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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Regency mystery is not my normal read these days, BUT:
When I saw this murder mystery detective was none other than Jane Austen’s tireless Emma Woodhouse (now Knightly), well... I hit the request button at NetGalley quicker than you can say Frank Churchhill.
Our beloved Emma is less than one year into her marriage to magistrate George Knightley, when she stumbles upon a deceased Mrs. Augusta Elton, the vicar’s wife. She's been left on the church steps and she missing a crucial piece of jewelry!
And so begins the organized chaos that is IS Emma Woodhouse, but here she has traded in her matchmaking skills for detective work.
This audio version was SO fun, the narrators are perfect and the story will have you laughing one minute and full of tense suspense the next. I would read an entire series of Emma and George's life post nuptials, especially as she drives him a little batty with all her investigating nonsense. Thank you To Vanessa Kelly for brainstorming this wondering concoction!
Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio and the author for a chance to listen and review in return for my honest opinion
When I saw this murder mystery detective was none other than Jane Austen’s tireless Emma Woodhouse (now Knightly), well... I hit the request button at NetGalley quicker than you can say Frank Churchhill.
Our beloved Emma is less than one year into her marriage to magistrate George Knightley, when she stumbles upon a deceased Mrs. Augusta Elton, the vicar’s wife. She's been left on the church steps and she missing a crucial piece of jewelry!
And so begins the organized chaos that is IS Emma Woodhouse, but here she has traded in her matchmaking skills for detective work.
This audio version was SO fun, the narrators are perfect and the story will have you laughing one minute and full of tense suspense the next. I would read an entire series of Emma and George's life post nuptials, especially as she drives him a little batty with all her investigating nonsense. Thank you To Vanessa Kelly for brainstorming this wondering concoction!
Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio and the author for a chance to listen and review in return for my honest opinion
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Buying and reading this book combined 3 of my favourite things: a cozy mystery, Regency era stories and supporting local authors. A mystery based on Austen’s world of Emma (my fave of her stories), this story has so much charm. It will be one I reread in the future for sure!
Murder in Highbury transports you back into an Austen classic, staying true to the original tones and characters, while also bringing a fresh take on the world of Emma. When Emma Knightley and her friend Harriet accidentally stumble about the murder scene of the vicar’s wife, life as they know it takes a dramatic turn. Between dealing with the hysterics of friends and family, inept coroners and constables, and trying to investigate on her own without angering her husband, Emma has her hands full. I like how this book still portrayed the characters in much the same manner as Austen’s original novel, so it really does feel like a sequel of sorts.
Polly Lee does a wonderful job bringing every character to life. I particularly liked her portrayal of Harriet and Mr. Woodhouse as her voices did a great job capturing their quirks and attitudes.
All in all, this was a very entertaining return to a beloved classic setting, as well as a clever mystery that had me questioning my suspicions until the end. I am excited to see what comes next.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Vanessa Kelly has written a charming cozy Regency historical mystery, Murder in Highbury. It features Jane Austen’s Emma Woodhouse Knightley as the lead character and takes place one year after her marriage to magistrate George Knightley. When Emma and Harriet Smith Martin discover a dead body in the local church, the story is off to a creative start. With suspicions falling on multiple people throughout the novel, Emma is determined to solve the case and protect the innocent.
Full of humor and wit, this book is clever and easy to read with well-developed characters. The atmosphere of a rural village was presented well. However, the dialogue did not feel realistic to the period and the incompetence of some of the characters felt overdone. Additionally, the pacing was a little slow in places and the real murderer was relatively easy to discern. Despite this, it is a charming and enjoyable read and the character dynamics was well-done.
Overall, this is an entertaining and amusing read that will likely appeal to those who enjoy Jane Austen’s original novel and those who like cozy historical mysteries.
Kensington Books provided a complimentary physical copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date was October 22, 2024.
Full of humor and wit, this book is clever and easy to read with well-developed characters. The atmosphere of a rural village was presented well. However, the dialogue did not feel realistic to the period and the incompetence of some of the characters felt overdone. Additionally, the pacing was a little slow in places and the real murderer was relatively easy to discern. Despite this, it is a charming and enjoyable read and the character dynamics was well-done.
Overall, this is an entertaining and amusing read that will likely appeal to those who enjoy Jane Austen’s original novel and those who like cozy historical mysteries.
Kensington Books provided a complimentary physical copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date was October 22, 2024.
Emma and George Knightley? JAFF? A historical murder mystery? Sign me up.
Murder in Highbury was a wholly fun read, and one I very much enjoyed; I loved the writing and appreciated how natural an extension of Emma it read and Ms Kelly’s appreciation of Jane Austen is evident in this story. I adored this one.
This was my first time reading the author and I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next title in the series 🙂
Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the DRC
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Big Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy!!
'Murder in Highbury' is a regency mystery and a Jane Austen 'retelling', with Emma of Austen's popular novel married to Mr Knightly and now solving a murder!
The novel is rather cute and funny, even though it's about a murder case. It involves a lot of the original novel's characters and the audiobook's narrator gives each and every one a unique voice which resembles a lot the ones of the movie!
Also, the novel includes a lot of regency novel scenes other than the investigation, which adds to the enjoyment of the story.
'Murder in Highbury' is a regency mystery and a Jane Austen 'retelling', with Emma of Austen's popular novel married to Mr Knightly and now solving a murder!
The novel is rather cute and funny, even though it's about a murder case. It involves a lot of the original novel's characters and the audiobook's narrator gives each and every one a unique voice which resembles a lot the ones of the movie!
Also, the novel includes a lot of regency novel scenes other than the investigation, which adds to the enjoyment of the story.
An absolutely delightful read that had me laughing and cringing at the same time! Emma Knightley, classic Jane Austen character, is rewritten as an investigative sleuth. She's married to the local magistrate and together they are trying to solve the murder of a local woman that no one really liked.
Emma is witty and incredibly smart. Plus her uncanny personality trait of tending to say what's on her mind without thinking through proper etiquette, tends to put her in uncomfortable situations more often than not. But she always recovers quickly and handles herself with the utmost respect for others.
Her husband is wonderful too, very supportive of his wife's untraditional interest in his work, they pair well reviewing all the clues and bouncing ideas off one another. There are lots of supporting characters throughout this piece as well and I think my favorite was Emma's widower father. He's so sweet and caring about his family, but also a little quirky in his anxiety about everything having the possibility of going awry.
So many laughs and giggles throughout this one that I enjoyed every second of it. I did however guess the outcome of this one from the very start, but that didn't deter me from enjoying how the clues unfolded and the path that led to the conclusion. A great adventure and characterization of Emma Knightley!
Emma is witty and incredibly smart. Plus her uncanny personality trait of tending to say what's on her mind without thinking through proper etiquette, tends to put her in uncomfortable situations more often than not. But she always recovers quickly and handles herself with the utmost respect for others.
Her husband is wonderful too, very supportive of his wife's untraditional interest in his work, they pair well reviewing all the clues and bouncing ideas off one another. There are lots of supporting characters throughout this piece as well and I think my favorite was Emma's widower father. He's so sweet and caring about his family, but also a little quirky in his anxiety about everything having the possibility of going awry.
So many laughs and giggles throughout this one that I enjoyed every second of it. I did however guess the outcome of this one from the very start, but that didn't deter me from enjoying how the clues unfolded and the path that led to the conclusion. A great adventure and characterization of Emma Knightley!
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Jane Austen's irrepressible Emma envisioned as a sleuth, eager to suss out the truth after a murder is discovered in Highbury? Sign me up because I am here for it!
I really enjoyed this fun cozy mystery that imagines Emma's life as newlywed Mrs. Knightley who, along with her loyal but dim friend, Harriet Smith, stumbles upon the dead body of her former nemesis and vicar's wife, Mrs. Elton. I appreciate that the author never tries to pretend to be writing anything other than what this is: a light, easy read that is really just trad-published fan fiction of the classic novel. For Austen and Emma fans, this is a lovely idea for a historical mystery. All of the beloved characters in the original novel make multiple appearances here, predictably doing as much helping as hindering the local magistrate, Mr. Knightley (of course), to solve the crime.
I thought the book was paced well and the mystery was plotted effectively, with the last half of the book being faster and more enjoyable as Emma and Knightley really hit their stride and got down to the business of uncovering the big clues. While the characterizations aren't exactly the way I have them all in my mind (my Emma would never call her Mr. Knightley "George" for example), there is enough of an effort to carry over the personalities from the source material that it worked ok anyway.
My hot take on this one is that the book would have been much better overall if Mrs. Elton wasn't the murder victim. Because Mrs. Elton is the primary source of conflict for most of the characters during a majority of the original novel, I found myself wishing that she was here in this one to stir everybody up and throw obstacles into the plotline. Emma should have had a good foil in this book, and Mrs. Elton would have been such great competion for Emma in the race to expose the real villain. I would have chosen a recognizable, but irrelevant character from Austen's work, like Mrs. Cox, Mrs. Elton's sister or brother-in-law, to be the victim, or an original character like a domestic servant or some distant cousin visiting family in Highbury.
Be that as it may, I would absolutely read another mystery featuring this detective Emma and her handsome Knightley -- perhaps starring Mr. Woodhouse as an unlikely hero.
Thank you Kensington Publishing, NetGalley, and Austenprose for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this fun cozy mystery that imagines Emma's life as newlywed Mrs. Knightley who, along with her loyal but dim friend, Harriet Smith, stumbles upon the dead body of her former nemesis and vicar's wife, Mrs. Elton. I appreciate that the author never tries to pretend to be writing anything other than what this is: a light, easy read that is really just trad-published fan fiction of the classic novel. For Austen and Emma fans, this is a lovely idea for a historical mystery. All of the beloved characters in the original novel make multiple appearances here, predictably doing as much helping as hindering the local magistrate, Mr. Knightley (of course), to solve the crime.
I thought the book was paced well and the mystery was plotted effectively, with the last half of the book being faster and more enjoyable as Emma and Knightley really hit their stride and got down to the business of uncovering the big clues. While the characterizations aren't exactly the way I have them all in my mind (my Emma would never call her Mr. Knightley "George" for example), there is enough of an effort to carry over the personalities from the source material that it worked ok anyway.
My hot take on this one is that the book would have been much better overall if Mrs. Elton wasn't the murder victim. Because Mrs. Elton is the primary source of conflict for most of the characters during a majority of the original novel, I found myself wishing that she was here in this one to stir everybody up and throw obstacles into the plotline. Emma should have had a good foil in this book, and Mrs. Elton would have been such great competion for Emma in the race to expose the real villain. I would have chosen a recognizable, but irrelevant character from Austen's work, like Mrs. Cox, Mrs. Elton's sister or brother-in-law, to be the victim, or an original character like a domestic servant or some distant cousin visiting family in Highbury.
Be that as it may, I would absolutely read another mystery featuring this detective Emma and her handsome Knightley -- perhaps starring Mr. Woodhouse as an unlikely hero.
Thank you Kensington Publishing, NetGalley, and Austenprose for the opportunity to read and review this novel. All opinions are my own.