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.

I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died by Amanda Flower is a fun example of historical mystery. The main character, Willa, is a maid in the home of Emily Dickinson’s parents and Emily’s particular friend. Everyone is excited that the great writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, is coming to Amherst for a weeklong series of lectures, and will be staying just next door with Emily’s brother, Austin, and his new wife, Susan. Now, there is no evidence that Emerson and Dickinson ever met, but it makes a great story, until Emerson’s assistant is killed and by a most unusual means. Of course, as is appropriate for the time, an immigrant is accused, an itinerant peddler, but Emily is convinced of his innocence. She and Willa undertake to investigate, despite the disapproval of Mr. Dickinson and Willa’s friend, Matthew, who is a police officer.

The appealing thing about historical fiction is that the reader can learn about the personalities, surroundings, and society at the time in a relaxed fashion. Emily Dickinson did not investigate crimes but the personalities of herself and her family are portrayed as accurately as possible with knowledge gained through research, as is the persona of Ralph Waldo Emerson. The method of murder (and clever) is accurate for the time as are the methods of policing. There is much to be learned in historical fiction and Amanda Flower has done the research and come up with an enticing fictional life surrounding a fairly accurate ones of the people who were real. It is a gift and Flower has it. Another excellent book!

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died by Berkley Publishing Group, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #BerkelyPublishingGroup #AmandaFlower #IheardAFlyBuzzWhenIDied

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a great historical fiction mystery featuring Emily Dickinson and her maid Willa in 1856 Amhurst. This is book two in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone. I haven't read the first book, but didn't feel like I was missing much because of it.

Emily's brother and best friend have returned from their honeymoon and announce that Ralph Waldo Emerson will visit Amhurst for a literary symposium and will be staying with them. Emily is excited because she respects his writing and hopes to gather the courage to show him some of her writing. Emerson's personal secretary, Luthor, however proves to be a distraction to Emily's family, including her youngest sister Lavinia. When Luthor is murdered during a dinner party, the Dickinson families troubles increase even more.

Feeling that the police are pinning the killing on an innocent man, Emily and Willa are determined to discover the real murderer. I am not sure how accurate the author's portrayal of Emily is, but I enjoyed her forthright manner. She spoke her thoughts without a care for others and did what she thought was right. It did get annoying that she constantly said the equivalent of "do you know who I am" and threw her family's name around all the time, giving the impression that the rules didn't apply to her and that she and her family could basically do whatever they wanted. Perhaps that's the way things were back in the day, it wouldn't surprise me. Willa was clever and knew how to be in the right place at the right time to discover information relevant to the case. I liked her relationship with her police officer beau and hope that their relationship moves forward in future books.

I figured out the killer early in the book, but I enjoyed seeing how the author got there. It was also cool how the author included several other prominent writers throughout the story and I found myself looking each up and finding out more about their life. They definitely could have crossed paths with Emily during her life.

If you like historical fiction mysteries utilizing famous characters, this book is for you. I look forward to reading more books in the series.

I was given a complimentary e-copy of this book by Berkley/Penguin Random House. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun read and an interesting story. I’m not sure I’ll read anymore though as it isn’t really my interest.

🪰I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died 🪰
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Short synopsis: A fictional story told from the perspective of one of Emily Dickinson’s maids Willa Noble. The dead body of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s secretary is found in the garden and Willa and Emily are on the hunt to find the killer.

My thoughts: This was a fun cozy mystery based on historical people. We get old literary geniuses such as Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Louisa May Alcott.

Another thing that really shown in this book was the female activist strides. In the book Emerson encourages a female author to write under a male pen name, because being a woman isn’t good enough. I’m so glad for the women who fought to give the women of today equal rights!

It was fun to hear the thoughts from a servant of the wealthy, and how Willa was essentially a fly on the real overhearing many secretive moments between the more elite. You can see where there was a huge class disparity between those in service and those of privilege, but I especially enjoyed how the author portrayed Emily and her friendship with Willa. You could tell that she really looked to her as a friend.

Read if you love:
- Classical authors
- Women’s rights
- Cozy mystery
- Unlikely friendship
- A look inside differences in social class

I instantly recognized the title as the title of one of Emily Dickinson's most studied poems, so I was immediately intrigued and couldn't wait to find out where this story would take me.

I loved this interpretation of Emily Dickinson, before she became a recluse, as a cozy detective. The real woman is known for being unusually observant with an amazing understanding of human motivations - what could be better for a natural detective? I particularly loved how specific observations sparked the poet in her, and I could imagine that it was very similar to how she created a poem in real life. This story is an entertaining mystery and a remarkable literary imagining.

The mystery is a beautiful mix of literary history and universal truths, keeping me glued to the page. With plenty of possibilities and delightful red herrings, I kept guessing until the end, when everything was revealed. I also loved that Flower took some liberties with the timeline and had Ralph Waldo Emerson as part of the mystery. To imagine the lives of this country's two most studied writers is beyond surreal and simply gratifying.

I hardly ever think the second book in a series is better than the first, but in this case, I do. Amanda Flower introduced Emily Dickinson as a detective in the first audacious book. She detects with her maid, Willa Noble. While the first book was mostly about Willa and her family, this one is more a melding of the two women’s lives, centering on a visit by Ralph Waldo Emerson to the home of Emily’s brother, Austin, and his new wife, Susan.

As the story opens Austin and Susan have just returned from their honeymoon, and Emily insists that Willa help them out for the week, preparing the house for Emerson’s arrival. She blithely insists Willa can do her work at her house when she’s finished for the day at Austin’s. One feature of this book, a bit more than the first, is Emily’s lack of awareness of the different life of a servant, and the constraints under which they function. She’s constantly putting Willa into situations where no other maid would find herself and where Willa is supremely uncomfortable. This friction, mostly undiscerned by Emily herself, adds depth to the story.

Emily is so open minded and fair she herself sees no class distinctions, but of course, she’s alone in this pre-Civil War world. Willa gives Emily an entrée into the lives of some of the servants; and Emily, vice versa, gives Willa at least a fly’s eye view of things of the upper classes. Because Willa is a maid, she is often able to be almost invisible and overhear many important conversations.

The murder, when it happens, is the death of Emerson’s unpleasant secretary, a man who had seemingly randomly been punched in the face by a peddler the day before his death. As more and more comes out about the man, the more unpleasant he seems – it remains for Emily and Willa to discover which of the people he’s offended, lied to, or betrayed that actually killed him.

Flower does a wonderful job of establishing the time and setting, including things like the travelling peddler who supplies the kind of potions and trinkets we would probably pick up today at Target. She also does a wonderful job of bringing the reader into Emily’s family – her strict father, her dutiful sister, Lavinia, her mother, who appears to have some sort of mental illness, and Emily herself, who leaves scraps of her poetry around and often goes into a sort of trance as her words take her somewhere else.

Emerson at the time would have been one of the most well known literary figures in the country, and his reception at Amherst reflects his status, as do the number of aspiring writers wanting to show him their work. Flower also amusingly brings in Louisa May Alcott as a character. The practical Alcott, who writes her stories to support her family, doesn’t think much of Emily’s airy fairy poetry pursuits.

This book is much better paced than the first, with an excellent mystery at the center of things, relying on golden age tropes like poison, red herrings, and mistaken beliefs about some of the players involved in the story. Through Emily’s brilliance and doggedness, aided by the practicality of the loyal Willa, the two women find the solution to the murder. This book was a sharp and enjoyable read.

This book is a mystery set in 1856 in Massachusetts. This is the 2nd in a series. This story didn't spoil the first one. You can understand the story without reading the first novel, though Willa's relationship with her policeman will make more sense if you've read the first story.

Willa's gaining confidence in investigating, and she mainly did this by observing people and overhearing conversations. Emily's much more direct in her questions as she's used to getting her own way. They asked questions, poked around, and found clues. It's a clue-based puzzle mystery. Whodunit was guessable, and though I guessed correctly, I wasn't sure until nearly the end. Historical details about the time and the Dickinson's lives were woven into the story and brought it alive in my imagination. The main characters were interesting and likable.

There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical mystery.

Thank you so much to Berkley for the free book and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook!

I'll start by saying that when I began reading this book I wasn't aware that it was #2 in a series (the first one is called Because I Could Not Stop for Death). The story was easily understood for me on its own though!

This is a historical cozy mystery about Emily Dickinson's and her encounter with Ralph Waldo Emerson that left one man dead on her property. Many possible scenarios were played out and I thought the ending was clever. The characters had a fun charm to them as well and it was a light and breezy read for me.

I'd recommend if you're looking for a break from the typical mystery/thriller and want something light but interesting.

This book will be available for purchase on November 14th.

3.5 Stars

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.

"When a literary icon stays with the Dickinson family, Emily and her housemaid Willa find themselves embroiled in a shocking murder in this new mystery from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Amanda Flower.

August 1856. The Dickinson family is comfortably settled in their homestead on Main Street. Emily's brother, Austin Dickinson, and his new wife are delighted when famous thinker and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson comes to Amherst to speak at a local literary society and decides he and his young secretary, Luther Howard, will stay with the newlyweds. Emily has been a longtime admirer of Emerson's writing and is thrilled at the chance to meet her idol. She is determined to impress him with her quick wit, and if she can gather the courage, a poem. Willa Noble, the second maid in the Dickinson home and Emily's friend, encourages her to speak to the famous but stern man. But his secretary, Luther, intrigues Willa more because of his clear fondness for the Dickinson sisters.

Willa does not know if Luther truly cares for one of the Dickinson girls or if he just sees marrying one of them as a way to raise himself up in society. After a few days in his company, Willa starts to believe it's the latter. Miss Lavinia, Emily's sister, appears to be enchanted by Luther; a fact that bothers Emily greatly. However, Emily's fears are squashed when Luther turns up dead in the Dickinson's garden. It seems that he was poisoned. Emerson, aghast at the death of his secretary, demands answers. Emily and Willa set out to find them in order to save the Dickinson family reputation and stop a cold-blooded fiend from killing again."

What a better way to end a questionable courtship than murder?

Emily Dickinson's brother and new wife are home from their honeymoon and now they are getting ready to host some very prestigious company. Ralph Waldo Emerson is coming to give lectures at the college so everyone is excited. When Mr. Emerson's secretary is found dead in the garden Willa and Emily are on the case!

This is the second book in the Emily Dickinson Mystery series. I really enjoyed it. I always find myself getting upset when female characters are treated like sub-humans, but that was the times. Women were there to produce heirs and take care of the household. They were to be petted and taken out to show off when the need arose. They were told they were incapable of understanding the workings of the world. They were protected and sheltered. So there were some things that I definitely didn't like about the male characters in the story. The secretary was definitely one of those characters! I actually think he got what he deserved! I loved Emily's spunkiness with her father. I've not read enough about Emily Dickinson's life to know how she really was, but I found her character to be very interesting. A bit headstrong and flighty, yet actually one of the only ones that treated everyone kindly. Her maid Willa is still trying to decide what she feels for officer Matthew. I like how her character developed a little bit more in this book. She knows her place, yet she is brave enough to help Emily in their pursuit of finding the killer before someone innocent is charged. An entertaining read for sure. And definitely one I'd recommend.

I love this new series from Amanda Flower. Emily Dickenson's personal friend/maid finds herself involved in another murder investigation. Emily herself is always drawing her friend/maid into these investigations. I love the friendship between the two, even if Emily doesn't quite understand the limitations that Willa has on her as a servant in the household. I loved the introduction of other Massachusetts literary icons and can't wait to read more.

I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died by Amanda Flower is an engaging series that offers a delightful blend of historical details and intriguing characters.

I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died
Book 2 in the Emily Dickinson Mystery series
By Amanda Flower

Summary
The way Amanda Flower writes it, before Emily Dickinson was a published poet, she was an amateur sleuth, solving murders in her hometown of Amherst, Massachusetts, with her sometimes reluctant maid, Willa Noble.
In I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died, the murder victim is Luther Howard, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s personal secretary. The eminent poet was invited to Amherst by Susan Dickinson, Emily’s dear friend and her brother, Austin’s, new wife. Things were going well with the visit; Emerson was a popular speaker with people flocking to hear his talks. Dinners were held at Austin and Susan’s new home, a wedding present from his parents. At dinner one night, Luther excused himself. He was acting oddly and was later found dead in the gardens at Emily’s father’s house, next door to Austin’s home.
When a suspect is arrested, Emily is certain the police have the wrong man. Emily and Willa investigate on their own and risk becoming a murderer’s next target.

My Thoughts
Even though the books are in the Emily Dickinson Mystery series, Emily isn’t the point of view character. Willa Noble, Emily’s maid, is the one telling the story, and through her eyes there is more to the books than just the mystery. The series is set in the years before the Civil War and class distinctions are firmly rooted in society. Maids, like Willa, are part of the working class and aren’t friends with their wealthy employers.
Emily refuses to acknowledge this distinction, even though the rest of her family and her friends don’t hesitate to remind Willa of her place. It is a friendship that frequently places Willa in awkward positions, which Emily doesn’t see. But Willa can also talk to people that, because of the class division, wouldn’t speak freely to Emily. Without Willa, Emily couldn’t solve any mysteries.
I also like the different, albeit fictional, take on Emily Dickinson. She is a woman before her time-independent, rejecting social expectations of women’s roles and class distinctions. This independent streak drives Emily to take the steps she does in order to solve whatever mystery she’s involved in. There were plenty of viable suspects for Emily to deal with and that kept me guessing the murderer’s identity up until the reveal. The killer was one I didn’t see coming.
I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died is a stellar addition to the Emily Dickinson Mystery series.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good historical cozy mystery with the famous Emily Dickinson and her family as well as Ralph Waldo Emerson and his scoundrel assistant. Willa is a maid in the Dickenson household and has become good friends with Emily. When Mr Emerson’s assistant turns up dead, Emily is determined to find his killer and takes Willa along on her capers. Although this is the second book in the series (I’m not sure how I missed the first one) it was easy to follow along and figure out characters and how they fit in. If you like a good cozy mystery you would probably like this. Adding the historical element just made the book that much better. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

I heard a fly buzz when I died was a really interesting retelling of Emily Dickinsons life and her poetry as well as a mystery and a murder all thrown in.

In This story the author tells of a family friend connection to Ralph Waldo Emerson and how his secretary was a scoundrel who was trying to steal other people’s writing and trying to pass it off as his own. He does suddenly and Emily and her maid Willa are determined to figure out how and why he died.

Neither expect the twist of who actually killed him!

Definitely recommend!

Willa, Emily Dickinson's maid/servant/friend find herself pulled into another murder investigation by her brilliant, quirky friend/employer, Emily Dickinson. No one (especially Margaret, the lead maid/housekeeper) except Emily is happy with the amount of time Willa spends with Emily and NOT performing her duties, but Emily, bring her Father's favorite, always seems to get her way.

Emily and Willa late night investigative excursions seem to get some information, but also get them into trouble. Emily is absolutely single-minded about finding out who the Killer. Willa, who is loyal and protective to her friend and doesn't want her venturing out on her own. I love murder mysteries, especially historical murder mysteries, so this one definitely fits the bill. I was thrilled with the second installment of the series and I look forward to book three.

I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died
By Amanda Flower
Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2023
Berkely
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Readers who enjoy cozy mysteries would enjoy this book.
#2 in the Emily Dickinson Mystery Series
Pros- fascinating historical references caught my attention, powerful detective pair with Emily and her maid Willa,
Cons- the story is told from Willa’s point of view.
Good book but I have read better ones this summer. Possibly if I had read the first one in the series I would have liked it more.
3 stars

1856 Amherst, Massachusetts

What a fun series! It includes fascinating historical details and persons. Emily Dickinson's character is quirky and bold while her maid Willa brings about understanding of those in service. Together they are a powerful detective pair.

The novel is told from fictional character Willa's point of view. She loves the Dickinson family, especially Emily. Officer Matthew is starting to grab Willa's attention a bit more in this second of the series. Will her heart soften enough for to begin a relationship with Matthew?

Witty dialogue in the pages such as this line by Emily: "Sleep well, Willa, because tomorrow we catch a killer."