at the first chapter, or doom him and Emma to a loveless marriage - all praise is due to her for that!

The crime and the revelation of the killers needs to be read to be believed! I won't say any more, but I read those final chapters with a look of mingled horror and disgust on my face that must have been comical to watch. Then I read the author's notes at the end, and thought - 'Hm, do you know what - that sort of makes sense, in a twisted way!' So, what Victoria Grossack loses in recapping the original novel and setting Austen's characters back a volume or two, she most definitely gains in writing a shocking murder mystery. ( )
  AdonisGuilfoyle | Oct 25, 2013 |
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FOR CATHERINE,

who took care of me when I was injured and who loves a good cup of tea
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The death of Mrs. Bates, a very old lady whose hearing had long since gone and who had spent her last few months either in her bedroom or sitting in her chair in the parlor, would have gone unremarked in London, where people spent their time discussing fashion, nobility, and the latest offering at the theatre.
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EXCERPT:The death of Mrs. Bates, a very old lady whose hearing had long since gone and who had spent her last few months either in her bedroom or sitting in her chair in the parlor, would have gone unremarked in London, where people spent their time discussing fashion, nobility, and the latest offering at the theatre. In Bath her decease might have been mentioned as a piece of dull news, before the residents and visitors resumed discussing who had been seen at the Pump Room during the day or who was giving a whist party that night. In Highbury, however, Mrs. Bates's passing was an event which was talked over in every house, both great and small.ABOUT THE BOOKJane Austen's "Emma" has been described as a detective story without a body - except for those who read carefully, there actually is a body, and the potential for an excellent mystery story.Set about a year after "Emma" closes, "The Highbury Murders" pays homage to the wit of Jane Austen and the whodunits of Agatha Christie. You do not need to have read Jane Austen's books to enjoy this novel, but if you have - if you regret that she wrote only six - "The Highbury Murders" is a welcome extension to her world. Pour yourself a cup of tea, settle somewhere comfortable, and indulge yourself with the proverbial good read.

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Jane Austen's "Emma" has been described as a detective story without a body - except for those who read carefully, there actually is a body, and the potential for an excellent mystery story.

Set about a year after "Emma" closes, "The Highbury Murders" pays homage to the wit of Jane Austen and the whodunits of Agatha Christie. You do not need to have read Jane Austen's books to enjoy this novel, but if you have - if you regret that she wrote only six - "The Highbury Murders" is a welcome extension to her world. Pour yourself a cup of tea, settle somewhere comfortable, and indulge yourself with the proverbial good read.

[retrieved 2/4/2015 from Amazon.com]
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