Murder in Highbury (An Emma Knightley Mystery)

Emma encounters a murder!

Gentle, ironic rendering makes this new mystery spin-off from the Austen novel, Emma just so endearing. The tone Kelly sets melds so well with Austen’s classic work.
A cosy regency mystery set in the sleepy English village of Highbury.
Emma is now happily married to George Knightly. Her husband, her lifetime friends and her father are her immediate horizon.
Into this Eden slithers the destructive serpent of murder sowing seeds of mischief, fear, and distrust fed by gossip and rumor.
Emma and her young friend Harriet Martin are visiting the church and shockingly discover the lifeless body of Mrs Elton, the supercilious wife of the vicar. Mr. Elton had proposed to Emma previously, but that’s another story.
Emma show more miss that Highbury won’t be the same again. Never noted for her restraint, the indomitable Emma of course forges ahead to try to discover the identity of the murderer. George surrenders and resigns himself to his wife’s actions, given that this intrepidness is a facet of who Emma is.
There’s wonderful occasions that amuse. Too many to give a précis of.
There’s some fabulous lines. To note a few, there’s Miss Bates, “ fluttering like a demented moth between Emma and her mother.”
Or when Emma’s father Mr. Woodhouse, always irrationally concerned for his own health attends the inquest, Emma (fortunately in her head) ponders his uncharacteristic appearance as one she couldn’t have predicted. She muses that, “a volcano spewing forth in the middle of the town square was almost more likely than her father’s appearance at such a public event.”
Then there’s Vicar Elton obsequiously referring to Emma as “dear lady” on occasion (I can’t help but think of Humphrey in ‘Yes Prime Minister’)
A sharp, witty rendition by Vanessa Kelly, replete with wonderful moments in the best Austenian overtones, of an event that shockingly drops into the pond that is Highbury, sending all sorts of ripples throughout the village.
So enjoyable! I look forward to what’s next!

A Kensington ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change show less

A whodunit involving Emma & George Knightley? Yes please! I adored this Regency mystery! Vanessa Kelly brilliantly captured the essence of Jane Austen’s beloved couple so well. It felt like a natural extension of Emma with a mystery that kept me completely enthralled.

When Emma & her friend Harriet Martin discover the body of their nemesis Mrs. Augusta Elton in the church, it’s apparent she’s been murdered. But, which of the people she ran afoul with could have done such a thing in their tranquil town of Highbury? With Knightley as the magistrate, it’s up to him and his somewhat inept constables to investigate the crime. When an old, seemingly harmless friend is accused of the murder, Emma sets out to discover the truth.

I loved show more this mystery! It was so fun revisiting all the familiar characters of Jane Austen’s much loved Emma. From Emma & Knightley, Frank & Jane Churchill, the Martins, Miss Bates, & Emma’s father, to the annoying Mr. Elton, I felt like I was reacquainting myself with old familiar friends. The mystery kept me guessing with each new clue Emma discovers. There are quite a few suspects, and while I guessed who it might be fairly quickly, I was riveted leading up to the dramatic conclusion.

Highly recommend this lovely cozy Regency mystery, especially to Jane Austen fans. I’m hoping Emma & Knightley find another mystery to investigate, maybe that elusive poultry thief… I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author and publisher. All opinions are my own & voluntarily provided.

CW: a few instances of mild swearing, brief violence, mild description of murder scene. show less

I am not normally a fan of taking another author’s characters and ‘reinventing’ them, so I was apprehensive about this read. However, these characters weren’t ‘reinvented’, they just moved into the next logical progression for their characters without losing anything of themselves in the process. I couldn’t remember all of the characters and their personalities, so I watched the movie, Emma, to reacquaint myself. It was a nice surprise to see that the characters were spot-on and I could easily see Emma’s natural curiosity and tendency to matchmake turning into a curiosity, bravery, and loyalty that would cause her to poke her nose into whatever mystery might come her way – this time – a murder.

Emma and George show more Knightley are still in their first year of marriage and Emma has settled into her role within the community very nicely. The book begins with Emma and her good friend Harriet – now Mrs. Robert Martin – arriving at the church to freshen the flowers for the Sunday services – only to find a bloody body lying on the altar steps. It is Mrs. Augusta Elton, wife of the local vicar.

Emma tries to stay out of the fray (NOT!), but the seemingly inept coroner and constable doing the investigation can’t seem to get it right. Suspicions seem to fall everywhere except where they should be. There are plenty of suspects because the lady was universally disliked – but who disliked her enough to murder her? Why would they want her dead? Who is likely to gain from her death?

I loved the dynamic between the characters as they remained very much as they did in Austen’s book – with a bit of character growth. I loved the case’s twists and turns as the investigation continued. You won’t find an exciting, fast-paced adventure in this book. However, if you are an Austen fan, you will probably love the book because it is very much in her style. I enjoyed the gist of the story, and the wonderfully familiar characters, but I couldn’t enjoy the very long and slow delivery. I will be interested in seeing where future books in the series take our characters and what adventures await them. It will also be interesting to see if the pace of the delivery quickens in the next books.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

Ooh, so close! Emma is my favourite Austen novel and I loved Carrie Bebris' Mr and Mrs Darcy detective series, so I couldn't resist Emma Knightley turning amateur sleuth. And for the first few chapters, I was hooked. Emma and George are both in character and suitably loved up, following their marriage at the end of Austen's novel, and the murder of Mrs Elton is both obvious and intriguing (everybody has a motive but who would actually kill her?)

I didn't mind that the story was lengthy - especially so when listening to the audiobook - and the pacing was slow, because Emma is equally lengthy and ponderous. But there just wasn't enough story in this case to warrant 14 hours or 400 pages - 300 tops would have been better. The discovery of show more Mrs Elton's body is shocking, and of course Emma is the very person to stumble across the slain socialite, and then Mr Knightley as magistrate gets involved - but then action is replaced by conversation and tea. So much tea. Some of the red herrings were more effective than others - Miss Bates, for heaven's sake? - but I found the motive of investment very dry and not very Highbury. I hate to say, after such a positive start, that I lost interest and kept speeding up the narration.

Speaking of which: the narrator, Polly Lee, had many characters and a lot of dialogue to cover, so I admire her range, but what was going on with Mr Knightley? He was so nasal and depressive, like Eeyore on weed, that I could barely stand to listen and the cute scenes between him and Emma were ruined. I had to sort of picture the words he was speaking and imagine reading them! Mr Woodhouse was also a bit grating, and I'm not sure why Mr Weston sounded like he was from Yorkshire. The female characters were fine, though, especially - thankfully - Emma's voice, which was very in character.

I was going to say, while listening to the early chapters, that the author also did well not to echo the events of the original novel and allow for character development, but that went by the by. Emma would have been sure to drop Harriet after their respective marriages, but here they are, traipsing around Highbury together like they're both still single and require chaperones. George is still somehow jealous of Frank and Mr Elton? And not forgetting the reason for Mrs Elton's death - Mr Elton is still in love with Emma, to the point where he can kill his wife and threaten to shoot Mr Knightley!

While I will forever appreciate the author's choice of characters for her detective series, I sadly found the first Emma Knightley mystery overlong and repetitive - this spin-off was brought to you by the misuse of 'dearest' and Mr Knightley's expressive eyebrows, not to mention gallons of tea. Maybe reading the book over listening to drawn-out narration would have helped, but I'll stick to Mr and Mrs Darcy, I think. show less

Loved it! The first of a new historical cozy mystery series, this Austen alternative is absolutely fantastic. The author incorporates the memorable and enchanting characters from Emma and transports them into a well-written murder mystery. The writing embodies Austin's world so authentically, this novel is more like a fan sequel. I'll be looking forward to the next work by the author.

GoodReads FirstReads Giveaway

Thank you Kensington and Between the Chapters for the gifted ARC book.

Am I the only person who has yet to read any of Austen’s novels? Despite having no point of reference for the relation to Austen’s Emma, I enjoyed the historical mystery of MURDER IN HIGHBURY. The spunk and wit of Emma Knightly made her quite a compelling character. The writing easily transported me to the Highbury setting and kept me turning pages to find out who the killer was. While I wasn’t completely shocked to find out, I was entertained and would love to keep reading this series. I’d recommend this one to fans of cozy mysteries and the Regency era.

A great sequel-by-another-author that falls into another genre than the first entirely! I was impressed. I did NOT see the ending coming and I appreciated it. It reminded me of the slowness of Jane Austen’s books themselves and the slow unraveling of their endings…without the 50 chapters. Ha.

A mostly clean murder mystery read. Some British profanity and conversational inferences to marital sex. I would recommend for 14 and up.