Emma Woodhouse married George Knightley, the local magistrate. George accepted Emma's independent ways and allowed her to be her carefree self. When Emma and Harriet Martin went to the church to replace the fresh flowers like they did every week, they came across a dreadful scene....Mrs. Augusta Elton was found to be dead on the stairs leading up to the alter. Augusta was the wife of the local vicar, Philip Elton. Augusta was not the nicest of people but Emma couldn't understand why someone would want to kill her, but upon looking at the body and the surrounding area, Emma came to the conclusion that it was indeed murder!

Emma immediately called for George who contacted Dr. Hughes, the coroner and Constable Sharpe, the local police. Both of these men were doing a shoddy job of investigating so Emma took matters into her own hands, especially after they started to accuse the sweet, timid Miss Hetty Bates. When one person finally gets arrested for the murder, Emma realizes that the men made a mistake and arrested the wrong person. In Emma's round about way she makes everyone realize who the real murderer is and justice finally prevails.

Overall this historical mystery was a fun, who done it type of story to follow. I really loved how smart and witty Emma was. If it would have been a different time in history, Emma would have been leading the investigation. I also loved how her husband was so patient with her. He realized what an asset she was.

Getting the characters right for the beloved Jane Austen book, Emma, would be a difficult task. But, author Vanessa Kelly was spot on with every one of them from Miss Bates to Emma, to Mr. Elton, and the rest of the village. The list of suspects for Mrs. Elton’s murder is lengthy, because let’s face it, she wasn’t a very nice person.

Emma doesn’t plan on getting involved in the investigation and trusts her husband and the constabulary to discover the murderer, but when her sweeter than honey friend is accused of the crime, Emma just has to see justice prevail. I enjoyed this mystery and only figured out who the murderer was at the very end.

I recommend this for older teens/young adults through mature readers if you like historical cozy mysteries and are a Jane Austen fan. I look forward to seeing what Emma will become embroiled in next.

I received a complimentary copy of the book. A positive review was not required and all opinions are my own.

It’s a Regency era cozy mystery starring Jane Austen’s own Emma Knightley. And of course she interferes and gets involved in the mystery, just as she interferes in the original Austen book.

I thought the author did a great job keeping with the setting, character and voice of the original Emma Knightley. It’s a fantastic return to Austen-land and a fun continuation for this beloved character. If you love mysteries and you love Jane Austen, this book is absolutely for you!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #MurderinHighbury

A cute cozy romance featuring Jane Austen’s Emma - who decided to investigate the murder of Mrs Elton when she is the first to discover the lady’s body on the alter steps . This is a must for Jane Austen lovers especially fans of Emma !

Emma Knightley nee Woodhouse is with her dear friend Harriet Martin have just arrived at the village of Highbury’s church to arrange flowers for Sunday when they happen upon the lifeless body of Augusta Elton, the vicar’s wife. Emma quickly takes charge and sends Harriet to find the local doctor and to find Emma’s husband George, who is the local magistrate. Because not only will George know what to do, but he is needed in a legal capacity as it is clear that Mrs. Elton was murdered!!

I was so excited for this book as Ms. Kelly is one of my favorite authors and Emma is my favorite Jane Austen character, and I was looking forward to reading about her new life as George’s wife, and hoping she is still her same delightfully meddlesome self! Good news, she is, and the book is filled with tidbits of the day to day, comings and goings of the inhabitants of Highbury, including Miss Bates and her mother Mrs. Bates, Mrs. Weston, Emma’s father, as well as Harriet, the vicar, Jane Churchill, her husband Frank and many others. Bad news, this book was not the exciting story I was hoping for. It was good, but it moved slowly, as in glacially slow and I found myself getting bored with the unnecessary repetitiveness of the dialogue and the facts of the murder. With each new suspect, the process began again, and the results were the same – which was annoying, especially as I was pretty sure I knew who the murderer was almost from the start. No spoilers, but I was right. I wish this book had been a bit less wordy and moved faster. I didn’t hate the book, it had its moments, but overall, it moved much too slowly to hold my attention, and it is not a book I would read again, and quite honestly, I am not sure if I want to read another installment.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

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 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
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Murder in Highbury (Hardcover)
by Vanessa Kelly
The vicar's wife has been murdered. Emma finds the body and begins looking for clues. She will question the whole village. Too many clues and too many suspects and they don't add up. Her husband is the magistrate and knows as much as he warns her to be careful, Emma won't stop looking for answers. The murderer could be anyone in the village or a stranger. The big question is why was she murdered?
A murder mystery with humor, takes twists and turns to find who done it.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Witty Entertaining Easy-to-read Action-packed Unpredictable Wonderful character sGreat world building.

The vicar's wife has been murdered. Emma Knightley discovers the body and begins looking for clues. She isn't above questioning the whole village. Too many clues and too many suspects and they don't add up. Her husband George is the magistrate and knows as much as he warns her to be careful, Emma can't stop looking for answers. The murderer could be someone in the village or a stranger. The big question is why was she murdered?
A murder mystery with humor, takes twists and turns to find who done it. Very entertaining.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

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 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.

I thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance reader copy of “Murder in Highbury.” All opinions and comments are my own.

Emma Woodhouse, now Emma Knightley, and her friend Harriet Martin have discovered a body in the village church. Alas, it's the vicar's wife, Mrs. Elton. Early suspicion points to that gentlest of creatures, Miss Henrietta Bates. And readers of Jane Austen's "Emma" know how the original character loves to, shall we say, meddle? This new historical mystery series by Vanessa Kelly will give her ample opportunity to do just that, even though everyone, especially husband George, tells her not to interfere. Well, that never stopped the original Emma, and it won’t stop this one, who pivots her matchmaking skills into detecting skills, and very good ones they are, too.

Red herrings abound (get out a scorecard for all the suspects!), but it’s the grand finale that will put a satisfying “a-ha!” coda to it all. Indeed, “our” Emma may have found herself saying once again, “Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable.” In "Murder in Highbury," Vanessa Kelly has done a wonderful job of entering the “Jane Austen characters as detective” scene and made a comfortable niche for herself. She has captured the style and literary “feel” of the original perfectly, and turned it into something quite wonderful. And even though Emma Knightley may think that “Highbury will return to its sleepy old self,” I’m hoping that Ms. Kelly has other plans.

If you have ever wished that Jane Austen had written a murder-mystery sequel to "Emma" and killed off its most disliked character, Mrs. Elton (huzzah!) this one if for you! However, it turns out nobody in Highbury is very good at figuring out motives so Emma must sus out the killer.

It was a slow read for me because certain characters grate on my nerves. We all know there are several annoying characters in "Emma" - Mr & Mrs Elton, Miss Bates, Mr. Woodhouse, Harriet... (Pretty much everyone other than Emma & George). Yes, Vanessa Kelly writes them true to the original and they all get FAR too much time to continue to annoy you in this book - BUT some of them finally get the karma they deserve (**insert evil laugh here**) and that's what kept me engaged. Plus, you get to see Emma & George as a newlywed couple doing cute married people things and working as a team to solve a murder (double huzzah!!).

As far as a cozy mystery goes, this book was OK. A bit long.
The big attraction is that it's Jane Austen inspired. Emma and George are characters in Austen's EMMA. Now, if you loved EMMA, this book probably has a lot more to offer, in that there's some characters and easter eggs and implied "inside jokes" (for the lack of a better term) if you're an Austen fan. Now, I've read EMMA once, long ago and don't remember the plot. So a lot of the charm is lost on me, and the only thing I have to work with is this is good story. I always enjoy having someone who is not really a detective solve the crime, such as a monk, nun, priest, basically anyone who would not ordinarily be involved in crime solving. I feel like it's a good story but it sure took a while to get there.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.
.

When Augusta Elton, the much disliked vicar’s wife, is murdered and both the coroner and village constable seem to be jumping to conclusions, Emma Knightly cannot help but investigate. Very cleverly written in the style of Jane Austen’s Emma with all the well loved inhabitants of Highbury. Highly recommended.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Vanessa Kelly for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Murder in Highbury coming out October 22, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own. .

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I was so excited to get it! I’m obsessed with regency era mysteries and I definitely love Jane Austen. It was a lot of fun having a continuation of Emma in a mystery format. I feel like Emma would be perfect at solving mysteries since she’s so social and determined. I loved that Knightley was supportive of her. Killing Augusta Elton was pretty crazy, but I loved it! I definitely hope there are more books in this series!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Jane Austen mystery adaptations!

I know some Austen fans will turn away from this cozy featuring Emma Knightly as an amateur sleuth but give it a chance and you'll find a fun read. And, equally importantly, don't worry if you haven't read Emma because this is still a fun read even if you don't know the characters from the classic. Emma is both a busybody and a smart cookie so solving crime isn't a stretch. It's very much a classic cozy with a victim who wasn't well liked and multiple suspects. And a sidekick. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This appears to be the first in a series and I'd welcome further visits to Highbury.

A delightful cozy mystery set in the world of Jane Austen’s Emma.this takes place after the end of the book Emma. Emma has settled into her marriage with George Knightley, when murder upsets the calm in Highbury. The wife of the local vicar, Mr Elton, is found by Emma, murdered in the church. Emma’s husband has to help find the murderer, with an inept Constable and officious coroner. When the investigation leads them to suspect local Spinster, Miss Bates, Emma sets out to find who the real killer is. This is a fun mystery with familiar characters. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for my honest review.

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!

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, what's not to love about this idea? 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 a great one to compete against 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, or I would have developed 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.

"Murder in Highbury" by Vanessa Kelly is a murder mystery that takes place in the world of Jane Austen’s “Emma.” The events in this story take place soon after the events in “Emma.” This story is perfect for fans of Jane Austen, witty stories, and murder mysteries! You do not have to have read Austen’s novel to enjoy this charming book, although fans will be delighted with how true to Austen the author stays in “Murder in Highbury.” Ms. Kelly gives readers a good explanation of events in the original “Emma” book, in case the reader is not familiar with it. As a huge fan of both Austen and “Emma” myself, I loved that reading “Murder in Highbury” felt like I was reading another one of Austen’s works. Ms. Kelly really knows her Austen and has a great grasp on the beloved characters. Everything they do and say in her novels feels so true to their character. “Murder in Highbury” is written with a wit and wry humor and Emma has some great one liners. The mystery is so well done, and I was fully invested throughout. I was able to guess who committed the crime, just before the reveal. Of course Emma would get involved in a murder mystery; and who better to write it than Ms. Kelly? I cannot wait to see what Emma gets up to next!

Content: I give this a PG rating. Some examples of the content are: the words “as*,” “hell,” “bloody,” “dam*ation,” “bastard,” and “devil” are used; the Lord’s name is taken in vain; sexual innuendo; characters drink alcohol, talk of people possibly being lovers; says someone isn’t a virgin.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Less than one year into her marriage to respected magistrate George Knightley, Emma has grown unusually content in her newfound partnership and refreshed sense of independence. When Emma and Harriet Martin, now the wife of one of Mr. Knightley’s tenant farmers, go to arrange flowers in the church they discover the body of Mrs. Augusta Elton, the vicar’s wife & the ornate necklace she often wore stripped from her neck. When suspicions suddenly fall on a harmless local, Emma realizes she must discreetly navigate an investigation of her own to protect the innocent and expose the ruthless culprit hiding in plain sight.
A regency cosy mystery featuring some classic characters, I loved it. Emma is a delight & can’t help but poke her nose into the investigation. I loved the dynamics between the characters & the way the author developed the characters & relationships whilst still keeping true to the original book. I loved the twists & turns as the case unfolded. A very well written cosy mystery with excitement interlaced with humour
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own