Academics from Concord descend on Amherst, MA in the second novel in this series. Emily's new sister-in-law, Susan, hosts Ralph Waldo Emerson and his secretary, Luther Howard, in town for a lecture series at the college, hoping that their new home will become a literary hub. Susan and Austin's staff is small, and Willa is loaned out to help ready the home for the prestigious guest. Howard, too handsome for his own good, turns many heads in the short time they are in town and is found dead in the garden at Evergreen during their welcome dinner. Emily flouts convention, because she is able to, and with her maid Willa, entertain questioning suspects in their search for the killer. 1850's Amherst is keenly drawn, with abolitionism and class distinctions at the forefront of much of their investigation. ( )

Ralph Waldo Emerson pays a visit to Amherst and stays at the home of Austin and Susan Dickinson. The year is 1856, and Emerson is giving a series of lectures. Emily is delighted, and her sister Lavinia is much taken with Emerson’s secretary, Luther Howard. Luther, however, is not a man to be trusted, and it’s not long before his true nature comes to light. Unfortunately for the young man, he is no longer able to defend himself, having been poisoned and found dead in the Dickinson’s garden. Now Emily’s quest is to prove that her family is innocent of any wrong-doing, keeping their reputation intact. Assisted by her caring maid Willa, Emily shows no fear in pursuing the miscreant who murdered Luther. Who they catch is likely to surprise even them, as more than one person has black thoughts. This well-written and delightful mystery flowers on the page (no pun intended) and blossoms into an intriguing and entertaining tale. The characters are well drawn and developed and quite likable and believable. Amanda Flower just keeps getting better with each book she writes. This series may turn out be one of her best, which is really saying something, since her other series are quite wonderful, too. ( )

I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died is the second book in An Emily Dickinson Mystery series by Amanda Flower.

Emily Dickinson and Dickinson’s maid, Willa, are back and solving a mystery again.

Emily’s brother, Austin, and his new bride, Susan, have returned from their honeymoon and have set up residency in Evergreen, the home Mr. Dickinson had built for them. They will host Ralph Waldo Emerson, who is in town to deliver a literary symposium at the local college. Also traveling with Emerson is secretary, Luther. One afternoon, Willa overhears an argument between Emerson and Luther. Emerson accused Luther of stealing some of his works, telling him he was fired when their current visit ended. That evening, everyone is gathered for the evening meal when suddenly Luther excuses himself, saying he’s not feeling well and needs some fresh air. Shortly after that, a gardener asks to speak with Willa and informs her that Luther is lying dead in the garden. No one can believe this, as Luther had made it known when he first arrived how allergic he was to pollen. The police will discover that Luther was poisoned. Emily asks Willa to help her find the killer, as the murder could damage the Dickinson family’s reputation. Emily and Willa had worked together a year before to find the killer of Willa’s brother. Emily remembers that maids seem invisible to their employers, so Willa should be able to overhear conversations and gather backstairs gossip from other maids and workers.
They soon learn that Luther was a “lady's man” and have several suspects to pursue. Some suspects could include family, close friends, and an immigrant peddler.

This series is an astounding addition to my favorite historical cozy mysteries. I love how well Emily and Willa work together. I feel sorry for the family cook as Emily is constantly removing her from her kitchen duties. I found the book to be well-written, charming, and historically accurate. The characters are interesting, believable, and well-developed.

I’m looking forward to the next book in this engaging series. Mainly to see if any romantic interest will develop between Willa and Matthew, a local policeman. ( )

Emily Dickinson is excited when Ralph Waldo Emerson comes to stay with her newlywed brother in order to give a series of lectures at Amherst. However, when his private secretary is killed, Emily is drawn into the murder investigation along with her maid Willa Noble.

Willa tells the story from her viewpoint as a servant to the high-class Dickinson family. She's a keen observer who reluctantly trails Emily into dangerous situations. She is also in position to hear things that she brings to Emily's attention.

Mr. Luther Howard is a sort of shady character. He's been Emerson's secretary for a while as he hones his own skills as an author. Unfortunately, he chooses theft to hone his skills. When he finds a writer he admires, he offers to show Emerson their work and then claims it as his own. Howard is also a social climber who romances a variety of women and drops each one as the next, higher status woman comes along. At the time of his death, he is just starting to romance Emily's younger sister.

There are a variety of suspects for the killing. An itinerant Italian peddler has reason to hate Howard because his false romance caused the peddler's niece to commit suicide. Even Emerson is a suspect since he's just discovered that Howard was trying to sell one of Emerson's earlier unfinished works as his own.

This story is packed with literary figures of the day beyond Emerson and Dickinson herself. Louisa Alcott makes an appearance as a woman unabashedly writing to make money which is so very different than Emily's own purpose for writing.

I enjoyed this story and think that I would have caught more of the brief snippets of Emily's thoughts as parts of her later poems had I been more familiar with Dickinson's work. One that I did catch was the idea that hope is a thing with feathers which Emily mentions when a young workman talks about sending his sweetheart in Ireland a carved wooden bird to keep her hopes for their future alive. I'm sure there were more that I missed.

This was an engaging story firmly set in the 1850s with its social rules. The abolition movement was there as a background to the story as was the way immigrants were treated and the way the social class distinctions were so fixed.

Fans of historical mysteries will enjoy this story. ( )

1856. Amherst. Austin Dickinson and his wife Susan have returned from their honeymoon. With within a week they will host the writer Ralph Waldo Emerson and his secretary Luther Howard. But soon Howard will be dead. The motive unknown. The police investigate but Emily Dickinson prefers to find the guilty party herself with the help of the maid Willa Noble.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its interesting characters. A good addition to this series which can be read as a standalone story. ( )